dotfiles README

The project's README from github.com/mathiasbynens/dotfiles. As one markdown file: README.md.

Mathias’s dotfiles

Screenshot of my shell prompt

Installation

Warning: If you want to give these dotfiles a try, you should first fork this repository, review the code, and remove things you don’t want or need. Don’t blindly use my settings unless you know what that entails. Use at your own risk!

Using Git and the bootstrap script

You can clone the repository wherever you want. (I like to keep it in ~/Projects/dotfiles, with ~/dotfiles as a symlink.) The bootstrapper script will pull in the latest version and copy the files to your home folder.

git clone https://github.com/mathiasbynens/dotfiles.git && cd dotfiles && source bootstrap.sh

To update, cd into your local dotfiles repository and then:

source bootstrap.sh

Alternatively, to update while avoiding the confirmation prompt:

set -- -f; source bootstrap.sh

Git-free install

To install these dotfiles without Git:

cd; curl -#L https://github.com/mathiasbynens/dotfiles/tarball/main | tar -xzv --strip-components 1 --exclude={README.md,bootstrap.sh,.osx,LICENSE-MIT.txt}

To update later on, just run that command again.

Specify the $PATH

If ~/.path exists, it will be sourced along with the other files, before any feature testing (such as detecting which version of ls is being used) takes place.

Here’s an example ~/.path file that adds /usr/local/bin to the $PATH:

export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"

Add custom commands without creating a new fork

If ~/.extra exists, it will be sourced along with the other files. You can use this to add a few custom commands without the need to fork this entire repository, or to add commands you don’t want to commit to a public repository.

My ~/.extra looks something like this:

# Git credentials
# Not in the repository, to prevent people from accidentally committing under my name
GIT_AUTHOR_NAME="Mathias Bynens"
GIT_COMMITTER_NAME="$GIT_AUTHOR_NAME"
git config --global user.name "$GIT_AUTHOR_NAME"
GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL="[email protected]"
GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL="$GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL"
git config --global user.email "$GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL"

You could also use ~/.extra to override settings, functions and aliases from my dotfiles repository. It’s probably better to fork this repository instead, though.

Sensible macOS defaults

When setting up a new Mac, you may want to set some sensible macOS defaults:

./.macos

Install Homebrew formulae

When setting up a new Mac, you may want to install some common Homebrew formulae (after installing Homebrew, of course):

./brew.sh

Some of the functionality of these dotfiles depends on formulae installed by brew.sh. If you don’t plan to run brew.sh, you should look carefully through the script and manually install any particularly important ones. A good example is Bash/Git completion: the dotfiles use a special version from Homebrew.

Feedback

Suggestions/improvements welcome!

Author

twitter/mathias
Mathias Bynens

Thanks to…

dotfiles (mathiasbynens/dotfiles)

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31.5K ·GitHub
Dotfiles
What is this?Mathias Bynens' personal dotfiles: shell configuration files for macOS (aliases, functions, settings) plus scripts for setting up a new Mac with sensible defaults.
So it's not an app — what do I actually get when I install it?Plain files copied into your home folder and sourced by your shell, plus three scripts: the bootstrapper (installs and updates the files), ~/.macos for sensible macOS system defaults and brew.sh for common Homebrew formulae.
How do I set it up on my Mac?Fork the repository and review the code first. Then clone it anywhere you like and run the bootstrap script — it copies the files into your home folder. A git-free install command is provided as an alternative.
Will everything work on a fresh Mac, or do I need Homebrew too?Some functionality depends on Homebrew formulae installed by the bundled brew.sh — Bash/Git completion, for example, uses a special version from Homebrew. If you skip brew.sh, check the script and install the important formulae manually.
Can I just run this on my machine as-is?The author asks you not to: fork the repo first, review the code and remove anything you don't want or need. These are his personal settings, and you use them at your own risk.
Where does the author keep his own copy of the repo?Anywhere works — he keeps it in ~/Projects/dotfiles and makes ~/dotfiles a symlink pointing to it.
How do I update the dotfiles later?cd into your local dotfiles repository and run the bootstrap script again — it pulls the latest version and re-copies the files. The git-free install updates the same way: just run the same command again.
Can I add my own aliases without forking the whole repo?Yes — two optional files: ~/.path, sourced early for extending $PATH, and ~/.extra, sourced along with the rest for custom commands or overriding the repo's functions and aliases. The author still thinks forking is probably better.
What are similar projects?direnv, awesome-dotfiles, oh-my-fish, tpm, oh-my-posh, dotfiles, .tmux, tmuxinator
Which topics is it in?click, tweaks, dotfiles, script, prompt, configuration, bash, homebrew, git, shell, customization, terminal
Creator
mathiasbynens
Size
0.8 MB
Stars
31.5K
Updated
CommitApr 09
Age
15y
Commits · 90 Days