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dotfiles

Introduction

This repository contains a series of automated customizations that help me personalize and maintain my Mac. Special thanks to Zack Holman and Dries Vints for the inspiration that led to what you see within this repository. In many instances, what I have here is a direct copy of their work.

If you're interested in the philosophy behind why projects like these are awesome, you might want to read the following articles on the subject:

Repositories

The following repositories may provide additional examples from which to draw inspiration.

New machine setup

Preparation

When migrating from an existing machine to another or setting up an additional computer that will match the setup of another, you will want to ensure you have a fresh backup of all of your data and settings.

  • Commit and push any pending changes within local git repositories
  • Move any important documents into cloud-based storage
  • Save all of your work within apps that do not sync to the cloud
  • Update your mackup to the latest version and run mackup backup -f

Update macOS

If you are setting up a new machine, odds are macOS is already up-to-date. However, check System Preferences on the new machine and install any pending updates.

App Store

We install several of the software applications via the Mac App Store CLI, so ensure you are logged in to the App Store.

Generate an SSH key

We will need an SSH key to communicate with GitHub. Generate a new public and private SSH key by running the following command and then adding the key to your GitHub profile.

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dascentral/dotfiles/HEAD/ssh.sh | sh -s "<your-key-name>"

Clone this repository

Let's go ahead and clone this repository. I prefer to store its contents within the ~/.dotfiles folder. All scripts and configurations assume that's the case.

Note that issuing your first git command will prompt installation of the Xcode Command Line Tools. Go grab a coffee/snack/meal while that download and install takes place.

git clone git@github.com:dascentral/dotfiles.git ~/.dotfiles

Create a Brewfile

I use Homebrew Bundle to install the bulk of the software on a new machine. Before executing the main installation script, you will need to add a Brewfile to the root of the repository.

I have placed two samples within config/Brewfile that you may use as a template. You can execute the following command to adopt my personal configuration:

cp config/Brewfile/Brewfile.personal ./Brewfile

Installation

The following script installs and configures most of the software that I use on a new machine.

~/.dotfiles/install.sh

If you dig into that installation file, you'll note that it does a few things:

  1. Installs and configures Oh My Zsh
  2. Installs Homebrew, the Missing Package Manager for macOS (or Linux)
  3. Executes brew bundle which installs the bulk of the software
  4. Ensures Composer is up-to-date and installs all global packages
  5. Configures several applications

macOS Settings

The .macos file within the root of the repository attempts to automatically configure as many system settings as possible.

I haven't updated this script in a long time, and it currently throws a warning in a couple of spots. However, the file is still referenced in several of the repositories that I track which leads me to believe it remains a viable tool for automatically applying settings.

Apply settings via use of the source command. A computer restart may then be necessary.

source .macos

Maintenance

The bin/ folder of this repository contains a dotfiles script that executes a number of maintenance activities that helps keep the machine up-to-date. I try to run this script on a regular basis. (i.e. weekly)

The .zshrc includes ~/.dotfiles/bin in the system path, so you can run this command from anywhere.

dotfiles

Optional Configurations

Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper is a security feature of macOS. Some of the software installed via the Brewfile is published by what Apple considers "unidentified developers."

You can circumvent the security feature by disabling Gatekeeper.

sudo spctl --master-disable

If you run this command, be sure to only open software from sources that you trust. You can always turn it back on after installing a restricted software application.

sudo spctl --master-enable

Printers

Do you own an HP LaserJet 1020 like me? If so, you'll need to get the drivers from Apple.

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1888?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

Command-Line Configurations

While I have automated many of my macOS system configurations via the .macos file, I still have a number of manual modifications that I make following setup of a new machine. My goal is always to limit the amount of manual work. This article helped me understand how to automate application settings:

https://pawelgrzybek.com/change-macos-user-preferences-via-command-line/

Key Commands

Print all domains

defaults domains | tr ',' '\n'

Print settings for a specific app

defaults read [domain]
defaults read com.googlecode.iterm2

Print specific key

defaults read [domain] [key]
defaults read com.googlecode.iterm2 PrefsCustomFolder

Write new settingss

defaults read [domain] [key] [type] [value]
defaults write com.apple.Notes NotesContinuousSpellCheckingEnabled -bool true