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https://github.com/davidde/dotcon

Dotfile configuration manager
https://github.com/davidde/dotcon

cli configuration dotfiles dotfiles-manager linux

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Dotfile configuration manager

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README 

        
# Dotfile configuration manager

### :zap: Dotfile management made easy

- Simple and consistent

- Configurable yet intuitive

- Minimal codebase owing to a few common sense conventions



### :zap: There's no place like ... $HOME!

- Bring your own dotfiles and feel right at home

- Builds on the tool you already know: git

- No need to change habits or learn anything new



## Why another dotfile manager?

Most other tools seem to be large and unintuitive for the simplest use cases. Dotcon was conceived to be easy and intuitive from the get-go, and *remain* that way as things grow; with minimal learning curve.



This is accomplished by establishing a few simple conventions. The main one being that everything that should be linked to $HOME resides in a directory with the same hierarchy as the real $HOME. This makes it trivial to link everything in place without complicated configs; everything **"just works"**, by default.



## Directory conventions

These are the common directories and what they're used for:



* `home`: Everything that should be symlinked to $HOME literally.

* `lists`: All sorts of lists for automation purposes, e.g. packages and extensions.

* `scripts`: Executable scripts. `chmod u+x`'ed and added to path.

* `submodules`: All submodules conveniently in one place. If some submodule content needs to be symlinked to $HOME, it should simply be symlinked to `.dotfiles/home/`, from where Dotcon itself can take over.



By default, all files in the `.dotfiles/home/` directory will be linked to their equivalents in $HOME.  

Naturally you can add any other directories, e.g.:

* `dconf`

* `bookmarks`

* `etc`



Since some directories (e.g. `/etc/`) can contain files unsuitable for public disclosure, Dotcon is capable of working with different dotfile directories. This way you can have both public and private dotfiles if you're so inclined.



## Features

Dotcon's primary feature is **easy symlinking**.  

There is no need to maintain complicated configs; anything in `.dotfiles/home/` will be symlinked automatically to the right path.



**Features that may be implemented:**

* [x] Special unicode identifier (currently `⭐`/`U+2B50`) indicating which directories in `home` should be linked whole (instead of their individual files).  

  E.g.:

  - `~/.dotfiles/home/.config/vlc⭐/` links to `~/.config/vlc/`, while

  - `~/.dotfiles/home/.config/vlc/` links its content files to the same files inside `~/.config/vlc/`

* [ ] `-o, --overwrite` flag: To specify link overwriting behavior:

  - `none`: Do not overwrite existing destination files.

  - `all`: Overwrite all existing destination files.

  - `prompt`: Prompt for each individual file.

* [ ] `dotcon.toml` configuration file:

  - To enable easier customization of defaults.

  - To enable custom linking rules (`custom` dir next to `home`).

* [ ] `hosts` directory: To enable device-specific linking rules.

* [ ] ...



## Installation

Note you can easily testrun Dotcon without installing, by running `dotcon.py` directly:

```bash

git clone https://github.com/davidde/dotcon.git

chmod u+x ./dotcon/dotcon/dotcon.py

./dotcon/dotcon/dotcon.py

```

To use the `dotcon` command however, you'll need to either [install](#installing-from-source), or alias it to the binary:

```bash

# In ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc:



alias dot='~/dotcon/dotcon/dotcon.py'

# (Update paths to where you cloned)

```

The reason we're using the more unique `dotcon` as command/name, is that there are already a plethora of commands like `dot` and `dotty`. Using e.g. `dot` as a command would conflict with the other `dot`s. However, if you're not using these commands, there is no reason *not* to alias to `dot`. The shorter the better, right?



### Installing from source

```bash

git clone https://github.com/davidde/dotcon.git && cd dotcon

pip install .

```

Now you can just run `dotcon` without complications.



## Usage

| dotcon [-h] [-d DIR] |

|----------------------|



**Optional arguments:**

* `-h, --help`: Show help message and exit.

* `-d DIR, --dir DIR`: Relative or absolute path to dotfile directory. Defaults to `~/.dotfiles`.



**Examples:**

* `dotcon`  

  Symlink everything in `~/.dotfiles/home/` to its equivalent in `~`. By default, existing destination files are not overwritten.

* `dotcon -d .dotfolder`  

  Same, but for custom dotfiles location; symlink everything in `./.dotfolder/home/` to its equivalent in `~`.



**Repo's using Dotcon:**

* My very own [dotfiles](https://github.com/davidde/.dotfiles).