How do I add a new dotfile with Dotbot?

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I'm trying to version my dotfiles on Linux via Dotbot, using init-dotfiles as initial setup. It worked great, but how do I add a new file to my .dotfiles repository?

In my case, I created a .bash_aliases file in my home folder.

It wouldn't make sense to run the init-dotfiles script and go through he whole setup process every time I create a new dotfile.

dotfiles git bash
2 Answers

You could still run the script in verbose/preview mode, just to see the commands it runs

./init_dotfiles.sh verbose-config preview

Then you will be able to deduce the git command to run in order to add your new file (and future new files) to the dotfile repository.

VonC_63090

That's correct, you shouldn't run the init-dotfiles script again.

To add a new dotfile, at a high level, you'll need to:

  • move the dotfile from the original location (e.g. ~/.bash_aliases) to the dotfiles repository (e.g. ~/.dotfiles/bash_aliases)
  • update your install.conf.yaml to specify how to symlink the file
  • add both the new dotfile (bash_aliases) and your install.conf.yaml to a new git commit
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