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Terminal Configuration#

Terminal Setup#

Xcode#

Install Xcode using the built-in Terminal app

xcode-select --install

XCode

XCode is an essential tool for any developer on macOS. It provides a suite of tools for developing software on Apple platforms. You must have XCode installed before you can install other tools like Homebrew.

Homebrew#

Install Homebrew using the built-in Terminal app

Homebrew calls itself "The missing package manager for macOS" and is an essential tool for any developer.

Note

Before you can run Homebrew you need to have the Command Line Tools for Xcode installed.

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install.sh)"

homebrew.png

Homebrew

Homebrew is an essential tool for any developer on macOS. It provides a streamlined way to install software packages and libraries on your system. You must have Homebrew installed before you can install other tools mentioned in this guide.

iTerm2#

Note

If you're using the dotfile dependency installation method, iTerm2 is installed automatically via Homebrew - see the dependencies section for more information.

Install iTerm2

iTerm2 is an open source replacement for Apple's Terminal. It's highly customizable and comes with a lot of useful features.

brew install --cask iterm2

iterm2.png

Terminal Customization#

Hotkey Shortcut#

Create a custom hot-key to launch iTerm2 from anywhere: (^ + ⌥ + ⌘ + i)

  • iTerm2 Preferences -> Keys -> Hotkey -> Create dedicated hotkey window
  • Set iTerm2 to open (hidden) at login: System Preferences -> Users & Groups -> Login Items
  • If not already, set all profiles to use the MesloLGS NF font in iTerm2 Preferences -> Profile -> Text -> Font

Note

The MesloLGS Nerd Font font is included in the dotfiles > dependency installation automatically. If you'd like to install it manually, you can do so via homebrew:

brew install --cask font-meslo-lg-nerd-font

iterm_hotkey.png

Zsh#

When leveraging the dotfiles from this project, the Z shell (zsh) is set up with a number of frameworks and plugins to make your terminal experience more productive and enjoyable: