Dotfiles Builder

Compiles .zshrc and .bashrc using configurations and doing some tests only once.

For example:

• Concatenate some paths in $PATH only if directory exists and is not already in $PATH
• Add aliases using easy file structure with auto-escaping
• Determine best locale based on available locales
• Determine best $EDITOR/$VISUAL
• etc.

The goal is to optimize files like .bashrc and .gitconfig to only include what works for this specific computer.

Expensive checks can be done like looping through a lot of choices or even doing a locate my-program because the .bashrc is compiled once, not everytime you start a new shell.

Will auto-detect the presence of many tools and configure accordingly:

• bash
• boot2docker
• docker
• git
  • diff-so-fancy
  • diffmerge
  • Kaleidoscope
• homebrew
• mysql
• npm
• php
• rvm
• screen
• tmux
  • battery-status
  • temperature
• vagrant
• zsh
  • oh-my-zsh

Usage

./install.sh # installs it in your home
./install.sh /tmp/whatever # installs it in another folder

See examples/ for a list of generated files.

If you modify your installation or your settings, re-run the build script.

Configuration

A folder will be created in $DOTFILES_INSTALL_PATH/.dotfiles-config

Variables

~/.dotfiles-config/vars override calculated variables

• Filename must be the variable’s name
• Content must be the variable’s value
• Custom variables also supported

SSH

Parsed from $HOME.

Documentation

Functions in lib.sh are always available.

.bashrc / .zshrc

All the main scripts are here, for zsh and bash, it will also include the file in the appropriate folder

• Each script must output its part.
• A comment will be added before each part saying which script it is from.
• Files are sorted as if they were all in the same directory.

aliases

• Each script must output the value of the alias.
• Each script must be named as the name of the alias and end with .sh.

paths

• Each script must output the value of the path.
• Each outputted path will be tested for existence, no need to do it.
• Files with the highest number will be prepended last so it will have the highest precedence.
• The current $PATH will be appended (but will be removed if not existent).
• Duplicates will be removed.
• You can add custom generators in $DOTFILES_INSTALL_PATH/.dotfiles-config/paths.

variables

• Generates a export VAR="value" for each variable.
• Each script must output the value of the variable.
• Files in variables must be named as the name of the variable and end with .sh.
• Folders in variables must be named as the name of the variable and end with .d. For folders, the first script to output something will be kept.

configure

• Scripts that are ran when using ./configure.sh
• Will create configuration files in $DOTFILES_INSTALL_PATH/.dotfiles-config.

dotfiles

• Each file will be copied to the destination.
• Folders must have a _generate.sh, it will the executed and its output will be used to generate a file named like the folder.

.gitconfig

• Creates a ~/.gitconfig.dist, which gets included from ~/.gitconfig.
• Contains many aliases and auto-detected features.

Todo

• Add config files
  • Editor preferences
  • Name, email, etc.
  • $PS1
  • Multiplexer
• Remove dependency to ruby for realpath
• Investigate more common practices for dotfiles
  • Investigate https://github.com/mathiasbynens/dotfiles
• Add documentation for configuration options

Author

Sébastien Lavoie (github@lavoie.sl)