Ian's Dotfiles

A complete macOS development environment setup optimized for Ruby on Rails development.

🚀 Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/ifricker/dotfiles.git ~/.dotfiles
cd ~/.dotfiles
./setup.sh

That's it! The script will handle everything automatically.

📋 What Gets Installed

Development Tools

• Homebrew - Package manager for macOS
• Git - Version control
• Neovim - Modern text editor with custom configuration
• Tmux - Terminal multiplexer

Ruby/Rails Stack

• rbenv - Ruby version manager (preferred over RVM for Rails)
• Latest Ruby - Automatically installs the latest stable version
• Rails - Web application framework
• Bundler - Gem dependency manager
• RuboCop - Ruby linter (integrated with Neovim)
• Solargraph - Ruby language server
• Pry & Pry-Rails - Enhanced Rails console

Node.js/Frontend

• nvm - Node version manager
• Node.js LTS - Latest long-term support version
• Yarn - Package manager (Rails 7+ default)
• Prettier - Code formatter (integrated with Neovim)
• ESLint - JavaScript linter

Shell & Terminal

• Zsh - Modern shell
• Oh My Zsh - Zsh framework
• Powerlevel10k - Beautiful and fast prompt theme
• iTerm2 - Enhanced terminal with custom profile
• Useful aliases - Rails and development shortcuts

Database & Services

• PostgreSQL 14 - Primary database for Rails
• Redis - Caching and background jobs
• ImageMagick - Image processing

GUI Applications

• Google Chrome - Primary browser
• Visual Studio Code - Backup editor
• Docker - Containerization
• Postman - API testing
• TablePlus - Database GUI

CLI Utilities

• ripgrep (rg) - Fast code search
• fd - Better find command
• bat - Better cat with syntax highlighting
• exa - Better ls command
• fzf - Fuzzy finder
• htop - Better top command
• jq - JSON processor
• tree - Directory tree viewer

🔧 Manual Steps After Installation

1. Restart iTerm2 to apply custom profile settings
2. Configure environment variables:

   # Edit ~/.env and add your actual information:
   nvim ~/.env
   
   # Example:
   GIT_USER_NAME="Your Full Name"
   GIT_USER_EMAIL="your-email@example.com"
   OPENAI_API_KEY="your-actual-api-key-here"

3. Customize your prompt:

   p10k configure

4. Start services when needed:

   brew services start postgresql@14
   brew services start redis

📁 File Structure

~/.dotfiles/
├── setup.sh              # Main installation script
├── .zshrc                 # Shell configuration
├── .env.example           # Environment variables template
├── .gitignore             # Git ignore rules
├── .config/
│   └── nvim/
│       └── init.vim       # Neovim configuration
├── iterm2-profile.plist   # iTerm2 settings backup
└── README.md             # This file

# Created during setup:
~/.env                     # Your actual environment variables (not in git)

🛠 Advanced Usage

Test Individual Functions

You can run specific parts of the setup script:

# Install only Ruby/Rails stack
./setup.sh install_rbenv

# Install only Neovim plugins
./setup.sh install_neovim_plugins

# Setup only iTerm2 profile
./setup.sh setup_iterm_profile

Update Dotfiles

cd ~/.dotfiles
git pull
# Re-run setup if needed
./setup.sh

Backup Your Settings

If you make changes to your configurations, commit them:

cd ~/.dotfiles
git add .
git commit -m "Update configuration"
git push

🔒 Security Features

Environment Variables

• No secrets in git - API keys stored in ~/.env (gitignored)
• Example template - .env.example shows required variables
• Automatic setup - Script copies example to ~/.env for you to edit

Safe Configuration

• Backup before changes - Existing configs backed up automatically
• Symlinks not copies - Easy to revert changes
• Gitignore protection - Prevents accidental secret commits

🔍 Key Features

Neovim Configuration

• Rails-optimized plugins: vim-rails, vim-test, vim-rubocop
• Modern enhancements: Telescope (fuzzy finder), Treesitter (syntax highlighting), LSP support
• GitHub Copilot integration
• Smart paste handling - no more indentation issues!
• Consistent code formatting with Prettier integration

Shell Configuration

• Rails-focused aliases: Quick commands for common Rails tasks
• Development shortcuts: Docker, Git, and testing aliases
• Smart prompt: Shows git status, Ruby version, and more
• Auto-suggestions and helpful tips

iTerm2 Profile

• Bracketed paste mode - fixes vim paste indentation automatically
• Optimized for development - proper colors, fonts, and shortcuts
• Consistent experience - same settings across all machines

🐛 Troubleshooting

Script Fails During Installation

# Check what failed and re-run
./setup.sh

# If Xcode tools needed, install first:
xcode-select --install
# Then re-run setup.sh

Neovim Plugins Not Working

# Manually install plugins
nvim
:PlugInstall

Ruby/Rails Issues

# Reinitialize rbenv
rbenv init
source ~/.zshrc

# Install Rails again if needed
gem install rails

iTerm2 Settings Not Applied

# Restart iTerm2 completely
# Check that iterm2-profile.plist exists in ~/.dotfiles

🔄 System Requirements

• macOS (tested on Big Sur and newer)
• Internet connection for downloading packages
• Administrator access for some installations

📝 Customization

Adding New Packages

Edit setup.sh and add to the install_homebrew_packages() function:

brew install your-new-package

Modifying Neovim Config

Edit .config/nvim/init.vim and commit changes:

nvim ~/.dotfiles/.config/nvim/init.vim
# Make your changes
cd ~/.dotfiles
git add .config/nvim/init.vim
git commit -m "Update Neovim configuration"

Shell Customization

Edit .zshrc for new aliases or environment variables:

nvim ~/.dotfiles/.zshrc
# Make your changes
cd ~/.dotfiles
git add .zshrc
git commit -m "Update shell configuration"

🎯 Rails Development Quick Start

After setup, create a new Rails app:

# Create new Rails app with PostgreSQL and React
rails new myapp --database=postgresql --javascript=react
cd myapp

# Start services
brew services start postgresql@14
brew services start redis

# Setup database
rails db:create db:migrate

# Start server
rails server

📚 Useful Commands

# Rails shortcuts (from .zshrc)
bym          # bundle && yarn && rails db:migrate && rails db:create RAILS_ENV=test && spring stop
rspec        # bundle exec rspec
skiq         # bundle exec sidekiq

# Git shortcuts
gl           # git log --pretty=oneline -10

# Docker shortcuts
dc           # docker compose
dcps         # docker compose ps

📄 License

MIT License - feel free to use this configuration for your own development setup.