Ubuntu 16.04 bash - can I open two interactive terminal windows in a single script?

Question

Whenever I begin a data-manipulation session I have to manually open two terminals - one to work in, and another that runs gnuplot so I can quickly load a plot program to see the results.

Both are opened in the same directory /home/pi/python, where the data is constantly automatically logged and available for analysis.

To minimize typing I have created a script called pj that I've put into /usr/sbin (in my $PATH) that contains

#!/bin/bash
cd /home/pi/python

I invoke it by typing

. pj      (notice the space so when it exits it stays there)

Then I have to click to open a second terminal window where I run a script gp that contains the following commands:

#!/bin/bash
cd /home/pi/python
gnuplot

This one I invoke with

gp   

notice no dot before the command because I don't care what happens when it eventually exits - I tend to leave it open all day.

Is there a way in bash to have one command do both for me?

The question is in the title: can I open two interactive terminal windows in a single script?

Put simply, I would like one command to open two terminal windows into the same subdirectory, with one of them running gnuplot in interactive mode and the other sitting at the bash prompt.

Answer 1

If you invoke a terminal emulator from the command-line in another terminal emulator, it will (usually) create a new window and then return to the command prompt in the first terminal emulator. Based on that, something along the lines of:

#!/bin/bash
cd python
<whatever-terminal-emulator> --command gnuplot

Should get what you want (although the --command option might be different if you're using a really simple terminal emulator like xterm (for those, you usually just omit the --command option).

Answer 2

Thanks to @Austin's push in the right direction, here is the script that ended up working.

It is named go and is in my $PATH (/usr/bin on the Ubuntu machines and /usr/sbin on the Raspbian machines), so it works from anywhere:

#!/bin/bash
cd /home/pi/python
gnome-terminal -e gnuplot &
gnome-terminal &

All I have to do is type

go

and it opens the two windows I need.

Interestingly, adding an exit line at the end will not close the original terminal, but that's OK.

This is a time-saver for sure.