[bug] link_children use template linking method when there are no templating

[Kritiqual]

Dotdrop version (and git commit if run from source): v1.10.3 Using dotdrop: as a submodule

Describe the bug When running dotdrop install, it install all dotfiles in ~/.config/dotdrop/.config

Steps to Reproduce

1. I have dotdrop.sh in my dotfiles repo
2. I have this alias: alias dotdrop='DOTDROP_CONFIG=~/.dots/config.yaml ~/.dots/dotdrop.sh' and I'm using zsh
3. It works fine before I ran command in 4
4. I ran git submodule update --init --remote dotdrop a couple days ago.
5. When running dotdrop install -d to check, I see that it not install dotfiles in the desired path, instead in the "~/.config/dotdrop/.config"

Expected behavior

Install dotfiles into desired path in the config

Additional information

Link to my config file

Here is some line that show when running dotdrop install -d:

[DRY] would install /home/username/.config/dotdrop/.config/awesome/.git 
[DRY] would install /home/username/.config/dotdrop/.config/awesome/.gitmodules 
[DRY] would install /home/username/.config/dotdrop/.config/awesome/LICENSE 
[DRY] would install /home/username/.config/dotdrop/.config/awesome/README.md 

[deadc0de6]

Ouch, that sounds bad, luckily you ran with -d. Do you have the env variable DOTDROP_WORKDIR defined by any chance?

Also can you provide the first part of the verbose logs, including the part that says settings block: and lists the settings dotdrop will apply?

I'm guessing the extract above is from the d_config dotfile? Can you provide the subsequent line that says how it would link, something like the following:

[DRY] would install /home/user/.config/dotdrop/.testdir/file2
[DRY] would remove /home/user/.testdir/file2 and link to /home/user/.config/dotdrop/.testdir/file2

[Kritiqual]

I checked and there is no DOTDROP_WORKDIR is set

Here is the first part of verbose log I think is important: gist link

Example for bat when running dotdrop install ...

[DRY] would install /home/kritiqual/.config/dotdrop/.config/bat/config 
[DRY] would remove /home/kritiqual/.config/bat and link to /home/kritiqual/.config/dotdrop/.config/bat 

I see this in the docs:

Entry: workdir

Description: 
    Path to the directory where templates are installed 
    before being symlinked when using link:absolute|relative|link_children 
    (absolute path or relative to the config file location)

Default: ~/.config/dotdrop

Is it because I use template, so this will be used? I don't think so, because even when I remove every template part, it still have this behavior

[deadc0de6]

I'm sorry but I can't seem to be able to reproduce your issue, could you maybe provide the entire log file (you should be able to drag&drop it)? You could for example provide the logs from dotdrop install -d d_config so that it's limited to the d_config dotfile. Thanks and sorry you're having issues

[Kritiqual]

So, I did some test and there are some weird behavior of link: link_children

link: link_children always link dotfiles to ~/.config/dotdrop even there are no template used. I have config the same as in the example in the doc

When using link: link_children, if dotfiles entry have a directory in side src, then the output when install looks like it will link invidual file (recursively), but the result is that it will link the directory

Example:

• Let's say I have this dotfiles like this:

  ~/.dotfiles
  .
  ├── config.yaml
  ├── dotdrop
  ├── dotdrop.sh
  ├── file_3.txt
  ├── file_4.txt
  └── small_dir
  ├── file_1.txt
  └── file_2.txt

• And config.yaml:

  config:
  backup: false
  banner: false
  create: true
  keepdot: true
  showdiff: true
  check_version: true
  dotpath: ~/.dotfiles
  dotfiles:
  d_dir1:
  src: dir1
  dst: /home/username # If I use dst: ~, then dotdrop can't recognise it
  link: link_children
  profiles:
  Archie:
  dotfiles:
    - ALL

• When running dotdrop install (using -d for safe and I have truncated for easier reading):

  [DRY] would install ~/.config/dotdrop/small_dir/file_1.txt
  [DRY] would install ~/.config/dotdrop/small_dir/file_2.txt
  [DRY] would link ~/small_dir to ~/.config/dotdrop/small_dir
  [DRY] would install ~/.config/dotdrop/file_3.txt
  [DRY] would link ~/file_3.txt to ~/.config/dotdrop/file_3.txt
  [DRY] would install ~/.config/dotdrop/file_4.txt
  [DRY] would link ~/file_4.txt to ~/.config/dotdrop/file_4.txt

• But here is the result:

  
  $ ls ~
  small_dir -> /home/username/.config/dotdrop/test/small_dir/
  file_3.txt -> /home/username/.config/dotdrop/test/file_3.txt
  file_4.txt -> /home/username/.config/dotdrop/test/file_4.txt

$ ls ~/small_dir file_1.txt file_2.txt

[deadc0de6]

Thanks for helping me identify the issue.

I see a few issues here.

The tild (~) is always expanded by dotdrop, I have continuous tests that shows it does, are you sure about that?

Your config is somehow wrong, especially the dst part of the config.

I created the same directory as you:

/home/user/.dotfiles
├── config.yaml
├── dotdrop
├── dotdrop.sh
├── file_3.txt
├── file_4.txt
└── small_dir
    ├── file_1.txt
    └── file_2.txt

I then imported the file dotdrop import ~/.dotfiles, which resulted in the following dotfile entry

dotfiles:
  d_dotfiles:
    src: dotfiles
    dst: ~/.dotfiles

Before going into link_children, I then assumed you somehow mv <dotpath>/dotfiles <dotpath>/dir1 and replaced the src to dir1 but then the dst is wrong since it must be the absolute path to the destination where the dotfile is to be installed, therefore ~/.dotfiles or /home/username/.dotfiles but not /home/username.

