How to Create Dotfiles How to set up a folder to hold your dotfiles That way all your settings and preferences can be reusable and consistent on other machines. One of the main goals of developers is to automate repetitive tasks.Ĭreating a dotfile repository that is source-controlled and hosted on GitHub will save you time when you want to set up a new computer and install the exact same settings you created for your previous one. Or what if you have a second machine and you want your set up to be exactly the same on both systems? How would you remember the exact settings and commands you used? What if after all that time you spent, you now have to switch to a new, different machine? Does that mean you have to start all over again from the beginning? And you end up with a development environment that helps you, personally, be more productive. You curate configurations and settings that best suit your workflow, aesthetic, and preferences. You spend a sufficient amount of time fine-tuning your setup. In the output, you'll see all files and directories – inlcuding all hidden ones – in your currect home directory.Įach file and directory that starts with a period/dot is a dotfile. If you want to see some extra bits of information about your files, you can also use the -l flag, which lists files and directories in long format and includes details about the date and time they were created, their size, and so on. Then use the ls command with the -a flag, which stands for all, like so: ls -a You can use the cd command to help you get there, if you're not there already. The list command, ls, which lists all files and directories in the current directory, doesn't show dotfiles by default - despite the fact that they're there.įirst, navigate to your home directory. To view dotfiles from the command line (which is where you'll use and interact with them the most), you again have to add some extra steps to your search. You'll soon see a variety of dotfiles that either you created on your own or were created when you installed a piece of software. To view dotfiles in Finder, go to the root of your Home directory and hold down the keys Command Shift. In Finder, the root of your Home directory might look something like this:īut you've seen that computer systems have many more files stored which are hidden by default. config directory (folder) on your system. Many programs, instead of storing their configurations in your home directory, instead store them in the hidden.gitconfig file, which would contain all your information and settings. After setting up and configuring Git on your local machine, you would have a.If you use the command line code editor Vim, you would store its configurations in a.zshrc file which configures and customises the shell. If you use the Zsh shell, which is the new default for MacOS, you would have (or would've created) a.bashrc file, both of which contain scripts that load each time you start a new terminal session and configure the shell. If you use the Bash shell, you might have a.Some common dotfiles that you may have heard of or used before are: Most programs store their configurations in your home directory by default. On Unix based systems, dotfiles are hidden by the Operating System by default. What sets them apart from regular files and directories is their prefix.ĭotfiles are named that way because each file and directory starts with a dot (. Many computer software programs store their configuration settings in plain, text-based files or directories.ĭotfiles are configuration files for various programs, and they help those programs manage their functionality. In addition I'll give you some suggestions and resources on how to customise your settings and expand your knowledge. You'll learn what they are, how to locate them on your system, and how to create a couple of simple dotfiles. This article is an introduction on how to get started with dotfiles. But not only that - you'll be able to have that productive setup you created for youself on any machine. Dotfiles are important files that will play an integral role in your career as a software developer.įirst, they can help make you more productive.
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