dotfiles

This repository contains my personal dotfiles for arch-based EndeavourOS with the KDE Plasma desktop environment.

My goal was to create a fresh, ready-to-use setup by including as many KDE and application settings as possible. However, due to the personal nature of some configurations, you may still need to adjust a few things to perfectly suit your needs.

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Screenshots

A clean and minimal desktop setup.

Terminal running Fastfetch, showcasing the color scheme and fonts.

The Ulauncher application launcher.

The Micro text editor.

Settings & Dolphin.

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Requirements

Before proceeding, make sure you have the necessary packages and tools installed.

# Install core packages from official repositories
sudo pacman -S git stow ghostty fastfetch flameshot micro zsh wl-clipboard inter-font

# Install Ulauncher from the AUR
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/ulauncher.git
cd ulauncher
makepkg -is
cd ..

• Change your default shell to Zsh:

  chsh -s $(which zsh)

Reboot.

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Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/dkorbelainen/dotfiles.git
   cd dotfiles

2. Use GNU Stow to create symlinks:

   stow . --adopt

Note on Stow: The --adopt flag allows Stow to take control of existing configuration files and move them into this repository. It's an effective way to manage your current setup. However, in rare cases, if a file or directory is in the way, Stow may fail. If this happens, you will need to manually remove or rename the conflicting item (e.g., mv ~/.config/conflicting_file ~/.config/conflicting_file.bak) and re-run the stow command.

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Structure

My dotfiles include configurations for the following applications:

• Zsh: Shell configuration.
• Ghostty: Terminal emulator.
• KDE Plasma: Theme, panel, and window manager settings.
• Fastfetch: System information utility.
• Flameshot: Screenshot tool.
• Micro: Terminal-based text editor.
• Ulauncher: Application launcher.
• Wallpaper: My wallpaper is included in the assets/ directory.

Notes

• To use the wallpaper included in this repository, copy the image to your ~/Pictures directory.
• After running the stow command, you may need to reboot to see the changes.
• I also like to set up other tools such as WireGuard, Obsidian, various IDEs, Firefox, Spotify with Spicetify and my DAW depending on my needs.

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Additional KDE Configuration Guide

It is challenging to capture all KDE Plasma settings in a single place, as the desktop environment is not fully adapted for dotfile management. To achieve a complete setup, here are some additional manual configuration steps you may need to take.

• Appearance & Themes

  • Wallpaper: Set your desktop wallpaper manually to either an image from the repository or your own image.

  • Colors & Application Style:

    • In System Settings > Appearance > Colors, select the Sweet color scheme.

    • In Application Style, select Breeze. Adjust the transparency to approximately 50%.

    • In Plasma Style, select Breeze (or Sweet).

  • Window Decorations: Select Utterly-Round Dark and set the button size to Large.

  • Icons & Cursors: For a cohesive look, set both Icons and Cursors to Breeze Dark.

  • Splash Screen: I prefer to sett the splash screen to None.

  • Login Screen: Change the background image using the "Change Background" button.

• Fonts

  • In System Settings > Appearance > Fonts, set all fonts to Inter except for the Fixed-width font.

• Desktop Behavior & Effects

  • Animations: In System Settings > Workspace Behavior > Animations, set Peek at Desktop to None.

  • Task Switcher: I recommend downloading the custom task switcher Modern Informative and selecting it in System Settings > Workspace Behavior > Window Management > Task Switcher.

  • Desktop Effects:

    • Enable Background Contrast, Blur and Wobbly Windows.

    • Adjust Blur to approximately 100% Blur strength and 30% Noise strength.

  • KWin Scripts: Enable the Minimize All script.

• System Settings & Shortcuts

  • Default Applications: In System Settings > Applications, you may wish to set the default text editor to Micro and the default terminal to Ghostty.

  • Autostart: Manually add Flameshot and Ulauncher to the autostart list in System Settings > Startup and Shutdown > Autostart.

  • Shortcuts:

    • Remove default shortcuts for KRunner and Spectacle in System Settings > Shortcuts > Plasma. You can also remove the Spectacle application entirely.

    • Add custom shortcuts for Flameshot and Ulauncher. You can also set a dedicated shortcut for launching Ghostty.

• Panel Configuration

  • Panel: Change the panel opacity to Translucent.

  • System Tray: Go to the system tray's configuration and disable all unwanted entries.

  • Minimize All Windows: Go to the right corner > Show Alernatives > Minimize All Windows.