# tmuxp.workspace.loader.expand

- **Module:** tmuxp.workspace.loader
- **Package:** tmuxp
- **Language:** Python
- **Kind:** function
- **Source:** https://github.com/tmux-python/tmuxp/blob/153acdf6ff1268b14d3d03ed488f545a7123c8f1/src/tmuxp/workspace/loader.py#L68
- **Page:** https://libtmux.org/en/py/stable/workspace/reference/tmuxp-workspace-loader-expand/

```
tmuxp.workspace.loader.expand(
    workspace_dict: dict[str, t.Any],
    cwd: pathlib.Path | str | None = None,
    parent: t.Any | None = None,
) -> dict[str, t.Any]
```

Resolve workspace variables and expand shorthand style / inline properties.

This is necessary to keep the code in
:class:`~tmuxp.workspace.builder.classic.ClassicWorkspaceBuilder` clean and
also allow for neat, short-hand "sugarified" syntax.

As a simple example, internally, tmuxp expects that workspace options
like ``shell_command`` are a list (array):

```text
'shell_command': ['htop']
```

tmuxp workspace allow for it to be simply a string:

```text
'shell_command': 'htop'
```

ConfigReader will load JSON/YAML files into python dicts for you.

## Parameters

- `workspace_dict` (`dict[str, t.Any]`): the tmuxp workspace for the session
- `cwd` (`pathlib.Path | str | None`): directory to expand relative paths against. should be the dir of the
workspace directory.
- `parent` (`t.Any | None`): (used on recursive entries) start_directory of parent window or session
object.

## Returns

dict