Dotfiles: Customize Your Linux Desktop

Dotfiles: A Step Towards a Personalized Linux Desktop

Dotfiles are the heart of a customized Linux desktop environment. They store your configurations for various tools, window managers, and themes. In this post, I’ll guide you through installing and using my dotfiles to transform your desktop into a visually stunning and functional workspace.

The dotfiles are available on GitHub: dotfiles.

Rice Demo

Here’s a sneak peek of the desktop after applying these dotfiles:

Prerequisites

• A Linux distribution (preferably Arch Linux).
• Basic knowledge of terminal commands.
• Internet connection.

Installation Steps

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/paulrounak/dotfiles.git
   

2. Install an AUR Helper For example, yay can be installed in the "$HOME"/.srcs directory:

   git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git "$HOME"/.srcs/yay
   cd "$HOME"/.srcs/yay/ && makepkg -si
   

3. Install Dependencies

   yay -S --needed acpi alsa-utils base-devel curl git pulseaudio pulseaudio-alsa xorg xorg-xinit alacritty btop code dunst feh ffcast firefox i3-gaps i3lock-color i3-resurrect libnotify light mpc mpd ncmpcpp nemo neofetch neovim oh-my-zsh-git pacman-contrib papirus-icon-theme pfetch picom polybar ranger rofi scrot slop xclip zathura zathura-pdf-mupdf zsh
   

4. Create Default Directories

   mkdir -p "$HOME"/.config
   mkdir -p "$HOME"/Pictures/wallpapers
   mkdir -p /usr/local/bin
   mkdir -p /usr/share/themes
   

5. Copy Configs, Scripts, Fonts, Wallpaper, and Zsh Config

   cp -r ./config/* "$HOME"/.config
   cp -r ./wallpapers/* "$HOME"/Pictures/wallpapers
   cp ./.zshrc "$HOME"
   sudo cp -r ./scripts/* /usr/local/bin
   sudo cp -r ./fonts/* /usr/share/fonts
   sudo cp ./paul.zsh-theme /usr/share/oh-my-zsh/custom/themes
   

6. Set Permissions, Default Shell, and Refresh Font Cache

   sudo chmod +s /usr/bin/light
   chsh -s /bin/zsh
   sudo chsh -s /bin/zsh
   fc-cache -fv
   

7. Install GTK Theme

   mkdir -p "$HOME"/.config/gtk-4.0
   git clone https://github.com/Fausto-Korpsvart/Rose-Pine-GTK-Theme
   sudo cp -r ./Rose-Pine-GTK-Theme/themes/RosePine-Main-BL /usr/share/themes/RosePine-Main
   sudo cp -r ./Rose-Pine-GTK-Theme/themes/RosePine-Main-BL/gtk-4.0/* "$HOME"/.config/gtk-4.0
   

Keybinds

Here are the essential keybinds for quick navigation and actions:

Keybind	Function
Win + Enter	Launch terminal (alacritty)
Win + Shift + Q	Close window
Win + R	Resize mode
Win + A	Rofi open windows menu
Win + D	Rofi menu
Win + I	Lock screen
Win + Shift + R	Restart i3

For the full list of keybinds, refer to the i3 config file.

Troubleshooting

If some Polybar modules are not working:

• Open the Polybar configuration file: $HOME/.config/polybar/config.ini.
• Look for lines with ; Change it for yourself and follow the instructions provided below them.

Conclusion

With these dotfiles, you can create a polished, efficient, and personalized Linux desktop environment. Feel free to fork and adapt this repository to suit your preferences. If you like this setup, consider dropping a star on the GitHub repository!

Happy ricing!