Csdrhrt

I'm using tmux with vi keys, and copy/paste works fine as long as you're selecting one line of text, or if you have only one window. When I want to select a block of text (multiple lines, but not full width), then I run into trouble. If I have multiple vim windows opened, then it would select text from all of them, and what I need is to select text only from one window. That is, just like a visual select in vim.

Is this possible to do?

Make sure to check the bottom of this post for necessary bindings that need to go into your .tmux.conf file.

I am assuming your prefix key is C-a:

• C-a means: press Ctrl + A
  


• C-a [ means: press Ctrl + A then press [
  

To do a rectangle selection of text from (1,1) to (2,2) in tmux:

• Go to the copy mode: C-a [


• Move the middle of a line


• Press C-v


• Press Space


• Move the selection with jkhl


• Once you are happy with your selection press Enter (or y if you have
  the binding in your conf file).


• You can paste the latest copy buffer by: C-a ]

Notice that pressing space is necessary for rectangle selection.

To select lines like you would normally do, go the copy mode, and press v, select with jkhl keys and press y.

I have these bindings in my .tmux.conf:

Prior to version 2.4 (20 April 2017):

setw -g mode-keys vi

bind-key -t vi-copy 'v' begin-selection     # Begin selection in copy mode.

bind-key -t vi-copy 'C-v' rectangle-toggle  # Begin selection in copy mode.

bind-key -t vi-copy 'y' copy-selection      # Yank selection in copy mode.

After version 2.4:

setw -g mode-keys vi

bind-key -T copy-mode-vi 'v' send -X begin-selection     # Begin selection in copy mode.

bind-key -T copy-mode-vi 'C-v' send -X rectangle-toggle  # Begin selection in copy mode.

bind-key -T copy-mode-vi 'y' send -X copy-selection      # Yank selection in copy mode.

It is important to unbind default rectangle-toggle binding:

unbind-key -t vi-copy v  # Prior to version 2.4

unbind-key -T copy-mode-vi v

Otherwise new 'C-v' binding doesn't work.

Note: to have a single .tmux.conf which works across versions, see this question.

You can select a visual block just like in vi -- type v before starting the selection. In the manpage, this is called "Rectangle toggle".

As Lars points out, v actually does what you are asking for by toggling between rectangle mode and full-line selection mode. space and enter are used respectively to start a new selection and copy it. Enter copy mode using your prefix followed by [ and paste your copied selection into any tmux window using ]

This confused me also since v functions in vim as space does in tmux , to begin the selection.

Issuing :list-keys -t vi-copy in tmux will show the full table of commands in copy mode.

bind-key -t vi-copy    C-b page-up                                                      

bind-key -t vi-copy    C-c cancel

bind-key -t vi-copy    C-e scroll-down

bind-key -t vi-copy    C-f page-down

bind-key -t vi-copy    C-h cursor-left

bind-key -t vi-copy  Enter copy-selection

bind-key -t vi-copy    C-y scroll-up

bind-key -t vi-copy Escape clear-selection

bind-key -t vi-copy  Space begin-selection

bind-key -t vi-copy      $ end-of-line

bind-key -t vi-copy      , jump-reverse

bind-key -t vi-copy      / search-forward

bind-key -t vi-copy      0 start-of-line

bind-key -t vi-copy      1 start-number-prefix

bind-key -t vi-copy      2 start-number-prefix

bind-key -t vi-copy      3 start-number-prefix

bind-key -t vi-copy      4 start-number-prefix

bind-key -t vi-copy      5 start-number-prefix

bind-key -t vi-copy      6 start-number-prefix

bind-key -t vi-copy      7 start-number-prefix

bind-key -t vi-copy      8 start-number-prefix

bind-key -t vi-copy      9 start-number-prefix

bind-key -t vi-copy      : goto-line

bind-key -t vi-copy      ; jump-again

bind-key -t vi-copy      ? search-backward

bind-key -t vi-copy      B previous-space

bind-key -t vi-copy      D copy-end-of-line

bind-key -t vi-copy      E next-space-end

bind-key -t vi-copy      F jump-backward

bind-key -t vi-copy      G history-bottom

bind-key -t vi-copy      H top-line

bind-key -t vi-copy      J scroll-down

bind-key -t vi-copy      K scroll-up

bind-key -t vi-copy      L bottom-line

bind-key -t vi-copy      M middle-line

bind-key -t vi-copy      N search-reverse

bind-key -t vi-copy      T jump-to-backward

bind-key -t vi-copy      W next-space

bind-key -t vi-copy      ^ back-to-indentation

bind-key -t vi-copy      b previous-word

bind-key -t vi-copy      e next-word-end

bind-key -t vi-copy      f jump-forward

bind-key -t vi-copy      g history-top

bind-key -t vi-copy      h cursor-left

bind-key -t vi-copy      j cursor-down

bind-key -t vi-copy      k cursor-up

bind-key -t vi-copy      l cursor-right

bind-key -t vi-copy      n search-again

bind-key -t vi-copy      q cancel

bind-key -t vi-copy      t jump-to-forward

bind-key -t vi-copy      v rectangle-toggle

bind-key -t vi-copy      w next-word

bind-key -t vi-copy BSpace cursor-left

bind-key -t vi-copy  NPage page-down

bind-key -t vi-copy  PPage page-up

bind-key -t vi-copy     Up cursor-up

bind-key -t vi-copy   Down cursor-down

bind-key -t vi-copy   Left cursor-left

bind-key -t vi-copy  Right cursor-right

bind-key -t vi-copy   C-Up scroll-up

bind-key -t vi-copy C-Down scroll-down

Since none of the other answers give an optimal solution to the problem, I'm not above necromancy.

There is a way to have block selection work the same way it does in Vim, without having to press space. Just a simple Ctrl-V, ingrained in your muscle memory.

It requires editing your .tmux.conf (but using vi-mode already does so) and I'm not sure it works for tmux < 2.4.

Add this to your .tmux.conf to replicate Vim selection and yank bindings:

# set vi-mode

set-window-option -g mode-keys vi

# keybindings

bind-key -T copy-mode-vi v send-keys -X begin-selection

bind-key -T copy-mode-vi C-v send-keys -X rectangle-toggle ; send -X begin-selection

bind-key -T copy-mode-vi y send-keys -X copy-selection-and-cancel

# comment the preceding line and uncomment the following to yank to X clipboard

# bind-key -T copy-mode-vi y send-keys -X copy-pipe-and-cancel "xclip -in -selection clipboard"

Enter selection mode and navigate to where you want to begin the selection. Now v starts regular (character-by character, line-wise) selection, <C-v> starts block selection and V (shift-v) starts line selection. Regardless of the type of selection, y yanks to tmux paste buffer (or X clipboard; see code comments above).

Same as Vim.