Dotfiles Management with GNU Stow

This repository contains my personal configuration files (dotfiles) managed using GNU Stow.

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Installation

1. Install GNU Stow

GNU Stow is a symlink manager that helps keep dotfiles organized.

Arch

sudo pacman -S stow

MacOs

brew install stow

2. Clone the Repository

git clone git@github.com:yourusername/dotfiles.git ~/dotfiles
cd ~/dotfiles

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Organizing Dotfiles

Each application's configuration is stored in a separate folder inside ~/dotfiles.

Example Directory Structure:

~/dotfiles/
  ├── bash/
  │   └── .bashrc
  ├── vim/
  │   └── .vimrc
  ├── git/
  │   └── .gitconfig
  ├── nvim/
  │   └── .config/nvim/init.lua
  ├── alacritty/
  │   └── .config/alacritty/alacritty.yml
  ├── i3/
  │   └── .config/i3/config

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Using GNU Stow

1. Stow a Configuration

To create symlinks from ~/dotfiles to the home directory:

stow bash
stow vim
stow git
stow nvim
stow alacritty
stow i3

This will symlink:

• ~/dotfiles/bash/.bashrc → ~/.bashrc
• ~/dotfiles/vim/.vimrc → ~/.vimrc
• ~/dotfiles/nvim/.config/nvim/ → ~/.config/nvim/

2. Verify Symlinks

Check if the symlinks are correctly created:

ls -l ~/.bashrc ~/.vimrc ~/.gitconfig ~/.config/nvim

3. Remove a Symlinked Configuration

To remove symlinks but keep the files, use:

stow -D bash
stow -D vim

4. Fix Conflicts

If Stow warns about existing files, delete them first:

rm -rf ~/.bashrc ~/.vimrc ~/.gitconfig ~/.config/nvim

Then re-run:

stow bash
stow vim
stow git
stow nvim

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Tracking Dotfiles with Git

1. Initialize Git Repository

cd ~/dotfiles
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit of dotfiles"

2. Push to GitHub

git remote add origin git@github.com:yourusername/dotfiles.git
git push -u origin main

3. Restoring Dotfiles on a New Machine

On a fresh install, restore your setup with:

git clone git@github.com:yourusername/dotfiles.git ~/dotfiles
cd ~/dotfiles
stow bash
stow vim
stow git
stow nvim
stow alacritty
stow i3

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Handling Git Submodules

If a folder (e.g., nvim/.config/nvim/) is an embedded Git repository, remove its .git directory or use Git submodules.

Option 1: Remove Embedded Git Repo (Recommended)

rm -rf ~/dotfiles/nvim/.config/nvim/.git

Option 2: Use a Git Submodule

git rm --cached nvim/.config/nvim
git submodule add <nvim-repo-url> nvim/.config/nvim
git commit -m "Added Neovim as a submodule"

When cloning your dotfiles later:

git clone --recursive <your-dotfiles-repo-url>
git submodule update --init --recursive

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Automating Setup with a Script

Create setup.sh to automatically apply all symlinks:

nano ~/dotfiles/setup.sh

Paste this:

#!/bin/bash

DOTFILES_DIR="$HOME/dotfiles"
cd "$DOTFILES_DIR" || exit

for folder in */; do
    stow "${folder%/}"
done

echo "Dotfiles have been successfully linked!"

Save and run:

chmod +x ~/dotfiles/setup.sh
./setup.sh

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Done! 🎉

Your dotfiles are now neatly managed using GNU Stow. 🚀