path: root/config.org

#+TITLE: Emacs config
#+AUTHOR: Case Duckworth
# -*- encoding: utf-8-unix -*-
#+BABEL: :cache yes
#+PROPERTY: header-args :tangle init.el
#+OPTIONS: toc:nil
#+BANKRUPTCY_COUNT: 1.5

* Preamble

** Inspiration

I've been inspired by [[https://github.com/larstvei/dot-emacs][Lars Tveito]]'s config, which does exactly what I
want: =init.el= is small and simple, and is replaced after the first
run by the tangled contents of this file -- =config.org= -- which is
furthermore automatically tangled.

** Problems with this setup

+ While =config.org= automatically tangles, I can't run =(load-file
  init.el)= -- it results in an endless loop for some reason.  I might
  need to look into a hook of some kind.

* License

Copyright © 2020 Case Duckworth <acdw@acdw.net>

This work is free.  You can redistribute it and/or modify it under the
terms of the Do What the Fuck You Want To Public License, Version 2,
as published by Sam Hocevar.  See the LICENSE file, or below, for more
details.

NOTE: the WTFPL is probably (most definitely!) not compatible with GNU
Emacs's license, and I'm not sure, though I'm pretty confident, that
my =config.org= would be classified as a /derivative work/ under those
terms.  Therefore, me licensing my =config.org= under the WTFPL is at
best, unenforceable, and at worst, downright in violation of the GPL.

SUE ME, RMS !!!

#+begin_src text :tangle LICENSE
  DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO PUBLIC LICENSE

  Version 2, December 2004

  Copyright (C) 2004 Sam Hocevar <sam@hocevar.net>

  Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim or modified copies of
  this license document, and changing it is allowed as long as the name is changed.

  DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO PUBLIC LICENSE

  TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

     0. You just DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO.

#+end_src

* Bootstrap

When this configuration is loaded for the first time, /this/ =init.el=
is loaded:

#+begin_src emacs-lisp :tangle no
  ;; This file replaces itself with the actual configuration when first
  ;; run.  To keep only this version tracked by git, run the command
  ;;
  ;; git update-index --assume-unchanged init.el
  ;;
  ;; If it needs to be changed, start tracking it again with the command
  ;;
  ;; git update-index --no-assume-unchanged init.el
  ;;
  ;; edit as needed, and run the first command again.
  (require 'org)
  (find-file (concat user-emacs-directory "config.org"))
  (org-babel-tangle)
  (load-file (concat-user-emacs-directory "early-init.el"))
  (load-file (concat-user-emacs-directory "init.el"))
#+end_src

** Tangling

After first running Emacs with this config, the above snippet will be
replaced by the result of tangling this file.  However, when we edit
=config.org=, we'll need to retangle it.  The default keybinding to
tangle is =C-c C-v t=, which takes a while and is easy to forget.  So
let's automatically tangle =config.org= on save.

#+NAME: tangle-on-save
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
  ;;; init.el -*- lexical-binding: t; coding: utf-8-unix -*-
  (defun acdw/tangle-init ()
    "If the current buffer is `config.org', the code blocks are
  tangled, and the tangled file is compiled and loaded."
    (interactive)
    (let (config-org (expand-file-name
		      (concat user-emacs-directory "config.org")))
    (when (equal (buffer-file-name) config-org)
      (require 'async)
      (async-start
       `(lambda ()
	  ;; Avoid running hooks when tangling.
	  (let ((prog-mode-hook nil))
	    (require 'org)
	    (org-babel-tangle-file config-org)))
       (lambda (_)
	 (message "Tangle complete."))))))

  ;; Add a hook to tangle config.org.
  (add-hook 'after-save-hook #'acdw/tangle-init)
#+end_src

* Early initiation

Emacs 27.1+ uses =early-init.el= /in addition to/ =init.el=, mostly
for settings related to packags.  Since I use =straight.el= for
package management, I need to specify that in this file.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp :tangle early-init.el
  ;;; early-init.el -*- lexical-binding: t; no-byte-compile: t -*-
  ;; DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE BY HAND.  Edit =config.org= instead!

  (setq load-prefer-newer t)

  (when (eq system-type 'windows-nt) ; I'm at work
    (add-to-list 'exec-path "~/bin")
    (add-to-list 'exec-path
		 "C:/Users/aduckworth/Downloads/PortableGit/bin"))

  ;; This DOES NOT WORK on Windows.
  ;; Download the repo directly from Github and unzip it into
  ;; ~/.emacs.d/straight/repos/straight.el.

