symconf/README.md

# Symconf
`symconf` is a CLI tool for managing local application configuration. It implements a
general model that supports dynamically switching/reloading themes for any application,
and provides a basic means of templatizing your config files.

## Simple example
Below is a simple example demonstrating two system-wide theme switches:

![Simple example](docs/_static/example.gif)

This GIF shows two `symconf` calls, the first of which applies a `gruvbox` dark theme and
the second a dark [`monobiome`][1] variant. Each call (of the form `symconf config -m dark -s
style`) indicates a dark mode preference and a particular color palette that should be
used when populating config file templates. Specifically, in this example, invoking
`symconf` results in the following app-specific config updates:

- **GTK**: reacts to the mode setting and sets `prefer-dark` system-wide, changing general
  GTK-responsive applications like Nautilus and Firefox (and subsequently websites that
  are responsive to `prefers-color-scheme`)
- **kitty**: theme template is re-generated using the specified palette, and `kitty`
  processes are sent a message to live-reload the new config file
- **neovim**: a `vim` theme file (along with a statusline theme) is generated from the
  chosen palette, and running instances of `neovim` are sent a message to re-source this
  theme (via `nvim --remote-send`)
- **waybar**: bar styles are updated to match the mode setting
- **sway**: the background color and window borders are dynamically set to base palette
  colors, and `swaymsg reload` is called
- **fzf**: a palette-dependent theme is re-generated and re-exported
- **rofi**: launcher text and highlight colors are set according to the mode and palette,
  applying on next invocation

This example highlights the generality of `symconf`, and so long as an app's config can be
reloaded dynamically, you can use a single `symconf` call to apply themes for an arbitrary
number of apps at once.

# Behavior
`symconf` uses a simple operational model that symlinks centralized config files to their
expected locations across the system. This central config directory can then be version
controlled, and app config files can be updated in one place.

App config files can either be concrete (fully-specified) or templates (to be populated by
values conditional on style, e.g., a palette). When `symconf` is executed with a
particular mode preference (dark or light) and a style (any other indicator of thematic
elements, often simply in the form of a palette like `solarized` or `gruvbox`), it
searches for both concrete and template config files that match and symlinks them to
registered locations. When necessary, `symconf` will also match and execute scripts to
reload apps after updating their configuration.

You can find more details on how `symconf`'s matching scheme works in
[Matching](docs/reference/matching.md).

# Configuring
Before using, you must first set up your config directory to house your config files and
give `symconf` something to act on. See [Configuring](docs/reference/configuring.md) for
details.

# Installation
The recommended way to install `symconf` is via `pipx`, which is particularly well-suited
for managing Python packages meant to be used as CLI programs. With `pipx` on your system,
you can install with

```sh
pipx install symconf
```

You can also install via `pip`, or clone and install locally.

# Usage
- `-h --help`: print help message
- `-c --config-dir`: set the location of the `symconf` config directory
- `symconf config` is the subcommand used to match and set available config files for
  registered applications
  * `-a --apps`: comma-separate list of registered apps, or `"*"` (default) to consider
    all registered apps.
  * `-m --mode`: preferred lightness mode/scheme, either `light`, `dark`, `any`, or
    `none`.
  * `-s --style`: style indicator, often the name of a color palette, capturing thematic
    details in a config file to be matched. `any` or `none` are reserved keywords (see
    below).
  * `-T --template-vars`: additional groups to use when populating templates, in the form
    `<group>=<value>`, where `<group>` is a template group with a folder
    `$CONFIG_HOME/groups/<group>/` and `<value>` should correspond to a TOML file in this
    folder (i.e., `<value>.toml`).
- `symconf generate` is a subcommand that can be used for batch generation of config
  files. It accepts the same arguments as `symconf config`, but rather than selecting the
  best match to be used for the system setting, all matching templates are generated.
  There is one additional required argument:
  * `-o --output-dir`: the directory under which generated config files should be written.
    App-specific subdirectories are created to house config files for each provided app.
- `symconf install`: runs install scripts for matching apps that specify one
  * `-a --apps`: comma-separate list of registered apps, or `"*"` (default) to consider
    all registered apps.
- `symconf update`: runs update scripts for matching apps that specify one
  * `-a --apps`: comma-separate list of registered apps, or `"*"` (default) to consider
    all registered apps.

The keywords `any` and `none` can be used when specifying `--mode`, `--style`, or as a
value in `--template-vars` (and we refer to each of these variables as _factors_ that help
determine a config match):

- `any` will match config files with _any_ value for this factor, preferring config files
  with a value `none`, indicating no dependence on the factor. This is the default value
  when a factor is left unspecified.
- `none` will match `"none"` directly for a given factor (so no special behavior), but
  used to indicate that a config file is independent of the factor. For instance,

  ```sh
  symconf config -m light -s none
  ```

  will match config files that capture the notion of a light mode, but do not depend on or
  provide further thematic components such as a color palette.

## Examples
- Set a dark mode for all registered apps, matching any available style/palette component:

  ```sh
  symconf config -m dark
  ```
- Set `solarized` theme for `kitty` and match any available mode (light or dark):

  ```sh
  symconf config -s solarized -a kitty
  ```
- Set a dark `gruvbox` theme for multiple apps (but not all):

  ```sh
  symconf config -m dark -s gruvbox -apps="kitty,nvim"
  ```
- Set a dark `gruvbox` theme for all apps, and attempt to match other template elements:

  ```sh
  symconf config -m dark -s gruvbox -T font=mono window=sharp
  ```

  which would attempt to find and load key-value pairs in the files
  `$CONFIG_HOME/groups/font/mono.toml` and `$CONFIG_HOME/groups/window/sharp.toml` to be
  used as values when filling templatized config files.



[1]: https://github.com/ologio/monobiome