# code.mindmeldr.com /graphterm

### Navigation

- index
- next |
- previous |
- Docs Home |
- Contents »

# Getting started with GraphTerm

Contents

- Getting started with GraphTerm
  - Running GraphTerm
  - Command Toolchain
  - Using the terminal
    - Visual cues
    - Navigating folders/opening files
    - Image and Icon display
    - Menu shortcuts
    - Command recall
    - Copy/paste
    - Drag and drop
    - iPad/Android tablet usage
    - Themes
    - Choosing the terminal type
  - Inline graphics, notebooks, slideshows, tracing etc.
    - Inline plots using matplotlib
    - Inline tables using pandas
    - Notebook mode
    - Slideshows
    - Code tracing using Python Tutor
  - Sharing, embedding, remote access, and security
    - Sessions and “screensharing”
    - Webcasting
    - Embedding and remote terminal commands
    - Wildcard sessions and multiplexing
    - Multiple hosts
    - Security
    - SSH, port forwarding, and remote access

## Running GraphTerm

To install `GraphTerm`, you need to have Python 2.6+ and the Bash shell on your Mac/Linux/Unix computer. For a quick install, if the python `setuptools` module is already installed on your system, use the following two commands:

    sudo easy_install graphterm
    sudo gterm_setup            # Sets up the command toolchain

(See the Installation section of the README file for more installation options.)

To start the `GraphTerm` server, use the command:

    gtermserver --terminal --auth_type=none

This will run the server and open a GraphTerm terminal window using the default browser. For multi-user computers, omit the `--auth_type=none` option when starting the server, and enter the authentication code stored in the file `~/.graphterm/_gterm_auth.txt` as needed. (The `gterm` command can automatically enter this code for you.)

You can access the GraphTerm server using a browser that supports websockets, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or IE10 (Chrome works best), by entering the following URL:

    http://localhost:8900

In the `graphterm` browser page, select the GraphTerm host you wish to connect to and create a new terminal session. (Note: The GraphTerm host is different from the network hostname for the server.) Within a GraphTerm window, you can use terminal/new menu option, or type the command `gmenu new`, to create a new GraphTerm session

You can also open additional GraphTerm terminal windows using the `gterm` command:

    gterm [session_name]
    gterm -u ubuntu --browser="Google Chrome" https://example.com:8900

where the terminal session name argument is optional.

Type `gtermserver -h` to view all options for starting the server. You can use the `--daemon=start` option to run the server in the background. The `--host=hostname` option is useful for listening on a public IP address instead of the default `localhost`. The `--lc_export` option can be used to export the GraphTerm environment across SSH via the locale variables (which sometimes works). The `--auth_type=none` no authentication option is useful for teaching or demonstration purposes, or on a single-user lapttop/desktop, where security is not important. Another useful no authentication option is `--auth_type=name` which enables simple name-based sharing. (For more on running publicly accessible GraphTerm servers on the cloud, see Setting up a Virtual Computer Lab in the cloud.)

Within the terminal, try out the following commands:

    hello_gterm.sh
    gls <directory>
    gvi <text-filename>

The `gls` and `gvi` commands in the GraphTerm toolchain imitate basic features of the standard `ls` and `vi` commands. (Note: You need to execute the `sudo gterm_setup` command to be able to use the GraphTerm toolchain. Otherwise, you will encounter a `Permission denied` error.) To display images as thumbnails, use the `gls -i ...` command. Use the `-h` option to display help information for these commands, and read the UsingGraphicalFeatures tutorial for usage examples.

## Command Toolchain

GraphTerm is bundled with a command toolchain that allow access to many graphical features from the command line.

The toolchain commands can communicate with each other using pipes and may be written any language, e.g., Bash shell script, Python etc. The commands reside in the directory `$GTERM_DIR/bin` and include the following:

> `d3cloud [file]` To display file (or stdin) content as a word cloud (see Inline word cloud using d3.js)

> `gbrowse [filename|URL]` To view files/URLs in a separate browser window

> `gcp source dest` Copy command supporting drag-and-drop for source/destination

> `gfeed` Display stdin input lines as a “feed”

> `gframe [-f] [filename|URL]` To view files/URLs (or HTML from stdin) within an inline iframe (see Inline word cloud using d3.js)

> `gimage [-f] [filenames]` To view images inline, or as a fullpage slideshow (with `-f` option)

