Installation

latest version: v3.4.1
64-bit
macOS (.app) v3.4.1
Windows (.exe) v3.4.1
Debian (.deb) v3.4.1
Fedora (.rpm) v3.4.1
Other Linux distros (.AppImage) v3.4.1

Project Goals

The goal of the project is to create a beautiful and extensible experience for command-line interface users, built on open web standards. In the beginning, our focus will be primarily around speed, stability and the development of the correct API for extension authors.

In the future, we anticipate the community will come up with innovative additions to enhance what could be the simplest, most powerful and well-tested interface for productivity.

Extensions

Extensions are available on npm. We encourage everyone to include hyper in the keywordsfield in package.json.

$ npm search hyper

Then edit .hyper.js and add it to plugins

module.exports = {

  config: { /*... */ },

  plugins: [
    "hyperpower"
  ]

};

Hyper will show a notification when your modules are installed to .hyper_plugins.

Keymaps

All command keys can be changed. In order to change them, edit .hyper.js and add your desired change to keymaps.

Then Hyper will change the default with your custom change.

Example: 'window:devtools': 'Cmd+Alt+O'

module.exports = {
  config: { /*... */ },

  keymaps: {
    'window:devtools': 'cmd+alt+o'
  }

};

Default keymaps:

Configuration

Config location

macOS~/Library/Application Support/Hyper/.hyper.js
Windows$Env:AppData/Hyper/.hyper.js
Linux~/.config/Hyper/.hyper.js

Note: config at ~/.hyper.js still supported, but will be ignored, if config in application directory present. Otherwise it will be moved to the application directory at first run.

The config object seen above in .hyper.js admits the following

PropertyDefaultDescription
updateChannel"stable"The update channel to receive updates from
fontSize12The default size in pixels for the terminal
fontFamily"Menlo, DejaVu Sans Mono, Lucida Console, monospace"The font family to use with optional fallbacks
uiFontFamily"-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, ..."The font family to use for the UI with optional fallbacks
fontWeight"normal"The default font weight: "normal" or "bold"
fontWeightBold"bold"The font weight for bold characters: "normal" or "bold"
cursorColor"rgba(248,28,229,0.8)"The color of the caret in the terminal
cursorAccentColor"#000"The text color under BLOCK cursor
cursorShape"BLOCK"The shape of the caret in the terminal. Available options are: 'BEAM', 'UNDERLINE', 'BLOCK'
cursorBlink"false"If true, cursor will blink
foregroundColor"#fff"The color of the main text of the terminal
backgroundColor"#000"The color and opacity of the window and main terminal background
selectionColor"rgba(248,28,229,0.3)"The background color/opacity of the text selection in terminal
borderColor"#333"The color of the main window border and tab bar
css""Custom CSS to include in the main window
padding"12px 14px"CSS padding values for the space around each term
colors{ black: "#000000", red: "#ff0000", ... }A list of overrides for the color palette. The names of the keys represent the "ANSI 16", which can all be seen in the default config.
shell""A path to a custom shell to run when Hyper starts a new session
shellArgs"['--login']"An array of shell arguments
env{}An object of environment variables to set before launching shell
windowSize[540, 380]The default width/height in pixels of a new window
scrollback1000The number of rows to be persisted in terminal buffer for scrolling
copyOnSelectfalseIf true, selected text will automatically be copied to the clipboard
quickEditfalseIf true, on right click selected text will be copied or pasted if no selection is present (true by default on Windows)
defaultSSHApptrueIf true, Hyper will be set as the default protocol client for SSH
modifierKeys{altIsMeta: false}Change the behaviour of modifier keys to act as meta key
showHamburgerMenutrue on Linux/Windows, false on macOSChange the visibility of the hamburger menu. Available options are: true, false
showWindowControls""Change the position/visibility of the window controls. Available options are: true, false, "left"

Extensions API

Extensions are universal Node.js modules loaded by both Electron and the renderer process.

