GitHub

This is how I set up Mac OS for development.

Summary

  • Mac OS defaults.
  • Manually remap Caps Lock to Control, for each keyboard!
  • Manually enable Control with Accessibility + Zoom + Scroll to zoom in
  • Enable tap to click on touch pad
  • Other customizations in this file: e.g. key repeat rate
  • xcode-select --install to install compilation tools
  • Uninstall Garage Band, Pages etc. on a work machine where they won't be used
  • Make the bottom dock useful - remove all the content creation apps that aren't used
  • Vim 9.x (mac version) with native packages install
  • Vim: Attempted coc LSP and removed: https://github.com/neoclide/coc.nvim
  • https://github.com/itchyny/lightline.vim
mkdir -p ~/.vim/pack/plugins/start/
cd ~/.vim/pack/plugins/start/
git clone git@github.com:tpope/vim-rails.git
git clone git@github.com:junegunn/fzf.vim.git
git clone git@github.com:tpope/vim-fugitive.git
git clone git@github.com:vim-ruby/vim-ruby.git
git clone git@github.com:tomtom/tcomment_vim.git
git clone git@github.com:NLKNguyen/papercolor-theme.git
git clone git@github.com:preservim/nerdtree.git

Installation

Make sure ENV['HOME'] points at the home directory.

Clone this directory and run one or more installation Rake tasks

$ rake -T
rake dotfiles       # install the dotfiles into home directory
rake macos_defaults  # replace OS X defaults

Or to run all:

rake install

Fonts

  • Using JetBrains Mono

Release notes

2025-08-07 New things: Neovim, init.lua, equivalent plugins exploring, mapping keyboard shortcuts, GhosTTY, mise, direnv

  • Copy and paste in terminal, Neovim, OS clipboard

2025-02-13 Updates 2021-11-01 Added Fonts

2021-10-20 Overhaul of setup for 2021 development on a Mac. Introduction of new things: GH CLI, Fish shell Removed: ctrl-p, ctrl-p funky, tagbar, mustache templating, goyo vim, ack vim

2017-03-24 :PluginUpdate was run to update all plugins. Should convert this setup to native plugin management soon.

2015-04-28

Switch from git bash completion script to a homebrew version

2016-03-01

Link homebrew openssl explicitly on El Capitan OS X, before installing the eventmachine 1.0.5 eventmachine/eventmachine#602

Puma 2.9.1 (specify opt-dir or can configure bundler) puma/puma#783 gem install puma -v '2.9.1' -- --with-opt-dir=/usr/local/opt/openssl

Homebrew

# critcal
ripgrep
git
bash-completion
tmux
universal-ctags # instead of ctags?
tldr
gh
fzf
macvim
pg_format
# less critical
jrnl
glow
gpg
redis
reattach-to-user-namespace # not sure this is still needed (2025)
rbenv
nvm
nginx
python
wkhtmltopdf
wget
proctools
fortune
htop
watch
gcal
dos2unix
jq
mplayer
tree
markdown
tig
hg
ranger
ngrok
httpie
pgcli
ical-buddy
readline
pyenv # manage python version
wrk # load testing, use wrk2
pssh # parallel ssh
lnav # log file viewer
brew tap heroku/brew && brew install heroku
# cask
brew tap homebrew/cask-versions
brew update
brew tap caskroom/cask
# cask Mac OS apps
install --cask rectangle
install --cask iterm2
install --cask macdown # Mac OS Markdown editor
install --cask dropbox
install --cask lyricsx
brew install --cask lunar # adjust brightness of LG display
brew install --cask sourcetree

