Our Verdict
Mac OS X may have a well-disposed , easy - to - use interface , but underneath that appealing UI is Unix . Which mean OS X also has ashell — a statement - line interface . Most Mac user who ’ve accessed the plate , perhaps to enter a command they discovered onMac OS X Hints , have done so using OS X ’s last utility program ( located in / Applications / Utilities ) . But if you oftentimes use Terminal , and most of that role is for warm , in - and - out chore , tally outDTerm(Mac App Store nexus ) , a nifty public utility that allow for insistent access to a concluding - like casing user interface fromwithinwhatever app you ’re currently using . I earlier review DTerm 1.0.1 back in 2008 , but it ’s gain quite a few feature — and a new , low cost — since then .
With DTerm running ( it can bunk either as a stock program or as a background practical program that does n’t appear in the Dock ) you campaign a user - defined keyboard crosscut and a small , statement - line dialog appear on the filmdom . ( Depending on the active software , DTerm ’s dialog appears either at the top of the participating window or just below the menu legal community . ) Type or glue your command — DTerm corroborate thebashshell ’s autocomplete feature for commands and way — and wardrobe takings , and the command or programme is executed , with any results displayed in just below . When you ’re done , insistence Escape , and DTerm go away — you may get powerful back to work . DTerm is idealistic for simple bidding and for running command - telephone line programs that do n’t require much interaction .
But DTerm offers a number of features design to make it even more commodious . For example , if the active window is a document or a Finder windowpane , DTerm sets the scale ’s current working directory — the “ alive ” pamphlet in the shell — to the location of the document or Finder folder , severally , displaying that path at the top of the DTerm duologue . DTerm also provides an option to insert , in your command , the name of the current document or , if you ’re in a Finder windowpane , the name(s ) of selected item(s ) . The drawback to this “ always in the right-hand position ” approach is that you ca n’t force DTerm to modify the current form directly — thecdcommand simply does n’t make for . ( If you want to employ a different directory as an argument for a command , you must include that directory route in the bid itself . )
If you need a persistent shell , or a traditional synergistic casing , for a particular chore — for exercise , to useemacsorvi , to usesudo , or if you need to alter the working directory when running a bid — simply enter your control in DTerm and press Command+Return ( or choose Execute in Terminal from DTerm ’s action menu ) ; your command will be sent to Terminal or else . ( If your normal shell program is iTerm , you may instead send commands to iTerm . )
you could cycle through previously used instruction and their final result by click the small left and right-hand arrow at the top of the results display ( or by pressing Command+Option+left pointer or + mighty arrow , respectively ) . You choose , in DTerm ’s Preferences window , how many previous commands and results should be preserve between energizing of DTerm ’s dialogue .
If you ’re running a shell command while run in a written document or diligence , there ’s a in force fortune the results from that command are important . In fact , you may want to copy them from the case and paste them into your written document . DTerm make this easy : Just pressure Shift+Command+C , or choose Copy result And Dismiss from DTerm ’s military action meu , and the content of the results display are copied to the Clipboard .
DTerm is a great utility for the sort of quick , in - and - out Terminal work many exponent users execute . And perhaps best of all , the price of DTerm has drop from $ 20 tofreesince my original review .
