Virtual console terminals are great for accessing the CLI outside the GUI. However, sometimes, you need to access the CLI and run graphical programs. Using a terminal emulation package solves this problem and is a popular way to access the shell CLI from within the GUI. The following sections describe common software packages that provide graphical terminal emulation.
Accessing CLI via Graphical Terminal Emulation
The graphical desktop environment offers a great deal more variety for CLI access than the virtual console terminal does. Many graphical terminal emulator packages are available for the graphical environment. Each package provides its own unique set of features and options. Some popular graphical terminal emulator packages are shown in Table 2.3 along with their websites.
Table 2.3 Popular Graphical Terminal Emulator Packages
Although many graphical terminal emulator packages are available, the focus in this chapter is on three commonly used ones. Often installed in Linux distributions by default, they are GNOME Terminal, Konsole Terminal, and xterm.
Using the GNOME Terminal Emulator
GNOME Terminal is the GNOME desktop environment's default terminal emulator. Many distributions, such as RHEL, Fedora, and CentOS, use the GNOME desktop environment by default, and therefore use GNOME Terminal by default. However, other desktop environments, such as Ubuntu Unity, also use the GNOME terminal as their default terminal emulator package. It is fairly easy to use and a good terminal emulator for individuals who are new to Linux. This chapter section walks you through the various parts of accessing, configuring and using the GNOME terminal emulator.
Each graphical desktop environment has different methods for accessing the GNOME terminal emulator. This section looks at accessing the GNOME Terminal in the GNOME, Unity, and KDE desktop environments.
Note
If you are using a different desktop environment than the ones listed in Table 2.3, you must look through the various menus offered in your environment to find the GNOME terminal emulator. In the menus, it is typically named Terminal
In the GNOME desktop environment, accessing the GNOME Terminal is fairly straightforward. From the menu system in the upper-left corner of the window, click Applications, then select System Tools from the drop-down menu, and finally click Terminal. Written in shorthand, the directions look like the following: Applications⇨System Tools⇨ Terminal.
Refer to Figure 2.1 to see a picture of the GNOME Terminal. It was accessed in a GNOME desktop environment on a CentOS distribution.
In the Unity desktop environment, accessing the GNOME terminal takes a little more effort. The simplest access method is Dash⇨Search and type Terminal. The GNOME terminal shows up in the Dash home area as an application named Terminal. Click that icon to open the GNOME terminal emulator.
Tip
In some Linux distribution desktop environments, such as Ubuntu's Unity, you can quickly access the GNOME terminal using the shortcut key combination Ctrl+Alt+T.
In the KDE desktop environment, the Konsole terminal emulator is the default emulator. Therefore, you must dig down through the menus to access GNOME Terminal. Start with the icon labeled Kickoff Application Launcher in the lower-left corner of the screen and then click Applications⇨Utilities⇨Terminal.
In most desktop environments, you can create a launcher for accessing GNOME Terminal. A launcher is an icon you create on your desktop that allows you to start a chosen application. This is a great feature that allows you to quickly access a terminal emulator in the graphical desktop. It is especially helpful if you do not want to use shortcut keys or the shortcut key feature is not available in your desktop environment of choice.
For example, in the GNOME desktop environment, to create a launcher, right-click your mouse in the middle of the desktop area; a drop-down menu appears. Select Create Launcher… from the menu; the Create Launcher application window opens. In the Type field, select Application. Type a name for your icon in the Name field. In the Command field, type gnome-terminal. Click Ok to save your new launcher. An icon with the name you gave the launcher now appears on your desktop. Double-click it to open the GNOME terminal emulator.
Note
When you type gnome-terminal in the Command field, you are typing the shell command for starting the GNOME terminal emulator. You learn in Chapter 3 how to add special options to commands, such as gnome-terminal, to provide special configuration options, and how to view all the options available to you.
Several configuration options are provided by menus and short-cut keys in the application, which you can apply after you get the GNOME terminal emulation started. Understanding these options can enhance your GNOME Terminal CLI experience.
The GNOME Terminal menu bar contains the configuration and customization options you need to make your GNOME Terminal just the way you want it. The following tables briefly describe the different configuration options in the menu bar and shortcut keys associated with the options.
Note
As you read through these GNOME Terminal menu options, keep in mind that your Linux distribution's GNOME Terminal may have slightly different menu options available. This is because several Linux distributions use older versions of GNOME Terminal.
Table 2.4 shows the configuration options available within the GNOME Terminal File menu system. The File menu item contains items to create and manage your overall CLI terminal sessions.
Table 2.4 The File Menu
Notice that, as in a network browser, you can open new tabs within the GNOME Terminal session to start a whole new CLI session. Each tab session is considered to be an independent CLI session.
Tip
You do not have to click through the menu to reach options in the File menu. Most of the items are also available by right-clicking in the session area.
The Edit menu contains items, shown in Table 2.5, for handling text within the tabs. You can use your mouse to copy and paste text anywhere within the session window.
Table 2.5 The Edit Menu
The Paste Filenames menu option is available only in later versions of GNOME Terminal. Therefore, you may not see that menu option on your system.
The View menu, shown in Table 2.6, contains items for controlling how the CLI session windows appear. These options can be helpful for individuals with visual impairment.
Table 2.6 The View Menu
Be aware that if you toggle off the menu bar display, the session's menu bar disappears. However, you can easily get the menu bar to display again by right-clicking in any terminal session window and toggling on the Show Menubar option.
The Search menu, shown in Table 2.7, contains items for conducting simple searches within the terminal session. These searches are similar to ones you may have conducted in a network browser or word processor.