README

NAME ...
    Unix dot file management and sharing

QUICK INSTALL
    Just run these 2 commands for a basic ... setup.

        > git clone git://github.com/ingydotnet/....git
        > ./.../...

SYNOPSIS
    NOTE: In the following lines, '> ' is a command line prompt, and '...'
    is the literal name of this program.

        > ... help                  # Get help
        > ... backup                # Backup your old dot files
        > ... list                  # List the source files that will install
        > ... install               # Install your dot files
        > ... update                # Update your dot files
        > ... upgrade               # Do update and then install.
        > ... status                # Check status of your dot file repos
        > ... remove                # Remove all installed dot files
        > ... restore ~/.../backup/20101112-235947/

DESCRIPTION
    Unix dot files do not get the care they deserve. They quietly make our
    computers work comfortably for us, and yet we toss them about carelessly
    from machine to machine. We make a tweak here and an addition there,
    without keeping them all properly groomed and in sync.

    DotDotDot (aka "...") is a toolset for managing sets of Unix dot files
    and configuring them for a given machine. The files usually come from
    various source control repositories (like git or svn). You can use other
    people's repositories, or make your own, or both. You can share your
    repositories with others on hosting sites like GitHub, and also keep you
    private settings in repositories on your private server.

    DotDotDot takes these concerns into account:

        * You have multiple machines with varying requirements
        * Some of your setting are private
        * You might work as multiple users

    DotDotDot is a great way to share settings on an agile development team
    at your work place. When you pair program, you know that you can expect
    common commands to work on a coworker's shell, but both of you can also
    have your personal settings too.

    Also, with DotDotDot, you can easy try new groups of settings, and then
    restore to your previous settings when you are done.

    DotDotDot installs a command line program called "..." (yes, literally
    three period characters). It does all the actions you will need to keep
    your dot files a big happy family.

PREREQUISITES
    The "..." comand requires the following standard Unix tools in your
    PATH:

        * perl (any old version since 1998)
        * cat
        * cp
        * cpio
        * rm

    You'll need one or more collections of dot files. Here's a few:

        * git://github.com/ingydotnet/dotdotdot.git
        * git://github.com/ingydotnet/ingy-dots.git
        * git://github.com/socialtext/stconfig.git

    You can also make your own repository from one of your current machine's
    configuration. See below.

INSTALLATION
    To install "...", run these commands in your Unix shell:

        > cd $HOME
        > git clone git://github.com/ingydotnet/....git
        > cd .../src
        > # Get collections of dot files from various places
        > git clone git://github.com/ingydotnet/dotdotdot.git
        > git clone git://github.com/ingydotnet/ingy-dots.git personal
        > svn checkout your/svn/dot/file/repo private
        > cd ..
        > cp conf.example conf
        > vim conf              # Edit the ... configuration file
        > cd $HOME
        > .../bin/... -h        # Show ... help info
        > .../bin/... backup    # Backup your existing dot files
        > .../bin/... install   # Install your new dot files
        > exec bash
        > ... upgrade

LINKS
    There are 3 possible ways to install your dot files:

        * hardlink to source (default)
        * symlink to source
        * copy from source

    You can change this with the "install_method" configuration setting.

    Using links is preferable. That way if you change a dot file in your
    home directory, it gets changed in its source repository. Then you can
    push/pull changes upstream, and share them with your other machines and
    with the world.

    Hard links are visially quiet, and symlinks are noisy. Your choice. Use
    copy when you don't want changes in $HOME to change files in your repo.

BACKUPS
    DotDotDot has a command to make a backup of all the files it would
    replace on the install command.

    If you have the "auto_backup" option set in your config file (this is
    the default value; you would have to actually turn it off to disable
    it), then DotDotDot will make a backup of your files every time you run
    another command that might change your dot files.

    Backups are just timestamp named directories under "$HOME/.../backup/".
    Like this:

        /home/ingy/.../backup/20101121-094620

    You can restore your dot files from a backup with the "... restore
    directory-name" command.

  Using Backup to Make a New Repository
    If you are new to DotDotDot and want to take your dot files from one
    machine, make them into a repository and share them with your other
    machines, DotDotDot makes that easy. Just follow these steps:

        > ... backup
        Backed up 69 dot files to /home/ingy/.../backup/20101121-094620
        > cd ~/...
        > mv backup/20101121-094620 src/my-dots
        > # Add C<my-dots> to C<dot_paths> in the C<conf> file.
        > ... remove    # Delete all your dot files from $HOME
        > ... install   # Reinstall them (as links!)
        > cd src/my-dots
        > git init
        > git add .
        > git commit -m 'first commit'
        > git remote add origin <url-to-upstream-repo>
        > git push origin master

CREDIT
    This work is based on my experience working at Socialtext and their
    "stconfig" common settings: http://github.com/socialtext/stconfig

AVAILABILITY
    This project is currently available at: http://github.com/ingydotnet/...

AUTHOR
    Ingy döt Net <ingy@cpan.org>

COPYRIGHT
    Copyright (c) 2010. Ingy döt Net.

    This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
    under the same terms as Perl itself.

    See http://www.perl.com/perl/misc/Artistic.html