  (defvar bootstrap-version)
  (let ((bootstrap-file
	 (expand-file-name "straight/repos/straight.el/bootstrap.el"
			   user-emacs-directory))
	(bootstrap-version 5))
    (unless (file-exists-p bootstrap-file)
      (with-current-buffer
	  (url-retrieve-synchronously
	   "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/raxod502/straight.el/develop/install.el"
	   'silent 'inhibit-cookies)
	(goto-char (point-max))
	(eval-print-last-sexp)))
    (load bootstrap-file nil 'nomessage))

  ;; Use-package

  (setq straight-use-package-by-default t)
  (straight-use-package 'use-package)

  ;; Use-package extra keywords

  (use-package use-package-custom-update
    :straight (use-package-custom-update
	       :host github
	       :repo "a13/use-package-custom-update"))
	     
#+end_src

* Macros

** cuss

I like =use-package= a lot, but I don't like the weird
"pseudo-package" things you see with a lot of =use-package= setups
around the Internet.  They're cludgy, they /don't/ actually, in my
opinion anyway, make the config any easier to read (how am I supposed
to know what options are in =mule=, for example?!), and most
importantly, =straight.el= doesn't really like them that much.

*However*, I really like the =:custom= keyword in =use-package=,
 enough to implement it as my own macro.  =cuss= will automagically
 call =custom-set-variable= or =setq=, whichever is best for the
 variable being tweaked.  I pulled this straight from =use-package=,
 so I /know/ it works! :P

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
  (defmacro cuss (var val)
    "Basically the `:custom' macro from `use-package', by itself."
    `(progn
       (funcall (or (get ',var 'custom-set) #'set-default)
		',var ,val)))
;;; test
#+end_src

* Machines

I use Emacs on a couple of different computers: my two at home, and
assorted Windows machines at work.  I define a couple of constants to
easily keep track of which computer I'm using.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
  (defconst *acdw/at-work* (eq system-type 'windows-nt))

  (defconst *acdw/at-larry* (string= (system-name) "larry"))
  (defconst *acdw/at-bax* (string= (system-name) "bax"))
  (defconst *acdw/at-home* (or *acdw/at-larry* *acdw/at-bax*))
#+end_src

* Files

** Keep .emacs.d tidy

 By default, Emacs keeps files all over the damn place.  I like the
 =no-littering= package to keep files in one of two directories --
 =etc/= and =var/=.  I'm going to require it right away so that I can
 immediately use it.

 #+begin_src emacs-lisp
   (use-package no-littering)
   (require 'no-littering)
 #+end_src

** Customize

I don't use the customize interface -- but sometimes it's good to
figure out what settings are available for a package.  So I keep the
customizations in a file (some people just throw it in =/dev/null=),
but I /don't/ load the file.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
  (cuss custom-file (no-littering-expand-etc-file-name "custom.el"))
#+end_src

** Encoding

It's 2020 -- let's use UTF-8 everywhere.  Furthermore, even Notepad
can figure out Unix line endings (=LF=) -- so let's only use that.

I'm going to be perfectly honest here.  I'm not sure what like, any of
these do.  I just threw everything =utf-8-unix= into a block and hope
for the best.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
  (prefer-coding-system 'utf-8-unix)
  (set-default-coding-systems 'utf-8-unix)
  (set-terminal-coding-system 'utf-8-unix)
  (set-keyboard-coding-system 'utf-8-unix)
  (set-selection-coding-system 'utf-8-unix)
  (set-file-name-coding-system 'utf-8-unix)
  (set-clipboard-coding-system 'utf-8-unix)
  (set-buffer-file-coding-system 'utf-8-unix)
  (cuss locale-coding-system 'utf-8-unix)
  (cuss x-select-request-type '(UTF8_STRING COMPOUND_TEXT TEXT STRING))
#+end_src

** Recent files

Though I haven't used this feature ... yet, maybe if I use the =C-x
C-r= binding that is suggested (like /everywhere/), it'll be easier
for me to use.

I'm putting =recentf= in a =use-package= declaration, by the way,
because even though it's a part of Emacs, it's conveniently in its own
package.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
  (use-package recentf
    :custom-update
    (recentf-exclude
     (no-littering-var-directory
      no-littering-etc-directory))
    :custom
    (recentf-max-menu-items 100)
    (recentf-max-saved-items 100)
    :bind
    ("C-x C-r" . recentf-open-files)
    :config
    (recentf-mode 1))
#+end_src