> `gjs javascript command` Execute Javascript in the client browser

> `glandslide [options] file.md` A GraphTerm-aware version of Landslide, a web-based slideshow program (see Web slideshows using Landslide)

> `gload terminal_name` Load a new terminal in the current window

> `gls [-i] [filenames]` Generate clickable directory listing

> `gmatplot.py` An inline `matplotlib` plotting package (see Inline data visualization plotting using matplotlib)

> `gmenu item subitem` To access the menubar from the command line

> `gopen filename` To open a file using the OS-specific `open` command

> `gqrcode URL|text` Display inline QR code

> `greveal [options] file.md` A GraphTerm-aware interface to reveal.js, a web-based slideshow program

> `gsh terminal_name command args` Execute command in the specified terminal (all output appears in terminal_name

> `gsnowflake.py` An inline plotting demo for the SVG module `svgwrite`

> `gterm` Launch new GraphTerm windows (from outside browser)

> `gtutor [...] example.py` A command-line version of the Online Python Tutorial at pythontutor.com (see Code tracing using online version of Python Tutor)

> `gtweet [-s keywords] | tweet` To send, search, or receive tweets (see Live tweet stream using gtweet)

> `gupload [filename|directory]` To upload files from desktop into the terminal

> `gvi filename` Open file using a browser-based visual editor

> `hello_gterm.sh` Hello World program that displays inline HTML text and image

> `ystock stock_symbol` To view a graph of stock price history

> `yweather [location]` To view weather forecasts (see Graphical weather forecast using Yahoo Weather API)

## Using the terminal

### Visual cues

In the default theme, blue color denotes text that can be clicked or tapped (see ls vs. gls). The action triggered by clicking depends upon two factors, whether there is text in the current command line, and whether the Control modifier in the Footer menu is active. Click on the last displayed prompt to toggle display of the Footer menu. Clicking on other prompts toggles display of the command output (unless the Control modifier is used, in which case the entire command line is copied and pasted.)

### Navigating folders/opening files

You can navigate folders in GraphTerm just like you would do in a GUI, while retaining the ability to drop back to the CLI at any time. If the current command line is empty, clicking on a folder or filename displayed by the `gls` command will change the current directory to the folder, or cause the file to be opened. If you have typed anything at all in the current command line, even if it is just a space, the clicking action will cause text to be pasted into the command line, without any command being executed. You can edit the pasted text, then press the Enter key to execute it.

### Image and Icon display

To display images inline, use the `gimage` command. To activate icon display for commands like `gls`, select `view/icons` in the menubar. By default, `gls` does not display thumbnail icons of image files. (You can use `gls -i` to force thumbnail icon display, but it can be a bit slow if there are a large number of images.)

### Menu shortcuts

All the items in the top menubar can be accessed by typing Control-J followed by a single letter for each level of menu selection. The letter to be typed will be highlighted when you type Control-J and is usually, but not always, the first letter of the item name. For example, the sequence Control-J t c will select the menu item terminal/clear

The menubar can also be accessed from the command line, using the `gmenu` command, e.g.:

    gmenu terminal clear

A single-word menu name is typed to select each menu level, and preceding level names may be omitted, as long as there is no ambiguity, e.g.:

    gmenu clear

### Command recall

If the command line is empty, up/down arrows will use the underlying shell for command recall (like Control-P and Control-N). If the command line contains any text, including whitespace, up/down arrows will cause GraphTerm to search for matching previous commands that begin with the text already typed (ignoring any leading whitespace). You can use the right arrow to complete the recalled command (for editing) or use the Enter key to execute it. Typing any other key, including the left arrow, will cancel the command recall process.

### Copy/paste

For certain browsers (e.g., desktop Chrome/Firefox), the usual Command-V or Control-V key sequence should directly paste text from the clipboard. Alternatively, for some browsers, you can click on the cursor before beginning the paste operation and then paste the text directly. This second technique may not always work well for text copied from non-plain text sources, such as a web page. A workaround for this case is to paste the text into a temporary location as plain text (such as in a plain text editor), and then copy/paste it from there to GraphTerm.

If the above do not work, you can use the keyboard shortcut Control-O to open a popup window, paste the text into the popup window using the browser’s paste menu command or a keyboard shortcut, such as Command/Control-V, and then type Control-O again to insert the text at the GraphTerm cursor location. (The popup paste window can also be accessed using the terminal/paste special menu item.)

