[Question] Still trying to understand/familiarize new config, how to set user@host to custom@string ???

[sudoshindo]

I recently migrated my old conf file using the --migrate-config flag.

In the old config I remember that I was able to override the user@host part of the output with my own specified string.

Like for example changing john@linux to bob@linux.

I'm still not used to the new config and unsure how to do that.

My current config.jsonc, v2.2.3 (latest available version on Fedora 39)

{
  "$schema": "https://github.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch/raw/dev/doc/json_schema.json",
  "logo": {
    "color": {
      "1": "38;5;27",
      "2": "38;5;255"
    }
  },
  "display": {
    "color": "38;5;39"
  },
  "modules": [
    "title",
    "separator",
    {
      "type": "os",
      "format": "{2} {9}"
    },
    {
      "type": "host",
      "format": "{2} {3}"
    },
    {
      "type": "kernel",
      "format": "{2}"
    },
    {
      "type": "uptime",
      "format": "{2}h {3}m"
    },
    "packages",
    {
      "type": "shell",
      "format": "{6} {4}"
    },
    {
      "type": "display",
      "key": "Display",
      "format": "{1}x{2}"
    },
    {
      "type": "de",
      "format": "{2} {3}"
    },
    "theme",
    "icons",
    {
      "type": "terminal",
      "format": "{5}"
    },
    {
      "type": "cpu",
      "format": "{1}"
    },
    {
      "type": "gpu",
      "format": "{1} {2}"
    },
    {
      "type": "memory",
      "format": "{1} / {2}"
    },
    "break",
    "colors",
    "break"
  ]
}

[CarterLi]

Maybe

{
    "type": "title",
    "format": "bob{7}{8}"
}

See fastfetch --help title-format for detail

[sudoshindo]

Okay, that does seem to work, but I guess fastfetch won't use the appropriate color on the custom string you specify.

[CarterLi]

You should use \u001b in JSON. Try \u001b[38;5;39m

[sudoshindo]

Okay, I got what I wanted with this "format": "\u001b[38;5;39m\u001b[1mbob\u001b[0m{7}{8}". Sets the color, makes it bold, undo the formatting before printing @.

I want to ask this though, would you be opposed to implementing config overrides for the user and host strings? Would that be too niche of a use-case since I'm the only one you encountered that tried to do this?

I would imagine it would look something like this:

{
  "modules": [
    {
      "type": "title",
      "overrides": {
        "host": "windows",
        "user": "bob"
      },
      "format": "{6}{7}{8}"
    }
  ]
}

[sudoshindo]

If I had to think of a reason why other people would use this option, it's just to customize the presentation of their outputs. These fetch utilities are mostly seen in unixporn screenshots after all, and those guys love presentation.

My personal reason for doing this is privacy, sometimes I don't want to show the default username that's set on my system.

[CarterLi]

No, I don't like the idea.

If you really want to change the username that fastfetch detected, you may use USER=bob fastfetch.

[sudoshindo]

No, I don't like the idea.

Very understandable.

you may use USER=bob fastfetch

This is way simpler, thanks. I could put this in an alias or function that overrides fastfetch.