setpanel

Open Windows Terminal with N panes arranged in a balanced grid, in one command.

setpanel -ps 3 -bash 2

→ 5-pane grid (3 PowerShell + 2 Git Bash) opens in your current Windows Terminal window.

Why

Composing wt split-pane ... chains by hand is tedious — calculating split fractions, remembering focus directions, picking the right shell. setpanel takes -ps N -bash N flags and lays out a true balanced grid for you (every pane equal size).

Requirements

• Windows 10/11 with Windows Terminal installed (wt.exe on PATH)
• PowerShell 5.1+ (built-in on Windows). PowerShell 7+ (pwsh.exe) is auto-detected and preferred if installed.
• Git Bash (optional, only required for -bash panes). Default location: C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe
• WSL (optional, only required for -wsl panes). wsl.exe launches your default distro.

Install

1. Clone or download this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/ishizakahiroshi/setpanel.git

2. Keep the downloaded setpanel folder together. The .bat launchers call the .ps1 scripts in the same folder, so do not move only one file by itself.
3. (Optional) Add the folder to your PATH so you can call setpanel from any working directory.

Which file should I use?

Start with setpanel-menu.bat if you are not sure. It opens a keyboard-driven menu and lets you pick a preset or working directory.

Use these files from the same folder. You can move or copy the whole folder anywhere you like, but keep the files together.

File	Use when
setpanel-menu.bat	You want the easiest interactive menu
setpanel.bat	You want to run a command directly, like setpanel -ps 2 -bash 2
install-shortcuts.ps1	You want Desktop shortcuts for common layouts
setpanel.ps1	You are editing the main layout logic
setpanel-menu.ps1	You are editing the interactive menu logic

Usage

setpanel                     # 4 PowerShell panes (2x2 grid) — default
setpanel -d C:\work -ps 4    # Open panes in C:\work
setpanel -ps 3               # 3 PowerShell panes
setpanel -ps 6               # 6 panes (2x3 grid)
setpanel -ps 2 -bash 2       # Mixed: 2 pwsh + 2 bash (2x2)
setpanel -ps 2 -wsl 2        # Mixed: 2 pwsh + 2 WSL
setpanel -ps 4 -bash 2       # 6 panes total (2x3)

• -d DIR, -dir DIR, or -cwd DIR sets the working directory for all panes
• -ps N adds N PowerShell panes (1-12)
• -bash N adds N Git Bash panes (1-12)
• -wsl N adds N WSL panes (1-12)
• Total panes capped at 12
• Without -d, panes open in the current working directory of the calling shell

Interactive menu

Run setpanel-menu.bat (or double-click it) to pick a preset with the keyboard:

> 1) ps 2 (side by side)
  2) ps 3
  3) ps 4 (2x2 grid)
  4) ps 6 (2x3 grid)
  5) ps 2 + bash 2
  6) ps 3 + bash 3
  7) Custom args
  8) Change working directory
  0) cancel

Use Up/Down to move, Enter to choose, or press 1-8 as shortcuts. The menu opens panes in the current directory by default; choose Change working directory to launch somewhere else.

Desktop shortcuts

Generate ready-to-use .lnk shortcuts so you can launch presets with a single click:

.\install-shortcuts.ps1

Creates 6 shortcuts on your Desktop:

Shortcut	Launches
setpanel-ps2.lnk	setpanel -ps 2
setpanel-ps4.lnk	setpanel -ps 4
setpanel-ps6.lnk	setpanel -ps 6
setpanel-mixed.lnk	setpanel -ps 2 -bash 2
setpanel-wsl.lnk	setpanel -wsl 2
setpanel-menu.lnk	Opens the interactive menu

Install to a different location (e.g. Start Menu):

.\install-shortcuts.ps1 -Destination "$env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\setpanel"

Each shortcut's working directory defaults to $env:USERPROFILE. Override with -WorkingDirectory <path> or edit the shortcut's properties afterward.

Configuration

The Git Bash path is hardcoded near the top of setpanel.ps1:

$BASH = 'C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe'

Edit it if your Git Bash lives elsewhere. If bash.exe is not found at this path, -bash panes fall back to PowerShell with a warning. WSL panes use wsl.exe --cd <dir> and launch your default distro.

Other platforms

setpanel is Windows-specific — it drives wt.exe, which does not exist on Linux or macOS. If you need similar grid layouts on other platforms, consider:

• tmux — classic terminal multiplexer
• zellij — modern alternative with declarative layouts
• wezterm — GPU-accelerated terminal with full CLI control

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

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日本語版 README はこちら