fix(ux): allow pasting and inputing wide-chars in search + tab rename + pane rename (#4303)

* fix(ux): allow pasting to search/tab-rename/pane-rename

* fix(ux): allow setting wide chars (eg. emoji) in tab/pane names

* style(fmt): rustfmt

* docs(changelog): add PR

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/)
 * fix: reap processes when using an external clipboard tool (https://github.com/zellij-org/zellij/pull/4298)
 * fix: out of bounds mouse release events (https://github.com/zellij-org/zellij/pull/4300)
 * fix: account for emoji/widechars when double/triple-clicking to mark words (https://github.com/zellij-org/zellij/pull/4302)
+* fix: allow pasting and emojis in tab/pane names and pasting in search (https://github.com/zellij-org/zellij/pull/4303)
 
 ## [0.42.2] - 2025-04-15
 * refactor(terminal): track scroll_region as tuple rather than Option (https://github.com/zellij-org/zellij/pull/4082)

zellij-client/src/input_handler.rs

@@ -125,7 +125,8 @@ impl InputHandler {
         config: Config,
         options: Options,
         send_client_instructions: SenderWithContext<ClientInstruction>,
-        mode: InputMode,
+        mode: InputMode, // TODO: we can probably get rid of this now that we're tracking it on the
+        // server instead
         receive_input_instructions: Receiver<(InputInstruction, ErrorContext)>,
     ) -> Self {
         InputHandler {

zellij-server/src/panes/mod.rs

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ mod active_panes;
 pub mod floating_panes;
 mod plugin_pane;
 mod search;
-mod terminal_pane;
+pub mod terminal_pane;
 mod tiled_panes;
 
 pub use active_panes::*;

zellij-server/src/screen.rs

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ use zellij_utils::input::keybinds::Keybinds;
 use zellij_utils::input::mouse::MouseEvent;
 use zellij_utils::input::options::Clipboard;
 use zellij_utils::pane_size::{Size, SizeInPixels};
+use zellij_utils::shared::clean_string_from_control_and_linebreak;
 use zellij_utils::{
     consts::{session_info_folder_for_session, ZELLIJ_SOCK_DIR},
     envs::set_session_name,
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ use crate::os_input_output::ResizeCache;
 use crate::pane_groups::PaneGroups;
 use crate::panes::alacritty_functions::xparse_color;
 use crate::panes::terminal_character::AnsiCode;
+use crate::panes::terminal_pane::{BRACKETED_PASTE_BEGIN, BRACKETED_PASTE_END};
 use crate::session_layout_metadata::{PaneLayoutMetadata, SessionLayoutMetadata};
 
 use crate::{
@@ -1355,6 +1357,12 @@ impl Screen {
         }
     }
 
+    pub fn get_client_input_mode(&self, client_id: ClientId) -> Option<InputMode> {
+        self.get_active_tab(client_id)
+            .ok()
+            .and_then(|tab| tab.get_client_input_mode(client_id))
+    }
+
     pub fn get_first_client_id(&self) -> Option<ClientId> {
         self.active_tab_indices.keys().next().copied()
     }
@@ -1849,10 +1857,9 @@ impl Screen {
                                 active_tab.name.pop();
                             },
                             c => {
-                                // It only allows printable unicode
+                                active_tab
-                                if buf.iter().all(|u| matches!(u, 0x20..=0x7E | 0xA0..=0xFF)) {
+                                    .name
-                                    active_tab.name.push_str(c);
+                                    .push_str(&clean_string_from_control_and_linebreak(c));
-                                }
                             },
                         }
                         self.log_and_report_session_state()
@@ -3547,24 +3554,73 @@ pub(crate) fn screen_thread_main(
                     }
                 }
                 let mut state_changed = false;
+                let client_input_mode = screen.get_client_input_mode(client_id);
+                match client_input_mode {
+                    Some(InputMode::RenameTab) => {
+                        if !(raw_bytes == BRACKETED_PASTE_BEGIN || raw_bytes == BRACKETED_PASTE_END)
+                        {
+                            screen.update_active_tab_name(raw_bytes, client_id)?;
+                            state_changed = true;
+                        }
+                    },
+                    _ => {
                         active_tab_and_connected_client_id!(
                             screen,
                             client_id,
                             |tab: &mut Tab, client_id: ClientId| {
+                                match client_input_mode {
+                                    Some(InputMode::EnterSearch) => {
+                                        if !(raw_bytes == BRACKETED_PASTE_BEGIN
+                                            || raw_bytes == BRACKETED_PASTE_END)
+                                        {
+                                            if let Err(e) =
+                                                tab.update_search_term(raw_bytes, client_id)
+                                            {
+                                                log::error!("{}", e);
+                                            }
+                                        }
+                                        state_changed = true;
+                                    },
+                                    Some(InputMode::RenamePane) => {
+                                        if !(raw_bytes == BRACKETED_PASTE_BEGIN
+                                            || raw_bytes == BRACKETED_PASTE_END)
+                                        {
+                                            if let Err(e) =
+                                                tab.update_active_pane_name(raw_bytes, client_id)
+                                            {
+                                                log::error!("{}", e);
+                                            }
+                                            state_changed = true;
+                                        }
+                                    },
+                                    _ => {
                                         let write_result = match tab.is_sync_panes_active() {
-                            true => tab.write_to_terminals_on_current_tab(&key_with_modifier, raw_bytes, is_kitty_keyboard_protocol, client_id),
+                                            true => tab.write_to_terminals_on_current_tab(
-                            false => tab.write_to_active_terminal(&key_with_modifier, raw_bytes, is_kitty_keyboard_protocol, client_id),
+                                                &key_with_modifier,
+                                                raw_bytes,
+                                                is_kitty_keyboard_protocol,
+                                                client_id,
+                                            ),
+                                            false => tab.write_to_active_terminal(
+                                                &key_with_modifier,
+                                                raw_bytes,
+                                                is_kitty_keyboard_protocol,
+                                                client_id,
+                                            ),
                                         };
                                         if let Ok(true) = write_result {
                                             state_changed = true;
                                         }
-                        write_result
                                     },
-                    ?
+                                }
+                            }
                         );
+                    },
+                };
                 if state_changed {
                     screen.log_and_report_session_state()?;
                 }
+                screen.unblock_input()?;
             },
             ScreenInstruction::Resize(client_id, strategy) => {
                 active_tab_and_connected_client_id!(