The extension system is designed around composition of the APIs we use to build the terminal: React components and Redux actions.

Instead of exposing a custom API method or parameter for every possible customization point, we allow you to intercept and compose every bit of functionality!

The only knowledge that is therefore required to successfully extend Hyper is that of its underlying open source libraries.

You can find additional details about plugin development here

Your module has to expose at least one of these methods:

MethodInvoked fromDescription
onAppElectron

Invoked when the app first loads. If a plugin reloads, it's invoked again with the existing app.

Parameters:

appThe electron app.
onWindowElectron

Invoked when each window is created. If a plugin reloads, it's invoked again with the existing windows.

Parameters:

windowAn electron BrowserWindow.
onUnloadElectron

Invoked when a plugin is removed by the user.

Parameters:

appThe electron app.
decorateConfigElectron / Renderer

v0.5.0+. Allows you to decorate the user's configuration.
Useful for themeing or custom parameters for your plugin.

Parameters:

configThe config object
decorateEnvElectron

v0.7.0+. Allows you to decorate the user's environment by returning a modified environment object.

Parameters:

environmentThe environment object
decorateMenuElectron

Invoked with the Electron's Menu template. If a plugin reloads, it's called again and the menu is refreshed.

Parameters:

menuThe menu template object
decorateBrowserOptionsElectron

Allows you to decorate Electron's BrowserWindow options when a new window is created.

Parameters:

optionsThe BrowserWindow options object.
onRendererWindowRenderer

Invoked when a plugin is first loaded or subsequently reloaded in each window.

Parameters:

windowThe window object
middlewareRenderer

A custom Redux middleware that can intercept any action. Subsequently we invoke the thunkmiddleware, which means your middleware cannext thunks.

reduceUI
reduceSessions
reduceTermGroups
Renderer

A custom reducer for the ui, sessions or termgroups state shape.

stateThe Redux state object
actionThe action object
getTabsPropsRenderer

Passes down props from <Tabs>to the <Header> component. Must return the composed props object.

parentPropsProps form the parent component.
propsThe existing properties that will be passed to the component.
getTabPropsRenderer

Passes down props from <Tab>to the <Tabs> component. Must return the composed props object.

uidTab / Term uid
parentPropsProps form the parent component.
propsThe existing properties that will be passed to the component.
getTermGroupPropsRenderer

Passes down props from <Terms>to the <TermGroup> component. Must return the composed props object.

uidTermGroup uid
parentPropsProps form the parent component.
propsThe existing properties that will be passed to the component.
getTermPropsRenderer

Passes down props from <TermGroup>to the <Term> component. Must return the composed props object.

uidTerm uid
parentPropsProps form the parent component.
propsThe existing properties that will be passed to the component.
mapHyperState
mapTermsState
mapHeaderState
mapNotificationsState
Renderer

A custom mapper for the state properties that container components receive. Note that for children components to get these properties, you have to pass them down using the corresponding methods (like getTermProps).

Must return an extended object of the map passed.

stateThe Redux global state
mapThe existing map of properties that will be passed to the component.
mapHyperDispatch
mapTermsDispatch
mapHeaderDispatch
mapNotificationsDispatch
Renderer

A custom mapper for the dispatch properties. Must return an extended object of the map passed.

dispatchThe Redux dispatch function
mapThe existing map of properties that will be passed to the component.
decorateHyper
decorateNotifications
decorateNotificationdecorateHeader
decorateTabs
decorateTabdecorateTerms
decorateTermGroup
decorateSplitPane
decorateTerm
Renderer

Invoked with the React Componentto decorate. Must return a Higher Order Component.

Parameters:

HyperThe React Componentconstructor.
envA collection of useful module references for building components. See below

Module loading

The user can hot-load and hot-reload plugins by pressing Command + R (refresh). Please strive to make plugins that don't require a complete restart of the application to work.

