Split Panes
See more than one shell in a tab.
Availability
Implemented in the stable source; configuration and compatibility limits are described below.
Reviewed against stable v0.5.1. Rust candidate additions are labeled separately. Release status.
The pain this solves
- Logs and a prompt are awkward when each task needs a separate window.
- Rebuilding a split workspace after relaunch takes time.
What ships with it
- The stable controller creates horizontal and vertical terminal panes.
- Each pane has its own session and working context.
- Saved state contains the split tree and focused pane.
- Restored panes do not inherit live processes.
Questions this answers
- Can a Chau7 tab contain horizontal and vertical terminal panes?
- Does each pane have a separate shell?
- What split-pane state can be restored?
How it works
The stable split-pane controller creates horizontal or vertical splits. A split pane hosts a separate terminal session with its own working directory and process state.
Splits can be nested, focused, resized, and closed through the pane controller and terminal UI. The stable source supports recursive split layouts, not unrestricted layout or resource capacity.
Saved tab state records the split tree, pane state, and focused pane. Restore recreates pane sessions from saved context, but running commands and process identity do not transfer across an app restart.
Why it matters
Split views keep related shells visible together, such as a server log beside a prompt. Chau7 stores the layout with tab state so it can be reconstructed later.
In the Rust/GPUI candidate
The unreleased Rust/GPUI candidate source contains horizontal and vertical pane splits and saved split-tree restoration with pane working-directory metadata. This is source-only evidence; runtime acceptance for the 0.6rc candidate is pending.
Candidate features and migration plan. Download links continue to serve the latest stable release.
Frequently asked questions
Can panes run different commands?
Yes. Each pane has its own terminal session and can run a different command or shell.
Can I make nested splits?
The stable controller supports recursive split layouts. Useful pane count still depends on screen space and system resources.
Are running processes preserved when a split is restored?
No. Restore reconstructs pane and workspace state; it does not restore running commands.