My personal collection of configuration files for a streamlined and productive development environment on Arch Linux. Managed with GNU Stow.

This repository contains my preferred configurations for:

• Alacritty: A fast, cross-platform, OpenGL terminal emulator.
• Git: Global git configuration and ignore file.
• Neovim (nvim): My primary text editor setup (looks like a solid LazyVim based setup).
• tmux: Terminal multiplexer for managing multiple terminal sessions.
• Zsh: My shell of choice, with plugins and aliases.
  • Note: .zshrc is configured to use zsh-autosuggestions and zsh-syntax-highlighting. You'll need to install these separately (see Prerequisites).

• Git: For cloning the repository.
• GNU Stow: For symlinking the dotfiles.
  • On Arch Linux, you can install it with: sudo pacman -S stow
• The applications you want to configure: (e.g., Alacritty, Neovim, tmux, Zsh).
• Zsh Plugins (if using Zsh config):
  • zsh-autosuggestions
  • zsh-syntax-highlighting
  • On Arch Linux, you can install them from the official repositories or AUR:

    sudo pacman -S zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting

    (Alternatively, you might use a Zsh plugin manager like Oh My Zsh, Antigen, Zinit, etc. Adjust as per your preference.)
• (Optional but Recommended) A Nerd Font: For proper icon rendering in Neovim and other tools (e.g., Fira Code Nerd Font, JetBrainsMono Nerd Font).

⚠️ Warning: This will overwrite existing configuration files if they conflict. It's highly recommended to back up your current dotfiles (~/.zshrc, ~/.config/nvim, etc.) before proceeding.

1. Install Prerequisites: Ensure git and stow are installed. For Arch Linux:

   sudo pacman -S git stow

   If you plan to use the Zsh configuration, install the Zsh plugins:

   sudo pacman -S zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting

2. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Eduruiz/dotfiles.git ~/.dotfiles

   (You can clone it to any directory, but ~/.dotfiles is a common convention.)

3. Navigate into the cloned directory:

   cd ~/.dotfiles

4. Stow the configurations: To symlink all configurations:

   stow *

   Or, to stow specific packages (e.g., just nvim and zsh):

   stow nvim zsh

5. Restart your terminal or source your shell configuration (e.g., source ~/.zshrc) for changes to take effect. For Neovim, the first launch might install plugins.

GNU Stow is a symlink farm manager. It takes distinct packages of software and symlinks their files into a common directory tree. In our case, the "packages" are directories like nvim, zsh, git, etc., within this .dotfiles repository, and the "common directory tree" is your home directory (~).

All stow commands should be run from within your ~/.dotfiles directory.

Let's say you want to add configuration files for a new application called newapp.

1. Identify the target path: Determine where newapp expects its configuration files.

   • Example 1: ~/.newapprc
   • Example 2: ~/.config/newapp/config.json

2. Create the corresponding directory structure inside your ~/.dotfiles repo:

   • For ~/.newapprc:

     cd ~/.dotfiles
     mkdir newapp

   • For ~/.config/newapp/config.json:

     cd ~/.dotfiles
     mkdir -p newapp/.config/newapp

   The newapp directory here is your "stow package". The structure inside newapp/ must mirror the structure relative to your home directory.

3. Move your existing configuration file(s) into this new structure:

   • For ~/.newapprc:

     mv ~/.newapprc ~/.dotfiles/newapp/

     Now you'll have ~/.dotfiles/newapp/.newapprc.
   • For ~/.config/newapp/config.json:

     mv ~/.config/newapp/config.json ~/.dotfiles/newapp/.config/newapp/

     Now you'll have ~/.dotfiles/newapp/.config/newapp/config.json. (Alternatively, you can copy them and delete the originals later, or create them from scratch within the .dotfiles structure.)

4. "Stow" the new package: From your ~/.dotfiles directory:

   stow newapp

   This command will create symlinks:

   • ~/.newapprc → ~/.dotfiles/newapp/.newapprc
   • ~/.config/newapp/config.json → ~/.dotfiles/newapp/.config/newapp/config.json (it will also create ~/.config/newapp if it doesn't exist, and ~/.config if needed)

5. Add, commit, and push the changes to your Git repository:

   git add newapp
   git commit -m "Add configuration for newapp"
   git push origin main # or your default branch name

1. Edit the configuration file directly within your ~/.dotfiles repository (e.g., ~/.dotfiles/zsh/.zshrc).
2. The changes are immediate because the file in your home directory (e.g., ~/.zshrc) is just a symlink to the one in the repository.
3. Commit and push the changes to Git:

   git add zsh/.zshrc # or the specific file you changed
   git commit -m "Update Zsh configuration"
   git push origin main

If you manually add files to a stowed package directory (e.g., add a new alias file inside ~/.dotfiles/zsh/aliases/) or if symlinks get broken, you can "restow" the package:

stow --restow zsh

Or to restow everything:

stow --restow *

The --restow option will first "unstow" (remove symlinks) and then "stow" again, ensuring all links are fresh.

Removing a Configuration (Unstowing)

If you no longer want stow to manage a package's configuration:

Unstow the package: From your ~/.dotfiles directory:

stow -D zsh

This removes the symlinks managed by stow for the zsh package (e.g., ~/.zshrc will be unlinked). Your actual configuration files remain safe within ~/.dotfiles/zsh/.

(Optional) If you want to remove the configuration from your dotfiles repository entirely:

git rm -r zsh
git commit -m "Remove zsh configuration"
git push origin main

Feel free to fork this repository and customize it to your heart's content!

While these are my personal dotfiles, if you spot an error, a potential improvement, or have a suggestion, feel free to open an issue!