Notice

Plugins affecting the `BrowserWindow` will the effect on new windows after hot-reload.

In the future we might do this automatically.

When developing, you can add your plugin to .hyper_plugins/local and then specify it under the localPlugins array in .hyper.js. We load new plugins:

  • Periodically (every few hours)
  • When changes are made to the configuration file (plugins or localPlugins)
  • When the user clicks Plugins > Update all now

The process of reloading involves

  • Running npm prune and npm install in .hyper_plugins.
  • Pruning the require.cache in both electron and the renderer process
  • Invoking on* methods on the existing instances and re-rendering components with the fresh decorations in place.

Plugins location

macOS~/Library/Application Support/Hyper/.hyper_plugins
Windows$Env:AppData/Hyper/.hyper_plugins
Linux~/.config/Hyper/.hyper_plugins

Note: plugins at ~/.hyper_plugins still supported, but will be ignored, if plugins in application directory present. Otherwise they will be moved to the application directory at first run.

Note: on the main process, plugins are registered as soon as possible (we fire onLoad). On the browser, it's up to the user to trigger their load by pressing command+R. We put the user in control of the loading in this way to prevent them from losing critical work by extensions that reset state or don't preserve it correctly.

Decorating components

We give you the ability to provide a higher order component for every piece of the Hyper UI.
Its structure is as follows:

<Hyper>
  <Header>
    <Tabs>
      <Tab /> ...
    </Tabs>
  </Header>
  <Terms>
    <TermGroup>
      <SplitPane>
        <TermGroup>
          <Term /> ...
        </TermGroup>
        <TermGroup>
          <Term /> ...
        </TermGroup>
      </SplitPane>
    </TermGroup>
  </Terms>
  <Notifications>
    <Notification /> ...
  </Notifications>
</Hyper>

All the decorate* methods receive the following references in an object passed as the second parameter:

ReactThe entire React namespace.
notify

A helper function that shows a desktop notification. The first parameter is the title, the second is the optional body of the notification, and the third is another optional parameter which can be used to log details to the development console.

To pass these details, simply provide and object with an error property containing the information to log.

NotificationThe Notification component in case you want to re-use it.

All the components accept the following two properties to extend their markup:

customChildrenAn array of Element or a singleElement to insert at the bottom of the component.
customChildrenBeforeThe same as the above property, but inserted as the first child element(s) of the component.

Your higher order component can supply a onDecoratedproperty to the decorated component to get a reference to its instance.

Your Term higher order component can supply an onCursorMovehandler property that be called when cursor has moved with an object parameter representing its relative position to Term origin:

xHorizontal position in pixels
yVertical position in pixels
widthCursor width in pixels
heightCursor height in pixels
colHorizontal position in columns
rowVertical position in rows

We encourage you to maintain compatibility with other decorators. Since many can be set, don't assume that yours is the only one.

For example, if you're passing children, compose potential existing values:

render () {
  const customChildren = Array.from(this.props.customChildren)
    .concat(<p>My new child</p>);
  return <Tab {...this.props} customChildren={customChildren} />
}

Or if you use onDecorated property

onDecorated (term) {
  this.term = term;
  if (this.props.onDecorated) {
    this.props.onDecorated(term);
  }
}

Actions and Effects

All the Redux actions are available for you to handle through your middleware and reducers. For an example, refer to the Hyperpower reference plugin.

Side effects occur in two fundamental forms:

  • Some actions dispatch other actions based on state.
  • Some actions do async work by communicating over the RPC channel to the main process

In all cases, the side effect is passed as the effect key in the action and later handled by our middleware.

This means that you can override, compose or completely eliminate effects! In other words, this is how you can change the default functionality or behavior of the app.

