CloudWorkstation TUI Guide¶

Interactive terminal interface with keyboard navigation

What is the TUI?¶

TUI stands for "Terminal User Interface." It's a colorful, interactive way to use CloudWorkstation without typing lots of commands. You can navigate with arrow keys and see everything on one screen!

How to Start the TUI¶

Open your terminal and type:

cws tui

That's it! You'll see a colorful screen with tabs at the top.

Finding Your Way Around¶

The TUI has several different screens (called "views") that you can switch between:

How to Move Between Views¶

Use the Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys to move between tabs
Or press Tab to move forward and Shift+Tab to move backward
Press ? anytime to see available keyboard shortcuts

The Dashboard View¶

Dashboard Overview

The Dashboard shows you: - How many cloud computers you have running - How much they cost per day - Recent activities - Quick actions you can take

Keyboard shortcuts: - r: Refresh the dashboard - →: Go to Instances view

The Instances View¶

Instance Management

This is where you can see and manage all your cloud computers.

For each instance, you'll see: - Name: What you named your cloud computer - Template: What research environment it uses - State: Whether it's running or stopped - IP Address: Its internet address (when running) - Cost/Day: How much it costs per day

Keyboard shortcuts: - ↑/↓: Move up and down the list - Enter: Show more details about a selected instance - s: Start a stopped instance - p: Stop a running instance - c: Connect to an instance - d: Delete an instance (it will ask you to confirm first) - r: Refresh the list - /: Search for a specific instance

The Templates View¶

Template Selection

This is where you can see all the available research environments and launch new cloud computers.

Keyboard shortcuts: - ↑/↓: Move up and down the list - Enter: See more details about a template - l: Launch a new cloud computer using the selected template - r: Refresh the template list - /: Search for a specific template

Launching a New Cloud Computer¶

When you press l to launch a template, you'll see a form where you can:

Enter a name for your new cloud computer
Choose a size (XS, S, M, L, XL) - bigger sizes are more powerful but cost more
See advanced options (optional)

The Storage View¶

Storage Management

This is where you can manage your storage volumes (places to save your files).

EFS Volumes (Shared Storage)¶

These are special storage volumes that can be shared between multiple cloud computers.

Keyboard shortcuts: - ↑/↓: Move up and down the list - Enter: See volume details - c: Create a new volume - d: Delete a volume - r: Refresh the list

EBS Storage (Computer Storage)¶

These are storage volumes attached to a specific cloud computer.

Keyboard shortcuts: - ↑/↓: Move up and down the list - Enter: See storage details - c: Create a new storage volume - a: Attach a volume to a cloud computer - d: Detach a volume - x: Delete a volume - r: Refresh the list

The Settings View¶

Settings Configuration

Here you can change how CloudWorkstation works.

Settings you can change: - AWS Profile: Which AWS account to use - AWS Region: Which part of the world to create your cloud computers in - Theme: Choose between light and dark colors - Registry: Where to find templates

Keyboard shortcuts: - Tab/Shift+Tab: Move between settings - Enter: Change a setting - ↑/↓: Select from available options - s: Save your changes

Changing Colors: Light and Dark Theme¶

CloudWorkstation can use either dark colors (easier on the eyes at night) or light colors (better in bright rooms).

To switch between them: 1. Go to the Settings view 2. Select the Theme setting 3. Press Enter to switch between Dark and Light 4. Press s to save your choice

Helpful Messages¶

The TUI will show you messages at the top of the screen:

Green messages: Success! Something worked correctly
Red messages: Error - something went wrong
Blue messages: Just information for you to know

These messages will disappear after a few seconds.

Searching for Things¶

In any list (Instances, Templates, Storage), you can search by:

Pressing / to start searching
Typing what you're looking for
Pressing Esc to cancel the search and show everything again

What If the TUI Doesn't Look Right?¶

If the TUI doesn't display correctly: - Try making your terminal window bigger - Check that your terminal supports colors - Make sure you have the latest version of CloudWorkstation

Getting Out of the TUI¶

When you're done using the TUI: - Press q to quit - Or press Ctrl+C

You'll go back to the regular command line.

Need More Help?¶

If you need more help, press ? while in the TUI to see all available keyboard shortcuts for the current view.

Or check out these resources: - The CloudWorkstation help command: cws help - The Getting Started Guide - Ask your research supervisor for help