`chezmoi cd` and `chezmoi doctor` doesn't honour `chezmoi init --source /path` when initialising
Opened this issue · 9 comments
Describe the bug
As a first time chezmoi user
I want to be able to set the source path when initialising
So that when I run chezmoi cd and chezmoi doctor I can see that my source-dir is set to the path at init time
To reproduce
❯ brew install chezmoi
❯ chezmoi init --source /Users/david/dotfiles
❯ chezmoi cd
.local/share/chezmoi
❯ exit
❯ chezmoi doctor
RESULT CHECK MESSAGE
ok version v2.47.1, commit 1ce6b2eeb0caf75bd91883e5a968e713a26e7be2, built at 2024-03-03T00:47:52Z, built by Homebrew
ok latest-version v2.47.1
ok os-arch darwin/amd64
ok uname Darwin mbp.local 23.2.0 Darwin Kernel Version 23.2.0: Wed Nov 15 21:54:10 PST 2023; root:xnu-10002.61.3~2/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64
ok go-version go1.22.0 (gc)
ok executable /usr/local/bin/chezmoi
ok upgrade-method replace-executable
ok config-file no config file found
ok source-dir ~/.local/share/chezmoi is a directory
ok suspicious-entries no suspicious entries
ok working-tree ~/.local/share/chezmoi is a directory
ok dest-dir ~ is a directory
ok umask 022
ok cd-command found /bin/zsh
ok cd-args /bin/zsh
info diff-command not set
ok edit-command found /usr/local/bin/vi
ok edit-args /usr/local/bin/vi
ok git-command found /usr/local/bin/git, version 2.44.0
ok merge-command found /usr/local/bin/vimdiff
ok shell-command found /bin/zsh
ok shell-args /bin/zsh
ok age-command found /usr/local/bin/age, version 1.1.1
ok gpg-command found /usr/local/bin/gpg, version 2.4.5
info pinentry-command not set
ok 1password-command found /usr/local/bin/op, version 2.25.0
info bitwarden-command bw not found in $PATH
info bitwarden-secrets-command bws not found in $PATH
info dashlane-command dcli not found in $PATH
info doppler-command doppler not found in $PATH
info gopass-command gopass not found in $PATH
info keepassxc-command keepassxc-cli not found in $PATH
info keepassxc-db not set
info keeper-command keeper not found in $PATH
info lastpass-command lpass not found in $PATH
info pass-command pass not found in $PATH
info passhole-command ph not found in $PATH
info rbw-command rbw not found in $PATH
ok vault-command found /usr/local/bin/vault, version 1.15.6
info vlt-command vlt not found in $PATH
info secret-command not set
❯ env | grep CHEZ | grep SOURCE
CHEZMOI_SOURCE_DIR=/Users/david/dotfiles
Expected behavior
When manually creating a chezmoi.yaml config file, I am able to set the source dir manually and it works when running both cd and doctor commands.
What I expect to happen is that this is dealt with from the init command when setting the source. My goal is to streamline the setup process, hopefully in absence of a config zero file (as that will come later), rather than the creation of the config file as pre-req.
Output of command with the --verbose flag
❯ chezmoi cd --verbose
.local/share/chezmoi
Output of chezmoi doctor
❯ chezmoi doctor
RESULT CHECK MESSAGE
ok version v2.47.1, commit 1ce6b2eeb0caf75bd91883e5a968e713a26e7be2, built at 2024-03-03T00:47:52Z, built by Homebrew
ok latest-version v2.47.1
ok os-arch darwin/amd64
ok uname Darwin mbp.local 23.2.0 Darwin Kernel Version 23.2.0: Wed Nov 15 21:54:10 PST 2023; root:xnu-10002.61.3~2/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64
ok go-version go1.22.0 (gc)
ok executable /usr/local/bin/chezmoi
ok upgrade-method replace-executable
ok config-file no config file found
ok source-dir ~/.local/share/chezmoi is a directory
ok suspicious-entries no suspicious entries
ok working-tree ~/.local/share/chezmoi is a directory
ok dest-dir ~ is a directory
ok umask 022
ok cd-command found /bin/zsh
ok cd-args /bin/zsh
info diff-command not set
ok edit-command found /usr/local/bin/vi
ok edit-args /usr/local/bin/vi
ok git-command found /usr/local/bin/git, version 2.44.0
ok merge-command found /usr/local/bin/vimdiff
ok shell-command found /bin/zsh
ok shell-args /bin/zsh
ok age-command found /usr/local/bin/age, version 1.1.1
ok gpg-command found /usr/local/bin/gpg, version 2.4.5
info pinentry-command not set
ok 1password-command found /usr/local/bin/op, version 2.25.0
info bitwarden-command bw not found in $PATH
info bitwarden-secrets-command bws not found in $PATH
info dashlane-command dcli not found in $PATH
info doppler-command doppler not found in $PATH
info gopass-command gopass not found in $PATH
info keepassxc-command keepassxc-cli not found in $PATH
info keepassxc-db not set
info keeper-command keeper not found in $PATH
info lastpass-command lpass not found in $PATH
info pass-command pass not found in $PATH
info passhole-command ph not found in $PATH
info rbw-command rbw not found in $PATH
ok vault-command found /usr/local/bin/vault, version 1.15.6
info vlt-command vlt not found in $PATH
info secret-command not set
You can use file .chezmoi.yaml.tmpl (see docs) with this line: sourceDir: {{ .chezmoi.config.sourceDir | quote }}
You can use file
.chezmoi.yaml.tmpl(see docs) with this line:sourceDir: {{ .chezmoi.config.sourceDir | quote }}
Yes, the config file works. But that would void chezmoi init --source as a working parameter. It's a bug, unless I'm missing something when running chezmoi init --source /path ?