Extras

OS X

  • Remap caps lock to control
Command Description
softwareupdate --list find available things to install
softwareupdate --install update the software you named
ctrl-arrow key ctrl-arrow key
command-alt-h hide other applications' windows, alt is fn+opt

vim

Interesting help: :help opening-window

Command Description
:Tags Open tags with FZF
de delete to the end of the current word, INCLUDING the last character
ce change until the end of word
2dd delete 2 lines
% place cursor on character like ( and press % to find match
"_d black hole register, e.g. "_dw to delete a word without storing the result in a register
Ctrl-e execute vim-sparkup
gf jump to code under cursor, rails.vim adds more
jj insert mode to normal mode
jjj insert mode to normal mode and write buffer
Ctrl-n on top of a word, enable multiple cursors match
Ctrl-p next match with multiple cursors, ctrl-x to skip a match
Ctrl-c in normal mode, writes to ~/.vimbuffer (copy and paste between instances)
Ctrl-v v paste from ~/.vimbuffer
Ctrl-p normal mode, CtrlP find
Ctrl-b CtrlP MRU buffer list
Ctrl-f CtrlP function matching
Ctrl-h/j/k/l navigate between panes
Ctrl-^ last buffer
leader-n show file in nerdtree
Ctrl-p insert mode, displays autocomplete suggestions
s in nerdtree, "s" on a file opens it in a vertical split
i in nerdtree, "i" opens in split
:A rails.vim, open alternative file
:Rcontroller rails.vim, open related controller
:Rails console rails.vim, open a console
:Rlog rails.vim, open rails log file in a split window
:ctags -R ! generate tags file for project
leader-c call ctags on project
Ctrl-] navigate via tags to item under cursor
Ctrl-t navigate back after jumping with ctags
:AV rails.vim, edit the alternate file in a vertical split
dap delete around paragraph
:ta navigate list of tags
"*y copy to OS X clipboard
Ctrl-v in ctrlp buffer list, open buffer in vertical split
Ctrl-x in ctrlp buffer list, open buffer in split
leader-w write buffer
leader-q quit buffer
^ jump to first character of line
leader-s toggle spellchecking
Ctrl-w toggle panes
gU make uppercase, plus motion (w, k etc.)
~ swap case
Ctrl-o jump back
Ctrl-i jump forward
nG jump to line n
Ctrl-u in insert mode, delete line before cursor
Ctrl-w in insert mode, delete word before cursor
Ctrl-w H/J/K/L re-configure split panes, cycle the splits layout
leader-p F5 refresh ctrlp buffer list
:30winc > add 30 characters of width to vertical split
v with ack.vim, browsing results, "v" to open result in vertical split
Ctrl-w _ maximize a pane vertically
Ctrl-w
Ctrl-w = make the pane sizes equal
ctrl-w = resize all panes
leader-t with vimux and turbux, run test in tmux pane
leader-T run focused unit test in tmux pane with vimux and turbux
:vs open the last buffer in a vertical split
- first non-blank character previous line
_ first non-blank character current line
Ctrl-w r rotate/swap/cycle/switch split panes
daw delete around word
fx jump to first x, ; char repeats motion
i and a text objects, select inside, or select everything including delimiter, e.g. cit
is inside sentence
ip inside paragraph
t{char} before the char, f{char} puts cursor on the char
mm set a mark, with char m, m{a-zA-Z}
`m jump to mark m
`. last change
g; similar to `., can be repeated
`< and `> start and end of last visual selection
dd cut the current line, ddp to transpose current next lines
yyp yank yank paste, duplicates line
Ctrl-r{register} e.g. Ctrl-r" or C-r0
"+p put from the Plus register, to avoid toggling paste option
C-\s on top of a method, cscope query, to find caller of a method
:so ~/.vimrc reload the ~/.vimrc
visual selection + S (capital "s") type HTML tag like

to surround visual selection in

tag, depends on surround.vim
ctrl-r " paste from insert mode
d/ hit enter after typing the selection, delete until the selection
f [space] ";" will repeat the motion
pry [tab] in a ruby file, will insert a pry binding statement, part of the built-in ruby snippets file
y$ yank until the end of the line without the newline
gui switch to GUI
redraw! redraw the screen when it goes black http://stackoverflow.com/a/1117742/126688
e %:h (tab) expands current directory. supply filename to create a new file at that point on disk.
cc delete entire line and enter insert mode
ciB change inner block (inside of {} braces)
comment out ctrl-slash-slash
pgrep -f -f is to match against full argument list, typically need this for a backgrounded rails console process name
ctrl-o-o open last location https://dev.to/jovica/3-little-known-but-useful-vim-tips-1pbg

bash

Command Description
ctrl-l clear line
Ctrl-u cut line
ctrl-y paste line
Ctrl-y restore before delete
Ctrl-a move cursor, front of line
Ctrl-e move cursor, end of line
Esc-b move cursor, back one word
Esc-f move cursor, forward one word
Ctrl-w delete one word
option-b back one word (OS X?)
option-f forward one word (OS X?)
jobs list jobs
jobs -p list backgrounded jobs process IDs
fg 1 bring background job 1 to the foreground
Ctrl-x Ctrl-e edit command line command in $EDITOR
less +F path/to/log "follow" the log file, ctrl-c to go in to search mode, "F" to return to following