Can you retry by following below steps please

create the fake dotfile dir

$ mkdir -p ~/.dotfiles/small_dir
$ touch ~/.dotfiles/config.yaml
$ touch ~/.dotfiles/dotdrop
$ touch ~/.dotfiles/dotdrop.sh
$ touch ~/.dotfiles/file_3.txt
$ touch ~/.dotfiles/file_4.txt
$ touch ~/.dotfiles/small_dir
$ touch ~/.dotfiles/small_dir/file_1.txt
$ touch ~/.dotfiles/small_dir/file_2.txt

import it in dotdrop

$ dotdrop import ~/.dotfiles

edit config.yaml and add link: link_children to the imported dotfile (d_dotfiles or similar). Then install it

$ dotdrop install -f d_dotfiles

Then running tree on ~/.dotfiles should output something similar:

$ tree ~/.dotfiles
/home/user/.dotfiles
├── config.yaml -> /home/user/dotdrop/dotfiles/dotfiles/config.yaml
├── dotdrop -> /home/user/dotdrop/dotfiles/dotfiles/dotdrop
├── dotdrop.sh -> /home/user/dotdrop/dotfiles/dotfiles/dotdrop.sh
├── file_3.txt -> /home/user/dotdrop/dotfiles/dotfiles/file_3.txt
├── file_4.txt -> /home/user/dotdrop/dotfiles/dotfiles/file_4.txt
└── small_dir -> /hom/user/dotdrop/dotfiles/dotfiles/small_dir

Which does symlink all the children from .dotfiles to the dotdrop dotpath(/home/user/dotdrop/dotfiles).

[Kritiqual]

Just to clarify my usage with dotdrop:

1. I also want to control some files is kinda hardcoded to ~, i.e: .bashrc, .bash_profile, etc

2. The repo is configured by git is ~/.dots and have dotdrop as submodule

3. My repo ~/.dots is kinda mirroring my system: ~/.dots/home is like ~, ~/.dots/home/.config is like ~/.config (a bit confusing but it actually not that hard to understand ;)) so that the dotpath is ~/.dots

4. When I run dotdrop install, I want it to link file/directory the exact same way how I put them in ~/.dots, i.e:

   • ~/.bashrc is linked to ~/.dots/home/.bashrc
   • ~/.config/awesome is linked to ~/.dots/home/.config/awesome
   • ~/.local/share/bin is linked to ~/.dots/home/.local/share/bin
   • config.yaml,dotdrop.sh, dotdrop (submodule) isn't need to be linked elsewhere, I always configure my dotfiles by open ~/.dots and run dotdrop in that

5. Here is example of ~ and ~/.dots would looks like:

   • This is ~

     ~
     ├── .config/
     │  ├── awesome -> ~/.dots/home/.config/awesome/
     │  ├── nvim -> ~/.dots/home/.config/nvim/
     │  ├── mimeapps.list -> ~/.dots/home/.config/mimeapps.list
     │  └── xdg-user.dirs -> ~/.dots/home/.config/xdg-user.dirs
     ├── .bash_profile -> ~/.dots/home/.bash_profile
     └── .bashrc -> ~/.dots/home/.bashrc

   • And this is ~/.dots

     dots/
     ├── dotdrop/
     ├── home/
     │  ├── .config/
     │  │  ├── awesome/
     │  │  ├── nvim/
     │  │  ├── mimeapps.list
     │  │  └── xdg-user.dirs
     │  ├── .bash_profile
     │  └── .bashrc
     ├── .gitmodules
     ├── config.yaml
     └── dotdrop.sh

6. I read the docs, and see that:

   • If not using templating, the dotfiles in dst is linked directly to the src in dots repo (using link:)
   • If using templating, the dotfiles in dots repo is first installed into ~/.config/dotdrop and then the dst is linked to src in dots in ~/.config/dotdrop -> I don't use templating, so I want the dotfiles is linked directly, not through ~/.config/dotdrop

7. It somehow works normally by adding template_dotfile_default: false in config: block

[deadc0de6]

Did the above fix worked? Did you solve the issue with ~ not being expanded?

Regarding your setup, it is absolutely doable. Assuming your config.yaml is in ~/.dots you would simply change the dotpath entry to home and then import the files you want to link

cd ~/.dots
./dotdrop.sh import -l absolute ~/.bash_profile 
./dotdrop.sh import -l absolute ~/.bashrc
./dotdrop.sh import -l absolute ~/.config/awesome
./dotdrop.sh import -l absolute ~/.local/share/bin
## and so on

and finally install those:

## start by testing what would be done
./dotdrop.sh install -d 
## if everything is ok
./dotdrop.sh install

template_dotfile_default disables the handling of template entirely, this is probably not what you want. Dotdrop will handle a dotfile as a template (and thus symlink it through the workdir) when it contains one of the following markers: '{%@@' or '{{@@' or '{#@@'. Unless your dotfiles have any of those, there's no reason it should be handled as template.

[Kritiqual]

That's fix is only work for dst: ~/path but not dst: ~. I guess I need to rewrite the config

[deadc0de6]

@Kritiqual although having a dst entry set to your home base path (with ~) is probably not what you want, I still found why a single ~ entry value is not expanded in dotdrop. ~ is considered as the null char in yaml and thus the parsed yaml files ended up with an empty dst value.

If you still want to set your dst to tild, you need to quote it:

dotfiles:
  d_dir1:
    src: dir1
    dst: "~"
    link: link_children

[Kritiqual]

Oh, I found my issue, one of my submodule, which have submodules in it have a syntax that make dotdrop think that is template. So, I think the fix is to ignore that folder, can I ignore folder being recognize as template?

[deadc0de6]

Yes, see the template entry in the dotfile doc.

[Kritiqual]

Issue fixed, I'll close this now