I don't think that this is a bug, because chezmoi.$FORMAT is initialized from .chezmoi.$FORMAT.tmpl if it exists and does a minimal setup otherwise.
If you do not have .chezmoi.yaml.tmpl, I think it would be an enhancement that chezmoi would add sourceDir to the value of the --source flag.
If you add .chezmoi.yaml.tmpl as @ErrrorMaxx suggested, using chezmoi init --source /path would indeed result in .chezmoi.yaml containing sourceDir: /path:
$ chezmoi execute-template --init --source /foo '{{ .chezmoi.config.sourceDir }}'
/fooYou can use file
.chezmoi.yaml.tmpl(see docs) with this line:sourceDir: {{ .chezmoi.config.sourceDir | quote }}
It's quite surprising to me to have to do this - I would expect that just setting --source without a config file being present, would override the default value - if this is the expected behavior, perhaps there should be mention of this in the docs somewhere? I agree with the OP: providing a --source value should override the default value without needing to provide a config file template - it feels like a bug to me
Ah, there is indeed mention of it at: https://www.chezmoi.io/user-guide/setup/#create-a-config-file-on-a-new-machine-automatically
It is still surprising that a minimal customised setup isn't possible without the config file template, and just by setting --source
¯_(ツ)_/¯
I’m changing this to an enhancement request. I think that it’s a reasonable default if there is no .chezmoi.$FORMAT.tmpl in the source. The biggest argument against it is the confusion of "I have a config template, why isn’t my custom --source used".
It is still surprising that a minimal customised setup isn't possible without the config file template, and just by setting
--source
Flags like --source, --destination, --cache, --config, --working-tree, and --persistent-state primarily exist to help users test their chezmoi setup. For example, you can specify a different --destination to see what dotfiles chezmoi would write without affecting your actual dotfiles.
chezmoi is opinionated software (i.e. it provides sensible defaults) and follows the XDG specification (i.e. it stores its user-specific data files in ~/.local/share/chezmoi). While you are using chezmoi as it is intended to be used, things are automatic and easy. If you want to use it in a different way then you have to expect to do a bit of extra work.
Note also that chezmoi makes a clear distinction between config (which is only written by the user and is only read by chezmoi) and state (which is and only read and written by chezmoi and can be deleted at any time). If chezmoi were to implement:
It is still surprising that a minimal customised setup isn't possible without the config file template, and just by setting
--source
then chezmoi would have to store the user's source directory somewhere. It can't store it in the config (as that is only written by the user) and it can't store it in the state (as that can be deleted at any time).
The compromise is that, if you want to use a different source directory to ~/.local/share/chezmoi then you have to add one line to your config file template:
sourceDir: {{ .chezmoi.config.sourceDir | quote }}
I think that is a reasonable compromise.
As a newbie to chezmoi and an old hat to open source, I appreciate the terse and prompt response!
I assumed that as --source is a global flag, and nothing evident to the contrary when running chezmoi init --help, that defining --source at init would make that sticky to the config.
then chezmoi would have to store the user's source directory somewhere. It can't store it in the config (as that is only written by the user) and it can't store it in the state (as that can be deleted at any time).
That makes sense. Wouldn't environment variables be a great use case for this?
❯ env | grep CHEZ | grep SOURCE
CHEZMOI_SOURCE_DIR=/Users/david/dotfiles
Even when setting --source and/or CHEZMOI_SOURCE_DIR, chezmoi doctor still defaulted the source to ~/.local/share/chezmoi.
Environment variables circumvent the config+state issue, just as long as chezmoi reads and respects what's set.
No worries to create a config file template, but as an enhancement it would be great to define or make known to the user of the implicit and/or explicit dependency/blocker that running chezmoi init --source has in the event you're NOT creating a config file as a pre-req.
Maybe this needs a separate issue, but I would currently classify this as a bug because the script generated by chezmoi generate install.sh uses init --apply --source="${script_dir}" - since the source dir isn't saved (in the config or elsewhere), and there is no data copied into the default source dir, the resulting chezmoi state is not functional.