As an example, consider the action we use to increase the font size when you press Command+=:

export function increaseFontSize () {
  return (dispatch, getState) => {
    dispatch({
      type: UI_FONT_SIZE_INCR,
      effect () {
        const state = getState();
        const old = state.ui.fontSizeOverride || state.ui.fontSize;
        const value = old + 1;
        dispatch({
          type: UI_FONT_SIZE_SET,
          value
        });
      }
    });
  };
}

The underlying terminal

Hyper achieves a lot of its speed and functionality thanks to the power of xterm.js

Additional APIs

The Electron app objects are extended with the following properties:

configAn Object with the config block from .hyper.js.
pluginsAn Object with helpers for plugins.
getWindowsA Function that returns an Set of all the open windows.
createWindowA Function that will create a new window. Accepts an optional callback that will be passed as the new window's init callback.

Electron BrowserWindow objects are extended with the following parameters:

rpcAn EventEmitter that allows for communication with the window process.
sessionsA Map of Sessionobjects which hold the communication with each term's pty..

Renderer windows are similarly extended with:

rpcAn EventEmitter that allows for communication with the window process.
storeThe Redux Store object. This allows access to dispatch actions or read the global state with getState.

The rpc object is symmetrical between browser and renderer process. The API is the same as Node.js, with the exception that it only admits a single object as its parameters only:

window.rpc.emit('hi there', {
  some: 'payload',
  any: [
    'object',
    'here'
  ]
});

Example theme: Hyperyellow

The following extension simply alters the config to add CSS and yellow colors! Here's the code.

hyperyellow theme

Themes are simply plugins! Only one hook, decorateConfigis needed:

exports.decorateConfig = (config) => {
  return Object.assign({}, config, {
    borderColor: 'yellow',
    cursorColor: 'yellow',
    css: `
      ${config.css || ''}
      .tabs_nav .tabs_list .tab_text {
        color: yellow;
      }
      .tabs_nav .tabs_title {
        color: yellow;
      }
    `
  });
}

I grabbed the class names by inspecting the term with Devtools, which you can trigger from View -> Toggle Developer Tools. When you do so, notice that some classes are automatically generated and followed by a random nonce (e.g.: term_13hv8io). Ignore those: they change with every new window!

Notice the emphasis on playing nice with other extensions. Specifically, we create a new object, extend only the keys we are interested in, and we compose the CSS to preserve the user's setting and that of other authors':

return Object.assign({}, config, {
  css: `
    ${config.css || ''}
    /* your css here */
  `
});

Example extension: Hyperpower

The following extension renders particles as the caret moves:

Let's walk through its code.
First, we intercept the Redux action SESSION_ADD_DATA. See the whole list of them here.

exports.middleware = (store) => (next) => (action) => {
  if ('SESSION_ADD_DATA' === action.type) {
    const { data } = action;
    if (/bash: wow: command not found/.test(data)) {
      store.dispatch({
        type: 'WOW_MODE_TOGGLE'
      });
    } else {
      next(action);
    }
  } else {
    next(action);
  }
};

Notice that we don't re-dispatch the action, which means we never render the output of the command to the terminal. Instead, we dispatch an action of our own, which we grab in the uiReducerand later map:

exports.reduceUI = (state, action) => {
  switch (action.type) {
    case 'WOW_MODE_TOGGLE':
      return state.set('wowMode', !state.wowMode);
  }
  return state;
};

exports.mapTermsState = (state, map) => {
  return Object.assign(map, {
    wowMode: state.ui.wowMode
  });
};

We then want to decorate the <Term> component so that we can access the underlying caret.

However, <Term> is not a container that we can map props to. So we use getTermProps to pass the property further down:

exports.getTermProps = (uid, parentProps, props) => {
  return Object.assign(props, {
    wowMode: parentProps.wowMode
  });
}

The extension then returns a higher order component to wrap <Term>. Notice we pass the onDecoratedproperty to access the base Term component and its DOM ref, and the onCursorMove property to use Hyper cursor API:

render () {
  return React.createElement(Term, Object.assign({}, this.props, {
    onDecorated: this._onDecorated
,    onCursorMove: this._onCursorMove
  }));
}