### Drag and drop

Sort of works! You can drag a filename (grabbing the icon does not work) and drop it on a folder, an executable, or the command line. For drag-and-drop between two GraphTerm windows running on the same host, the file will be moved to the destination folder. For windows on two different hosts, the file will be copied. (Graphical feedback for this operation is not properly implemented at this time. Look at the command line for the feedback.)

### iPad/Android tablet usage

GraphTerm can be used on touch devices (phones/tablets), with some limitations. Use the view/footer menu to enter keyboard input, send special characters, access arrow keys etc. Tap the Kbrd in the footer to display the keyboard. (The Footer menu display can also be toggled by clicking on the last displayed prompt.)

Note: You should turn off the Autocapitalize and Autocorrect features in the language/keyboard settings if you want to do a lot of typing on touch devices.

### Themes

Themes, selected using the menubar, are a work in progress, especially the 3-D perspective theme, which only works on Chrome/Safari ((see stars3d theme, with icons enabled).

### Choosing the terminal type

The default terminal type is set to `xterm`, but it may not always work properly. You can also try out the terminal types `screen` or `linux`, which may work better for some purposes. You can use the `--term_type` option when running the server to set the default terminal type, or use the `export TERM=screen` command. (Fully supporting these terminal types is a work in progress.)

## Inline graphics, notebooks, slideshows, tracing etc.

### Inline plots using matplotlib

If you have `matplotlib` installed, the `gpylab` module in the `$GTERM_DIR/bin` directory can be used to start up the python interpreter in `pylab` mode for inline graphics within the GraphTerm terminal:

    python -i $GTERM_DIR/bin/gpylab.py
    >>> plot([1,2,4])

Run `$GTERM_DIR/bin/gmatplot.py` for a demo of inline graphics (see Inline data visualization plotting using matplotlib). See the function `main` in this file for sample plotting code.

> - Use `ioff()` to disable interactive mode
> - Use `show()` to update image
> - Use `show(False)` to display new image
> - Use `display(fig)` to display figure
> - Use `resize_fig()` to resize figure

### Inline tables using pandas

GraphTerm can display `pandas` DataFrame objects as a table using HTML:

    python -i $GTERM_DIR/bin/gpylab.py
    >>> import pandas as pd
    >>> d = {'one' : [1., 2., 3., 4.],
    >>> 'two' : [4., 3., 2., 1.]}
    >>> pd.DataFrame(d)

### Notebook mode

GraphTerm supports a notebook mode, where code can be entered in multiple cells and executed separately in each cell to display the output. Cells can also contain comment text in Markdown format. Currently, the notebook mode can be used with the shell (`bash`), or while running python (`python/ipython`) and `R` interpreters (see Using GraphTerm with R). Clicking on files with extensions `*.ipynb`, `*.py.md` or `*.R.md` displayed in `gls` output will automatically open a notebook using the appropriate program. You can also try using the notebook mode with any other shell-like program (such as `IDL` or `ncl`) which has a unique prompt by typing Shift-Enter after starting the program.

To enter the notebook mode, run the appropriate program and when the program prompt appears, select notebook/new on the top menu bar, or type Shift-Enter (or Control-Enter, if you wish to read a notebook file and/or specify the interpreter prompts). You can also start up the python interpreter to load a notebook file, in `*.ipynb` or `*.md` format, from the command line:

    python -i $GTERM_DIR/bin/gpylab.py $GTERM_DIR/notebooks/SineWave.ipynb

(see GraphTerm Notebook mode running Python).

Within notebook mode, use Shift-Enter to execute a cell and move to the next, or Control-Enter for in-place execution. Additional keyboard shortcuts are listed in the help menu, and are in many cases identical to that used by IPython Notebook.

Notebooks can be saved any time using the IPython Notebook (`*.ipynb`) or Markdown (`*.md`) formats. The filename determines the format. You can exit the notebook mode using notebook/quit in the top menu bar, or by typing Control-C, to return to the terminal mode.

### Slideshows

The `glandslide` command, which is a slightly modified version of the web-based slideshow program Landslide, can be used to create a slideshow from Markdown (.md) or reStructured Text (.rst) files (see Web slideshows using Landslide). A few sample `.md` files are provided in the `$GTERM_DIR/bin/landslide` directory of the distribution. To view a slideshow about GraphTerm, type:

    glandslide -o $GTERM_DIR/bin/landslide/graphterm-talk1.md | gframe -f

Type `h` for help and `q` to quit the slideshow. (The unmodified Landslide program can also be used, but remote sharing will not work.)

