[bash] xterm title with ~ shortcut

hashbang#! · 02-09-2012, 05:58 PM

I am trying to set my xterm title in .bashrc.

This works fine:

Code:

PROMPT_COMMAND='echo -ne "\033]0;${USER}@${HOSTNAME}: ${PWD}\007"'

However, I'd prefer to see ~ for my home directory.

According to this HowTo, this should do the trick:

Code:

PS1="\[\033]0;\u@\h: \w\007\]bash\\$ "

But it doesn't set my xterm title.

I have also seen another similar tip:

Code:

export PS1=$PS1"\[\e]0;\H:\w\a\]"

I use xfce4-terminal and bash 4.2. (It doesn't work with xterm either.)

Any idea why this isn't working?

DucQuoc · 02-09-2012, 08:33 PM

From my terminal, it shows "\W" instead of "\w" .

Code:

$ echo $PS1
\u@\h: \W]\$

If you are using Ubuntu , check whether your "sh" link to "bash" or "dash" .

--Duc

hashbang#! · 02-10-2012, 06:54 AM

DucDoc, thanks for your reply.

I am using bash on Debian.

My PS1, which - like yours - DOES NOT set the terminal title, just the prompt:
(\W displays the current directory as a relative path, \w as an absolute path.)

Code:

echo $PS1
PS1=\u@\h \w \$

You can indeed set the title bar title by inserting the following sequence in PS1:

Code:

PS1='\u@\h:\w\$ '
case $TERM in
xterm*)
    TITLE='\u@\h - \w'
    PS1="\[\e]0;$TITLE\w\a\]$PS1"
    ;; 
[...]

The green part sets the terminal title, the blue part the prompt.

That, as I just realized, also works for me.

However, I am dynamically setting the prompt in order to get a different coloured $ sign depending on the return code of the last command:

The following code dynamically sets the prompt and the title using PROMPT_COMMAND, where the function set_bash_prompt sets the variable $PROMPT:

Code:

PROMPT_COMMAND='set_bash_prompt;echo -ne "\e]0;${HOSTNAME} : ${PWD} (${USER})\a"'
PS1="$PROMPT"

This also works for me, giving me a dynamically coloured prompt and dynamic title. I just don't like the fully qualified path of $PWD.

The following attempt to set the title via PS1 does not work:

Code:

PROMPT_COMMAND='set_bash_prompt'
PS1="\[\e]0;$TITLE\w\a\]$PROMPT"

The contents of PROMPT_COMMAND are executed as a regular Bash command just before Bash displays a prompt. This somehow conflicts with setting the title dynamically via PS1.

Any work-arounds would be greatly appreciated.