RewindTTY

RewindTTY is a terminal session recorder and replayer, meticulously built in C to enable accurate capture and playback of terminal activities. With RewindTTY, users can record their terminal input and output, preserving the exact timing of events for precise replay.

Key Features

• Record Terminal Sessions: Efficiently capture all terminal input and output along with timing information.
• Replay Sessions: Seamlessly play back recorded sessions, replicating the original timing to retain context.
• Structured JSON Format: Store sessions in a structured JSON format, facilitating easy parsing and integration with other tools.
• Graceful Signal Handling: Ensure safe shutdown and file closure during interruptions like Ctrl+C.
• Lightweight Design: Built with minimal dependencies, leveraging the power of C for performance and efficiency.

Usage Instructions

Recording a Session

Initiate recording a terminal session by executing the following command:

./build/rewindtty record [file]

This creates a new session file, defaulting to data/session.json if no filename is specified, and begins capturing terminal activity.

Replaying a Session

To replay any previously recorded session, use:

./build/rewindtty replay [file]

This command reads from the specified session file and replays it, maintaining the original timing.

Command Line Options

Usage: rewindtty [record|replay] [file]

Commands:
  record [file]    Start recording a new terminal session to the specified file (default: data/session.json)
  replay [file]    Replay a recorded session from the specified file (default: data/session.json)

File Structure

The repository contains a well-organized file structure that enhances maintainability:

rewindtty/
├── src/               # Source code directory
│   ├── main.c         # Main program entry point
│   ├── recorder.c     # Session recording functionality
│   ├── recorder.h     # Recording function declarations
│   ├── replayer.c     # Session replay functionality
│   ├── replayer.h     # Replay function declarations
│   ├── utils.c        # Utility functions
│   └── utils.h        # Utility function declarations
├── data/              # Data directory for session files
│   └── session.json   # Default session storage file
├── build/             # Build output directory
├── assets/            # Directory for assets like demo files
├── Makefile           # Build configuration file
└── README.md          # Project documentation

Session File Format

Sessions are saved in JSON format within data/session.json, capturing both timing and terminal data for faithful replay.

Signal Handling

RewindTTY implements robust signal handling, ensuring that session files are properly closed and resources are cleaned up when interrupted.

Development Insights

The project utilizes the following compiler flags for improved safety and debugging:

• -Wall -Wextra: Enable all compiler warnings.
• -std=gnu99: Comply with the GNU C99 standards.
• -g: Include debugging symbols for development purposes.

Contributions are welcome: fork the repository, create a feature branch, implement changes, test extensively, and submit a pull request.