ML4W Dotfiles Installer

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Developer Quickstart ​

This guide helps you adapt your existing dotfiles repository for the ML4W Installer.

1. Prepare Your Repository Structure ​

The installer expects a specific layout to handle dependencies and staging correctly. Ensure your repo follows this pattern:

text
your-dotfiles-repo/
├── dotfiles/               # Everything here is staged and symlinked
│   ├── .config/            # Symlinked to ~/.config/
│   └── .zshrc              # Symlinked to $HOME/
└── setup/
    ├── preflight-arch.sh   # (Optional) Runs before packages
    ├── post-arch.sh        # (Optional) Runs after packages
    └── dependencies/
        ├── packages        # List of generic packages
        └── packages-arch   # List of Arch-specific packages

2. Create a Development .dotinst File ​

Create a local dev.dotinst file on your machine to point to your local project folder. This allows you to test changes instantly without pushing to GitHub.

json
{
  "name": "My Profile [Dev]",
  "id": "com.developer.mysetup",
  "version": "1.0.0-dev",
  "author": "Your Name",
  "source": "~/Projects/your-dotfiles-repo",
  "subfolder": "dotfiles"
}

3. The Development Workflow ​

A. Test Setup Logic Only Use --testmode to verify that your package lists and pre/post scripts work across different distros without affecting your personal config files.

bash
ml4w-dotfiles-installer --install ./dev.dotinst --testmode

B. Full Sandbox Deployment Run a full installation to see how files are staged in the sandbox (~/.mydotfiles-test/) and how symlinks are generated.

bash
ml4w-dotfiles-installer --install ./dev.dotinst

C. Iterative Testing

  1. Modify a file in your ~/Projects/your-dotfiles-repo.
  2. Re-run the installer.
  3. The installer will detect the changes, update the sandbox, and refresh the symlinks.

4. Advanced: Testing User Overrides ​

To test the "Personal Override" feature, create a local post.sh in the installer's config directory for your ID:

bash
mkdir -p ~/.config/ml4w-dotfiles-installer/com.developer.mysetup
echo "echo 'Hello from my local override!'" > ~/.config/ml4w-dotfiles-installer/com.developer.mysetup/post.sh
chmod +x ~/.config/ml4w-dotfiles-installer/com.developer.mysetup/post.sh

Run the installer again to confirm "User Script: Detected" appears in the profile information.