How to enable color prompt in byobu

Byobu sets $TERM environment variable to screen-bce, screen.linux, or something beginning with screen(at least currently in Ubuntu 10.10). And if you have your bash prompt normally colorized, it probably won't work in byobu without some changes in ~/.bashrc.

To enable color prompt in boybu find out what's the value of $TERM within byobu:

$ echo $TERM

screen-bce

Now in ~/.bashrc find lines like

# set a fancy prompt (non-color, unless we know we "want" color)
case "$TERM" in
    xterm*) color_prompt=yes;;

and append the following line there:

    screen*) color_prompt=yes;;

Then find lines like:

# If this is an xterm set the title to user@host:dir
case "$TERM" in
xterm*)
    PS1="\[\e]0;${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h: \w\a\]$PS1"

and change them to:

# If this is an xterm set the title to user@host:dir
case "$TERM" in
xterm*|rxvt*|screen*)
    PS1="\[\e]0;${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h: \w\a\]$PS1"

Here is my ~/.bashrc:

# ~/.bashrc: executed by bash(1) for non-login shells.
# see /usr/share/doc/bash/examples/startup-files (in the package bash-doc)
# for examples

# If not running interactively, don't do anything
[ -z "$PS1" ] && return

# don't put duplicate lines in the history. See bash(1) for more options
# don't overwrite GNU Midnight Commander's setting of `ignorespace'.
#export HISTCONTROL=$HISTCONTROL${HISTCONTROL+,}ignoredups
# ... or force ignoredups and ignorespace
export HISTCONTROL=ignoreboth

# append to the history file, don't overwrite it
shopt -s histappend

# for setting history length see HISTSIZE and HISTFILESIZE in bash(1)
export HISTSIZE=1000
export HISTFILESIZE=3000

# check the window size after each command and, if necessary,
# update the values of LINES and COLUMNS.
shopt -s checkwinsize

# make less more friendly for non-text input files, see lesspipe(1)
[ -x /usr/bin/lesspipe ] && eval "$(SHELL=/bin/sh lesspipe)"

# set variable identifying the chroot you work in (used in the prompt below)
if [ -z "$debian_chroot" ] && [ -r /etc/debian_chroot ]; then
    debian_chroot=$(cat /etc/debian_chroot)
fi

# set a fancy prompt (non-color, unless we know we "want" color)
case "$TERM" in
    xterm*) color_prompt=yes;;
    screen*) color_prompt=yes;;
esac

# uncomment for a colored prompt, if the terminal has the capability; turned
# off by default to not distract the user: the focus in a terminal window
# should be on the output of commands, not on the prompt
#force_color_prompt=yes

if [ -n "$force_color_prompt" ]; then
    if [ -x /usr/bin/tput ] && tput setaf 1 >&/dev/null; then
 # We have color support; assume it's compliant with Ecma-48
 # (ISO/IEC-6429). (Lack of such support is extremely rare, and such
 # a case would tend to support setf rather than setaf.)
 color_prompt=yes
    else
 color_prompt=
    fi
fi
if [[ "$color_prompt" = yes && "$USER" = root ]]; then
    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\033[01;32m\]\u@\h\[\033[00m\]: \[\033[01;34m\]\w\[\033[00m\] \$ '
elif [[ "$color_prompt" = yes ]]; then
    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\033[00;33m\]\u@\h\[\033[00m\]: \[\033[01;34m\]\w\[\033[00m\] \$ '
else
    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h:\w \$ '
fi
unset color_prompt force_color_prompt

# If this is an xterm set the title to user@host:dir
case "$TERM" in
xterm*|rxvt*|screen*)
    PS1="\[\e]0;${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h: \w\a\]$PS1"
    ;;
*)
    ;;
esac

# Alias definitions.
if [ -f ~/.bash_aliases ]; then
    . ~/.bash_aliases
fi

# enable programmable completion features (you don't need to enable
# this, if it's already enabled in /etc/bash.bashrc and /etc/profile
# sources /etc/bash.bashrc).
if [ -f /etc/bash_completion ]; then
    . /etc/bash_completion
fi

export EDITOR='vim'
export GREP_COLOR=';33'
#export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/mysql/bin:/usr/local/mysql/sbin