Google Chrome

Workflow goal: avoid opening duplicate tabs:

  • Start typing a URL, use "Switch to this tab" when there is a match
  • cmd-shift-a open up the built-in tab search, if google calendar is already open, use that tab
  • Chrome keyboard shortcuts
  • Vimium plugin
cmd-option-i     # toggle web inspector
option-command-u # open page source
cmd-shift-a      # Search open tabs!

iTerm2

  • Use Source Code Pro font (replaced with JetBrains Mono)
  • Profile > Keys > Left option key acts as "+Esc"
Cmd-/ # show cursor
Cmd-shift-d # split the window horizontally
Cmd-option-arrow # move between the split panes

tmux

Tmux cheat sheet. I use a leader of Ctrl b. I also use screen which uses ctrl a.

Command Description
leader + w preview sessions, especially helpful for unnamed sessions
tmux new-session -s dev_logs start a new session named dev_logs
tmux attach-session -t 0 attach to session 0
leader + h terminate a stuck SSH session
leader + $ rename a session
leader + :kill-pane kill a stuck pane

Or rename session from terminal:

  • tmux rename-session [-t current-name] [new-name]

| leader + c | new window | | leader + , | rename a window | | leader + space | switch to next pane layout |

Reload configuration: tmux source ~/.tmux.conf

leader + I (capital "I") to install plugins

When messed up (e.g. lost mouse scrolling), try these:

  • tmux refresh-client -S
  • reset
tmux set -g mouse off
tmux set -g mouse on

Or try detach (ctrl-b d) and re-attach

Tmux resurrect

  • Save: prefix + Ctrl-s
  • Restore: prefix + Ctrl-r

Swap pane with next one: Ctrl-b }

screen

screen -S session_name
ctrl-a d # detach
screen -ls # list sessions
screen -r <session> # re-attach to session
screen -XS <session> quit

Vim snippets

Snippets directory ~/.vim/bundle/vim-snippets/snippets

=<tab> # puts in Erb expression tags (requires snipmate)
%<tab> # puts in Erb expression tags (requires snipmate)
def<tab> # start a ruby method
div # can use this for markup too

tig

git log | tig
git diff master | tig
h # help
m # toggle main view (useful to jump back and forth between code details and commit titles)

jrnl

  • Default config file: ~/.config/jrnl/jrnl.yaml
  • Configure editor in the config file
jrnl # enter compose mode
jrnl @tag # list entries that include tag
jrnl -n10 # list last 10 entries
jrnl --edit # edit old entries (unencrypted file)

spectacle

option-command-right arrow # right half
option-command-f # full screen

Slack

+:... # plus sign plus "colon" to pull up Emoji reactions, will react to most recent post
up arrow key # edit last message
Command-t # jump to another channel
Command-1/2/3... # Jump to multiple workspaces in OS X desktop client app
option-arrow up/down # move up/down between channels
command-left/right bracket # move between channels
/remind # create a reminder, type date and time naturally
/leave # leave a channel
/ # find out more slash options available
`` # or triple backticks code fence

Microsoft Teams

Keyboard Shortcuts for MS Teams

I use it on Mac OS but swap "command" for "control" on Windows.

command-shift-x # put focus on new message
command-enter  # send message
command-e # search bar on top
command-shift-m # mute/unmute microphone
command-shift-o # toggle video on/off
command-1/2/3 # navigate vertically between activity/chat/teams sections
option-arrow up/down # navigate items vertically under org

Xcode and simulator

command-shift-o # fuzzy find files by name (open quickly), colon line number (e.g. ":42" to open line 42)
command-b # build
command-1 # etc. to resize the simulator
ctrl-command-left/right # move back and forth between windows
command-click # jump to method definition
ctrl-command-up # switch between header and implementation file
command-shift-j # show file in project navigator

