Tabby Backslash Newline Plugin

A Tabby terminal plugin that enables line continuation in terminal sessions by adding Shift+Enter hotkey to send backslash newline (\\\n) sequences. Perfect for writing multi-line shell commands, scripts, and command-line operations.

Features

- Line Continuation: Press Shift+Enter to send \\\n (space + backslash + newline) for continuing commands across multiple lines
- Shell Scripting Support: Perfect for writing long commands, complex pipes, and multi-line shell scripts
- Multi-tab Support: Works across all terminal tabs and split views
- Smart Terminal Detection: Automatically finds the active terminal instance, including in split views
- Cross-platform: Uses system-appropriate line endings (Windows/Unix compatible)

Installation

$3

1. Open Tabby
2. Go to Settings → Plugins
3. Search for "Backslash Newline"
4. Click Install

$3

``bash
npm install -g tabby-backslash-newline
`

$3

1. Clone this repository
2. Install dependencies: npm install
3. Build the plugin: npx tsc
4. Copy the dist folder to your Tabby plugins directory

Development

$3

`bash


Compile TypeScript to JavaScript

npx tsc

Watch mode for development

npx tsc --watch
`

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`
src/
├── index.ts # Main plugin entry point
└── ...
dist/ # Compiled output
package.json # Dependencies and build config
tsconfig.json # TypeScript configuration
`

How It Works

The plugin sends a space + backslash + newline sequence ( \\\n) when you press Shift+Enter, which is the standard shell syntax for line continuation. This allows you to:

- Break long commands across multiple lines for better readability
- Write complex shell scripts interactively
- Continue pipe chains and command sequences
- Maintain proper shell escaping and formatting

Example usage:
`bash


Instead of this long one-liner:

find /path -name "*.js" -type f -exec grep -l "function" {} \; | xargs wc -l

Write it across multiple lines with Shift+Enter:

find /path -name "*.js" -type f \\
-exec grep -l "function" {} \; \\
| xargs wc -l
`

$3

1. HotkeyProvider: Registers the shift-enter-newline` hotkey with Tabby
2. ShiftEnterHandler: Handles the hotkey event and sends the continuation sequence
3. Terminal Detection: Finds the active terminal, including special handling for split views

Use Cases

- Long Commands: Break complex commands with many options across multiple lines
- Shell Scripts: Write and test multi-line scripts interactively
- Pipe Chains: Create readable command pipelines
- Configuration: Multi-line environment variable definitions and exports

Requirements

- Tabby Terminal v1.0.0 or higher
- Node.js and npm for building

License

MIT License