Linux Config to Git - Streamlining my workflow - part 1

Intro

Have you ever experienced the sinking feeling of losing your meticulously crafted Linux workspace? Whether it's a hardware failure, a new job, or simply a fresh machine, setting up your environment from scratch is a daunting task. I've spent countless hours painstakingly recreating my ideal setup, only to find lingering inconsistencies. To combat this, I'm embarking on a journey to version control my Linux configuration using Git. This series will document my progress, sharing tips and tricks along the way.

Target

The goal is to create a portable, version-controlled Linux environment that can be quickly replicated on any machine. By leveraging Git, I aim to minimize the frustration of setting up a new workspace.

Key Principles

• Git as the Central Repository: Anything that can be comfortably stored in Git will be included.

• Incremental Approach: Starting with .zshrc and gradually expanding to other configuration files.

• Security First: Only non-sensitive data will be committed to the repository.

• Automation with Makefiles: Using Makefiles to ensure configuration files are consistently updated.

• Continuous Improvement: This series will evolve as new ideas and challenges arise.

Start from Setting Up the Git Repository:

I began by creating a new repository on GitHub (tutaj dodaj link). Then, I cloned it locally and started adding the essential files.

• I created a terminal folder to house my .zshrc and shell.pre-oh-my-zsh files. Initially, these files were empty.

• Next, I created a Makefile in the root directory.

Makefile

ZSHRC_SOURCE := ~/.zshrc
ZSHRC_TARGET := ./terminal/.zshrc

SHELL_PRE_OH_MY_ZSH_SOURCE := ~/.shell.pre-oh-my-zsh
SHELL_PRE_OH_MY_ZSH_TARGET := ./terminal/shell.pre-oh-my-zsh

.PHONY: all update-zshrc update-shell-pre-oh-my-zsh

all: update-zshrc update-shell-pre-oh-my-zsh

$(ZSHRC_TARGET): $(ZSHRC_SOURCE)
        cp $(ZSHRC_SOURCE) $(ZSHRC_TARGET)
        @echo "Updated .zshrc in project folder."

$(SHELL_PRE_OH_MY_ZSH_TARGET): $(SHELL_PRE_OH_MY_ZSH_SOURCE)
        cp $(SHELL_PRE_OH_MY_ZSH_SOURCE) $(SHELL_PRE_OH_MY_ZSH_TARGET)
        @echo "Updated shell.pre-oh-my-zsh in project folder."

What does the Makefile do

This Makefile automates the process of copying your current .zshrc and shell.pre-oh-my-zsh configuration files into the project's terminal directory. Here's a breakdown:

• Variables: ZSHRC_SOURCE, ZSHRC_TARGET, SHELL_PRE_OH_MY_ZSH_SOURCE, and SHELL_PRE_OH_MY_ZSH_TARGET define the paths to your configuration files.

• .PHONY: Declares all, update-zshrc, and update-shell-pre-oh-my-zsh as phony targets, meaning they don't correspond to actual files.

• all: This target, when executed, runs both update-zshrc and update-shell-pre-oh-my-zsh.

• update-zshrc and update-shell-pre-oh-my-zsh: These targets use the cp command to copy the configuration files from your home directory to the project's terminal directory. The @echo command provides feedback on the update process.

Updating Files in the Repository

To update all files, simply run make in the root directory. To update a specific file, use make update-zshrc or make update-shell-pre-oh-my-zsh.

Troubleshooting

If make doesn't seem to do anything, it might be because the files in the repository are newer than your local configuration files. In that case, use touch ~/.zshrc and touch ~/.shell.pre-oh-my-zsh to update the timestamps of your local files. Then, run make again.

Next Steps

In the upcoming parts of this series, I'll be:

• Adding more configuration files and frequently used shell scripts.

• Creating a script and alias to run make all from any terminal location and automatically create a pull request with the changes.

Stay tuned for more updates on my journey to a fully version-controlled Linux workspace!