The `greveal` command can be used to display Markdown files as slideshows using reveal.js:

    greveal $GTERM_DIR/bin/landslide/graphterm-talk1.md | gframe -f

Type `b` three times in quick succession to exit the slideshow.

The `gimage` command, which displays images inline, can also be used for slideshows and simple presentations. Just `cd` to a directory that has the images for a slideshow, and type:

    gimage -f

To select a subset of images in the directory, you can use a wildcard pattern. For publicly webcasting a slideshow, use the `-b` option.

### Code tracing using Python Tutor

The command `gtutor` implements a command-line version of the Online Python Tutorial from pythontutor.com. It produces HTML output that can be piped to `gframe` for inline display (see Code tracing using online version of Python Tutor). To trace the execution of a sample program `example.py`, use it as follows:

    gtutor example.py | gframe -f

More sample programs may be found in the directory `$GTERM_DIR/bin/pytutor/example-code`. Of course, you can use `gtutor` to trace any other (small) python program as well. Type `gtutor -h` to display the command line options. Note: By default, `gtutor` accesses the browser CSS/JS files from pythontutor.com. To use `gtutor` in an offline-mode, you will need to specify the `--offline` option and also download the Online Python Tutorial code from GitHub and copy/rename the main source directory (currently `v3`) as `$GTERM_DIR/www/pytutor` so that GraphTerm can serve the CSS/JS files locally.

Advanced usage: You can embed tutorials within a Landslide/Markdown presentation by including an `iframe` HTML element in the presentation file, with the `src` attribute set to a graphterm URL, such as `http://localhost:8900/local/tutorial`. This will open up a graphterm window where you can either run `gtutor` interactively or use `gframe -f` to display an HTML file created previously using `gtutor`.

## Sharing, embedding, remote access, and security

### Sessions and “screensharing”

For each host, terminal sessions are assigned default names like `tty1`, `tty2` etc. You can also create unique terminal session names simply by using it in an URL, e.g.:

    http://localhost:8900/local/mysession/?qauth=code

The `qauth` value is a security code. It is optional and if you omit it the browser will re-generate it for you by requiring you to click on a link. (This requirement prevents unauthorized access to the terminal URL from other web sites.)

The first user to create a session “owns” it, and can make the session publicly available by disabling the share/private menubar option. The public session URL (without the `qauth` code) can then be shared with other users connected to the same GraphTerm server, to provide read-only access to the terminal. (This is like “screensharing”, but more efficient, because only the content is shared, not the theme/style data.)

If the session owner has unlocked the session by disabling the share/lock menubar option, other users can also steal control of the session using the menubar button (or using the share/control menu item).

For example, if you forgot to detach your session at work, you can `ssh` to your desktop from home, use SSH port forwarding (see SSH, port forwarding, and remote access) to securely access your work desktop, and then steal the session using your home browser.

Normally, only a single user has control of a terminal session at a time. There is a share/tandem option that can be enabled to allow multiple users to control the terminal session at the same time. However, this could sometimes have unpredictable effects.

NOTE: Although GraphTerm supports multiple users, it currently assumes a cooperative environment, where everyone trusts everyone else. This may change in the future.

### Webcasting

If you enable the share/webcast in the menubar, anyone can use the session URL to view the session, without the need for authentication, but will not be able to steal it. This feature is somewhat experimental; use it with caution to avoid exposing sensitive data.

### Embedding and remote terminal commands

Additional GraphTerm terminals can be embedded within any GraphTerm terminal. For example, the following command:

    gframe -b -t terma termb

creates two terminals, `terma` and `termb` and embeds them within the current terminal. The demo script metro.sh illustrates the embedding of multiple terminals, each running a different command (see screenshot metro.sh). The script also demonstrates the use of the `gsh` command to execute commands remotely on a terminal, e.g.:

    gsh terma yweather -f austin

The terminal name argument for `gsh` can be a wildcard expression, e.g. `'term*'`. Unlike `ssh`, the `gsh` command does not display the output of the remote command. You will need to view it in the remote terminal. To load a remote terminal in the current browser window, you can use:

    gload terma

### Wildcard sessions and multiplexing

A terminal session path is of the form `session_host/session_name`. You can use the shell wildcard patterns `*, ?, []` in the session path. For example, you can open a wildcard session for multiple hosts using the URL:

    http://localhost:8900/*/tty1/?qauth=code

For normal shell terminals, a wildcard session will open a “blank” window, but any input you type in it will be broadcast to all sessions matching the pattern. (To receive visual feedback, you will need to view one or more of the matching sessions at the same time.)

