@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ Below, you will find a few different methods for setting up vcsh:
## 1.1 Prerequisites ##
Make sure none of the following files/diretories exist for your test (user). If they do, move them away for now:
Make sure none of the following files/diretories exist for your test (user). If
they do, move them away for now:
* ~/.gitignore
* ~/.mrconfig
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@@ -20,7 +21,8 @@ Make sure none of the following files/diretories exist for your test (user). If
* ~/.config/mr/config.d/mr.vcsh
* ~/.config/vcsh/repo.d/mr.git/
All of the files are part of the template repository, the directory is where the template will be stored.
All of the files are part of the template repository, the directory is where
the template will be stored.
apt-get install mr # this is optional, but highly recommended
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@@ -76,14 +78,16 @@ Neat.
### 1.5.2 Making changes ###
After you have made some changes, for which you would normally use `git add` and `git commit`, use the vcsh wrapper (like above):
After you have made some changes, for which you would normally use `git add`
and `git commit`, use the vcsh wrapper (like above):
vcsh run foo git add -f bar baz quux
vcsh run foo git commit
vcsh run foo git push
By the way, you'll have to use -f/--force flag with git-add because all files will be ignored by default. This is to show you only useful output when running git-status.
A fix for this problem is being worked on.
By the way, you'll have to use -f/--force flag with git-add because all files
will be ignored by default. This is to show you only useful output when running
git-status. A fix for this problem is being worked on.
# 2. The steal-from-template way #
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@@ -92,12 +96,14 @@ You're welcome to clone the example repository:
@@ -2,10 +2,13 @@ vcsh - manage and sync config files via git
# Introduction #
vcsh allows you to have several git repositories, all maintaining their working trees in $HOME without clobbering each other.
That, in turn, means you can have one repository per config set (zsh, vim, ssh, etc), picking and choosing which configs you want to use on which machine.
vcsh allows you to have several git repositories, all maintaining their working
trees in $HOME without clobbering each other. That, in turn, means you can have
one repository per config set (zsh, vim, ssh, etc), picking and choosing which
configs you want to use on which machine.
vcsh was designed with mr [1] in mind so you might want to install that, as well.
vcsh was designed with mr [1] in mind so you might want to install that, as
Most people who decide to put their dotfiles under version control start with a **single repository in $HOME**, adding all their dotfiles (and possibly more) to it.
This works, of course, but can become a nuisance as soon as you try to manage more than one host.
Most people who decide to put their dotfiles under version control start with a
**single repository in $HOME**, adding all their dotfiles (and possibly more)
to it. This works, of course, but can become a nuisance as soon as you try to
manage more than one host.
The next logical step is to create single-purpose repositories in, for example, ~/.dotfiles and to create **symbolic links in $HOME**.
This gives you the flexibility to check out only certain repositories on different hosts.
The downsides of this approach are the necessary manual steps of cloning and symlinking the individual repositories.
It will probably become a nuisance when you try to manage more than two hosts.
The next logical step is to create single-purpose repositories in, for example,
~/.dotfiles and to create **symbolic links in $HOME**. This gives you the
flexibility to check out only certain repositories on different hosts. The
downsides of this approach are the necessary manual steps of cloning and
symlinking the individual repositories. It will probably become a nuisance when
you try to manage more than two hosts.
**vcsh** takes this second approach one step further.
It expects **single-purpose repositories** and stores them in a hidden directory (similar to ~/.dotfiles).
However, it does not create symbolic links in $HOME; it puts the **actual files right into $HOME**.
**vcsh** takes this second approach one step further. It expects
**single-purpose repositories** and stores them in a hidden directory (similar
to ~/.dotfiles). However, it does not create symbolic links in $HOME; it puts
the **actual files right into $HOME**.
Furthermore, by making use of mr [1], it makes it very easy to enable/disable and clone a large number of repositories.
The use of mr is technically optional, but it will be an integral part of the proposed system that follows.
Furthermore, by making use of mr [1], it makes it very easy to enable/disable
and clone a large number of repositories. The use of mr is technically
optional, but it will be an integral part of the proposed system that follows.
## Default Directory Layout ##
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@@ -68,9 +77,12 @@ In this setup, ~/.mrconfig looks like:
jobs = 5
include = cat ~/.config/mr/config.d/*
The files you see in ~/.config/mr/available.d are mr configuration files that contain the commands to manage (checkout, update etc.) a single repository.
vcsh repo configs end in .vcsh, git configs end in .git, etc. This is optional and your preference.
For example, this is what a zsh.mrconfig with read-only access to my zshrc repo looks likes. I.e. in this specific example, push can not work.
The files you see in ~/.config/mr/available.d are mr configuration files that
contain the commands to manage (checkout, update etc.) a single repository.
vcsh repo configs end in .vcsh, git configs end in .git, etc. This is optional
and your preference. For example, this is what a zsh.mrconfig with read-only
access to my zshrc repo looks likes. I.e. in this specific example, push can
Only files/links present in mr/config.d, however, will be used by mr.
That means that in this example, only the zsh, gitconfigs, tmux and vim repositories will be checked out.
A simple `mr update` run in $HOME will clone or update those four repositories listed in config.d.
~/.config/mr/available.d contains *all available* repositories. Only
files/links present in mr/config.d, however, will be used by mr. That means
that in this example, only the zsh, gitconfigs, tmux and vim repositories will
be checked out. A simple `mr update` run in $HOME will clone or update those
four repositories listed in config.d.
~/.config/vcsh/repo.d is the directory into which vcsh clones the git repositories.
Since their working trees are configured to be in $HOME, the files contained in those repositories will be put in $HOME directly (see .zshrc above).
~/.config/vcsh/repo.d is the directory into which vcsh clones the git
repositories. Since their working trees are configured to be in $HOME, the
files contained in those repositories will be put in $HOME directly (see .zshrc
above).
vcsh will check if any file it would want to create exists. If it exists, vcsh will throw a warning and exit. Move away your old config and try again. Optionally, merge your local and your global configs afterwards and push with `vcsh run foo git push`.
vcsh will check if any file it would want to create exists. If it exists, vcsh
will throw a warning and exit. Move away your old config and try again.
Optionally, merge your local and your global configs afterwards and push with
`vcsh run foo git push`.
## Moving into a New Host ##
To illustrate further, the following steps could move your desired configuration to a new host.
To illustrate further, the following steps could move your desired
configuration to a new host.
1. Clone the mr repository (containing available.d, config.d etc.). For example: `vcsh clone git://github.com/RichiH/vcsh_mr_template.git`
2. Choose your repositories by linking them in config.d (or go with the default you may have already configured by adding symlinks to git).
1. Clone the mr repository (containing available.d, config.d etc.). For