zellij-server/src/tab/mod.rs

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ use zellij_utils::input::command::RunCommand;
 use zellij_utils::input::mouse::{MouseEvent, MouseEventType};
 use zellij_utils::position::Position;
 use zellij_utils::position::{Column, Line};
+use zellij_utils::shared::clean_string_from_control_and_linebreak;
 
 use crate::background_jobs::BackgroundJob;
 use crate::pane_groups::PaneGroups;
@@ -4618,21 +4619,12 @@ impl Tab {
     pub fn update_active_pane_name(&mut self, buf: Vec<u8>, client_id: ClientId) -> Result<()> {
         let err_context =
             || format!("failed to update name of active pane to '{buf:?}' for client {client_id}");
-
-        // Only allow printable unicode, delete and backspace keys.
-        let is_updatable = buf
-            .iter()
-            .all(|u| matches!(u, 0x20..=0x7E | 0xA0..=0xFF | 0x08 | 0x7F));
-        if is_updatable {
         let s = str::from_utf8(&buf).with_context(err_context)?;
         self.get_active_pane_mut(client_id)
             .with_context(|| format!("no active pane found for client {client_id}"))
             .map(|active_pane| {
-                    active_pane.update_name(s);
+                active_pane.update_name(&clean_string_from_control_and_linebreak(s));
             })?;
-        } else {
-            log::error!("Failed to update pane name due to unprintable characters");
-        }
         Ok(())
     }
 
@@ -4704,6 +4696,9 @@ impl Tab {
     pub fn update_search_term(&mut self, buf: Vec<u8>, client_id: ClientId) -> Result<()> {
         if let Some(active_pane) = self.get_active_pane_or_floating_pane_mut(client_id) {
             // It only allows terminating char(\0), printable unicode, delete and backspace keys.
+            // TODO: we should really remove this limitation to allow searching for emojis and
+            // other wide chars - currently the search mechanism itself ignores wide chars, so we
+            // should first fix that before removing this condition
             let is_updatable = buf
                 .iter()
                 .all(|u| matches!(u, 0x00 | 0x20..=0x7E | 0x08 | 0x7F));
@@ -5360,6 +5355,9 @@ impl Tab {
     pub fn get_display_area(&self) -> Size {
         self.display_area.borrow().clone()
     }
+    pub fn get_client_input_mode(&self, client_id: ClientId) -> Option<InputMode> {
+        self.mode_info.borrow().get(&client_id).map(|m| m.mode)
+    }
     fn new_scrollback_editor_pane(&self, pid: u32) -> TerminalPane {
         let next_terminal_position = self.get_next_terminal_position();
         let mut new_pane = TerminalPane::new(

zellij-utils/src/shared.rs

@@ -35,6 +35,19 @@ pub fn ansi_len(s: &str) -> usize {
     from_utf8(&strip(s).unwrap()).unwrap().width()
 }
 
+pub fn clean_string_from_control_and_linebreak(input: &str) -> String {
+    input
+        .chars()
+        .filter(|c| {
+            !c.is_control() &&
+            *c != '\n' &&      // line feed
+            *c != '\r' &&      // carriage return
+            *c != '\u{2028}' && // line separator
+            *c != '\u{2029}' // paragraph separator
+        })
+        .collect()
+}
+
 pub fn adjust_to_size(s: &str, rows: usize, columns: usize) -> String {
     s.lines()
         .map(|l| {