For `otrace` debugging sessions of the form `*/osh`, GraphTerm will multiplex the input and output in wildcard terminals. Your input will be echoed and broadcast, and output from each of the matching sessions will be displayed, preceded by an identifying header (with the special string `ditto` used to indicate repeated output). See the otrace integration section for more information.

NOTE: Multiplexed input/output display cannot be easily implemented for regular shell terminals.

### Multiple hosts

More than one host can connect to the GraphTerm server. The `localhost` is connected by default (but this can be disabled using the `--nolocal` option). To connect an additional host, run the following command on the computer you wish to connect:

    gtermhost --server_addr=<serveraddr> <hostname>

where `serveraddr` is the address or name of the computer where the GraphTerm server is running. You can use the `--daemon=start` option to run the `gtermhost` command in the background. By default, the Graphterm server listens for host connections on port 8899. The multiple host feature should only be used within a secure network, not on the public internet.

NOTE: Unlike the `sshd` server, the `gtermhost` command is designed to be run by a normal user, not a privileged user. So different users can connect to the GraphTerm server on `localhost` pretending to be different “hosts” on the same computer. (If you are running a Python server, it can connect directly to the GraphTerm server as a “host”, allowing it to be dynamically introspected and debugged using otrace.)

### Security

The GraphTerm is not yet ready to be executed with root privileges. You should typically run it logged in as a regular user. The `--auth_type=local` (default) and `--auth_type=multiuser` options should be used for security, as they require an authentication code to create a new terminal. Using the `gterm` command to create a new terminal provides additional security, as the command validates the server before opening a new terminal. The `--auth_type=none` and `--auth_type=name` options should only be used for teaching or demonstration purposes (or on computers where only trusted users have access).

Although multiple hosts can connect to the terminal server, initially, it would be best to use `graphterm` to just connect to `localhost`, on a computer with only trusted users. You can always use SSH port forwarding (see below) to securely connect to the GraphTerm server for remote access. As the code matures, security will be improved through the use of SSL certificates and server/client authentication. (SSL/https support is already built in. Feel free to experiment with it, although it is not yet ready for everyday use.)

### SSH, port forwarding, and remote access

Currently, the most secure way to access the GraphTerm server running on a remote computer is to use SSH port forwarding. For example, if you are connecting to your work computer from home, and wish to connect to the GraphTerm server running as `localhost` on your work computer, use the command:

    ssh -L 8901:localhost:8900 user@work-computer

This will allow you to connect to `http://localhost:8901` on the browser on your home computer to access GraphTerm running on your work computer.

A completely different approach is to install GraphTerm on the remote computer and run the `gtermhost` program remotely to allow it to connect to the `gtermserver` running on your local computer using SSH reverse port forwarding, e.g.:

    ssh -R 8899:localhost:8899 user@remote1 gtermhost remote1

In this case, the remote computer will appear as another host on your local GraphTerm server. Warning: If the remote computer is insecure, reverse forwarding should not be used.

If you do not wish to have a GraphTerm process running on the remote machine, you can still use many features though GraphTerm running on your local machine, because all communication takes place via the standard output of the remote process. One quick solution is use the terminal/export environment menu option to set the Bash shell environment variables on the remote computer. This will allow some, but not all, of GraphTerm’s features to work on the remote session.

A more permanent solution involves the following three steps:

> - Start the local GraphTerm server using the `--lc_export` option. which exports the GraphTerm environment via the `LC-*` environment variables which are often transmitted across SSH tunnels.
> - Copy the `$GTERM_DIR/bin` directory to your account on the remote machine to allow the GraphTerm toolchain to be accessed. Alternatively, you could simply install GraphTerm on the remote machine, even if you are never planning to start the server.
> - Append the file $GTERM_DIR/bin/gprofile to your `.bash_profile` on the remote machine, and uncomment/modify the last few lines so that `$GTERM_DIR` points to the parent of the directory where the toolchain files are installed. This ensures that the GraphTerm toolchain is included in your `PATH` on the remote machine, allowing commands like `gls` to work.

### Navigation

- index
- next |
- previous |
- Docs Home |
- Contents »