endlessc / tio

A simple serial terminal I/O tool

tio - a simple serial terminal I/O tool

1. Introduction

tio is a simple serial terminal tool which features a straightforward command-line interface to easily connect to TTY devices for basic I/O operations.

1.1 Motivation

To make a simpler serial terminal tool for talking with TTY devices with less focus on classic terminal/modem features and more focus on the needs of embedded developers and hackers.

2. Usage

The command-line interface is straightforward as reflected in the output from 'tio --help':

    Usage: tio [<options>] <tty-device>

    Options:
      -b, --baudrate <bps>        Baud rate (default: 115200)
      -d, --databits 5|6|7|8      Data bits (default: 8)
      -f, --flow hard|soft|none   Flow control (default: none)
      -s, --stopbits 1|2          Stop bits (default: 1)
      -p, --parity odd|even|none  Parity (default: none)
      -o, --output-delay <ms>     Output delay (default: 0)
      -n, --no-autoconnect        Disable automatic connect
      -e, --local-echo            Enable local echo
      -t, --timestamp[=<format>]  Enable timestamp (default: 24hour)
      -L, --list-devices          List available serial devices
      -l, --log <filename>        Log to file
      -m, --map <flags>           Map special characters
      -c, --color <0..255>        Colorize tio text
      -v, --version               Display version
      -h, --help                  Display help

    See the man page for more details.

    In session, press ctrl-t q to quit.

The only option which requires a bit of elaboration is perhaps the --no-autoconnect option.

By default tio automatically connects to the provided device if present. If the device is not present, it will wait for it to appear and then connect. If the connection is lost (eg. device is unplugged), it will wait for the device to reappear and then reconnect. However, if the --no-autoconnect option is provided, tio will exit if the device is not present or an established connection is lost.

Tio features full bash autocompletion support.

Tio also supports various key commands. Press ctrl-t ? to list the available key commands.

See the tio man page for more details.

3. Installation

3.1 Installation using package manager

tio comes prepackaged for various GNU/Linux distributions. Please consult your package manager tool to find and install tio.

3.2 Installation using snap

Install latest stable version:

    $ snap install tio

Install bleeding edge:

    $ snap install tio --edge

3.3 Installation from source

The latest source releases can be found here.

Install steps:

    $ meson build
    $ meson compile -C build
    $ meson install -C build

See meson_options.txt for tio specific build options.

Note: Please do no try to install from source if you are not familiar with how to build stuff using meson.

4. Contributing

tio is open source. If you want to help out with the project please feel free to join in.

All contributions (bug reports, code, doc, ideas, etc.) are welcome.

Please use the github issue tracker and pull request features.

Also, if you find this free open source software useful please feel free to consider making a donation of your choice:

5. Support

Submit bug reports via GitHub: https://github.com/tio/tio/issues

6. Website

Visit tio.github.io

7. License

Tio is GPLv2+. See LICENSE file for more details.

8. Authors

Created by Martin Lund <[email protected]>

See the AUTHORS file for full list of contributors.