Httpie

  • tldr httpie (or just use curl)

showterm

Terminal screencasting!

showterm [command]

lnav

Fancy log file viewer with cool features: http://lnav.org/features/

brew install lnav
lnav path/to/log
? # help
Sidekiq.redis { |conn| conn.flushdb }
redis-cli flushdb # dump everything in redis

IntelliJ OS X

IdeaVim action list: https://gist.github.com/zchee/9c78f91cc5ad771c1f5d

command-shift-t # jump to corresponding test
command-shift-a # action or option name
command-shift-a, type "select in project view" # view file in project view
command-shift-o # Enter file name
command-[ or command-] # jump backward and forward in history
:action Run # run the current file
:action "Split Vertically" # vertical split
<C-W> + h/j/k/l # move between splits
Ctrl + ww # switch between windows
command-shift-c # copy current filepath to clipboard
command+F12 # file structure popup
command+e # view recent files
ctrl-space # basic code completion
ctrl-shift-space # smart code completion
command-1 # show/hide project view
open -a "IntelliJ IDEA" # open application when running Docker

Plugin: Key Promoter

VS Code

  • Marp for VS Code
  • Shift-command-V opens preview but in same window
  • Command-K + V opens side by side markdown preview for .md file
  • Column selection: shift-option + mouse
  • Format SQL queries: SQL Tools https://stackoverflow.com/a/66873825

Zoom

command-shift-a # toggle audio
command-shift-v # toggle video

Man pages

tldr as an improvement or supplement to man, with examples, e.g. tldr curl

Maven

mvn -Dtest=com.andy.AwesomeTest test # run specific test
mvn clean compile exec:java # compile & boot app

Go lang

gore # Go lang REPL

Homebrew

  • brew list
  • brew cask list # OS X
  • brew deps --tree --installed

pyenv

  • pyenv versions

Windows

  • Windows Terminal. iTerm like. Ctrl-Tab to switch between tabs.
  • Use WSL 2. Requires a newer Windows build. This link helps debug Windows Update problems via log files and clears a cache. https://www.howtogeek.com/416169/how-to-fix-what-needs-your-attention-windows-10-setup-errors/
  • My preference: Remap Caps to Ctrl. This can be done with Keyboard Manager in PowerToys.
  • Currently using Ubuntu 18.04 with WSL 2
  • Use wsl commands --set-version to convert an existing distribution or --set-default-version for all new distributions
  • Chrome with Vimium, AdBlock, 1Password

MacDown

Markdown editor for OS X. Workaround for being a unidentified developer: https://macdown.uranusjr.com/faq/#unidentified

GitHub CLI

https://cli.github.com/

  • gh pr create [flags]
  • gh browse -b (git branch --show-current)

GitHub

  • T
  • Command-K

Fish shell

  • Ctrl-f - complete a suggestion
  • fish_config to launch the web based configuration
  • omf install boxfish
  • cdh plus letter or number, or dirh - list directory history
  • With background jobs, use fg %1 to foreground job 1

Fuzzy Finder

  • vim (fzf)
  • history | fzf
  • :Rg within Vim to search within files
  • :Buffers

ripgrep

https://mariusschulz.com/blog/fast-searching-with-ripgrep

  • rg TODO app/models search the models directory
  • rg --files-with-matches TODO app/models/ # only files, or -l
  • rg --files-with-matches TODO app/models/ --sort path

Rectangle

https://github.com/rxhanson/Rectangle

glow

Command line Markdown!

Set a config file to set a pager and other stuff

  • glow --config
  • Edit that file with:
# show local files only; no network (TUI-mode only)
local: true
# mouse support (TUI-mode only)
mouse: true
# use pager to display markdown
pager: true
# word-wrap at width
width: 80

asdf

A version manager for lots of things

SSH

Manually set /etc/ssh/ssh_config, this is not automatically installed

Microphone

osascript -e "set volume input volume 95"

jq / JSON

Viewing JSON in Vim: :% !jq .

Shottr

Screenshots! https://shottr.cc

Neovim

Macvim plugins guide:

Read the original on github.com ↗