use-package for a tidy .emacs.d
My ~/.emacs.d configuration used to be a mess.
For example, here are 2 old configurations for IDO and sidebar neotree.
;; ### IDO #####
(require 'ido)
;; enable IDO
(ido-mode 1)
(ido-everywhere 1)
(ido-ubiquitous-mode 1)
(setq ido-enable-flex-matching t)
(setq ido-use-filename-at-point nil)
(setq ido-auto-merge-work-directories-length -1)
(setq ido-use-virtual-buffers t)
;; Shows a list of buffers
(global-set-key (kbd "C-x C-b") 'ibuffer)
;; #### Neo Tree #####
(require-package 'neotree)
;; Bind F8 to show the tree
(global-set-key [f8] 'neotree-toggle)
;; slow rendering
(setq inhibit-compacting-font-caches t)
;; set icons theme
(setq neo-theme (if (display-graphic-p) 'icons 'arrow))
;; Every time when the neotree window is opened, let it find current file and jump to node
(setq neo-smart-open t)
;; When running ‘projectile-switch-project’ (C-c p p), ‘neotree’ will change root automatically
(setq projectile-switch-project-action 'neotree-projectile-action)
;; show hidden files
(setq-default neo-show-hidden-files t)
Both are identical for some configurations:
- Install a package, typically from MELPA or Marmalade. And you have to do it manually by default. I used a little trick for auto installation if the required package is not yet installed.
(require 'package)
(defun require-package (package)
"Install given PACKAGE if it was not installed before."
(if (package-installed-p package)
t
(progn
(unless (assoc package package-archive-contents)
(package-refresh-contents))
(package-install package))))
Replace (require 'some-package) with (require-package 'some-package) does the trick.
- Require package:
| IDO | neotree |
|---|---|
(require 'ido) | (require-package 'neotree) |
Enable mode: (IDO)
(ido-mode 1)Setup:
| IDO | neotree |
|---|---|
(setq ido-enable-flex-matching t) | (setq inhibit-compacting-font-caches t) |
- Bind keys:
| IDO | neotree |
|---|---|
(global-set-key (kbd "C-x C-b") 'ibuffer) | (global-set-key [f8] 'neotree-toggle) |
They all have the same indent level and repeat many times, thus trouble for productivity and readability. I want a more compact way of tidying my configuration.
Enter use-package
It simply combines all those processes above into a single block of code.
Setup is simple:
;; Basic setup for package archives
(require 'package)
(setq package-enable-at-startup nil)
(add-to-list 'package-archives '("melpa" . "http://melpa.org/packages/"))
(add-to-list 'package-archives '("marmalade" . "http://marmalade-repo.org/packages/"))
(add-to-list 'package-archives '("gnu" . "http://elpa.gnu.org/packages/"))
(package-initialize)
;; use-package setup
;; install if not yet installed
(unless (package-installed-p 'use-package)
(package-refresh-contents)
(package-install 'use-package))
(eval-when-compile
(require 'use-package))
(use-package diminish
:ensure t
:defer t)
(use-package bind-key
:ensure t
:defer t)
And now the best part of use-package really shines. Enter my new setup for IDO and neotree.
;; IDO
(use-package ido
:diminish ido-mode
:bind ("C-x C-b" . 'ibuffer) ;; Shows a list of buffers
:init
(ido-everywhere 1)
(ido-ubiquitous-mode 1)
(setq ido-enable-flex-matching t)
(setq ido-use-filename-at-point nil)
(setq ido-auto-merge-work-directories-length -1)
(setq ido-use-virtual-buffers t))
(use-package neotree
:ensure t
:bind ("<f8>" . 'neotree-toggle)
:init
;; slow rendering
(setq inhibit-compacting-font-caches t)
;; set icons theme
(setq neo-theme (if (display-graphic-p) 'icons 'arrow))
;; Every time when the neotree window is opened, let it find current file and jump to node
(setq neo-smart-open t)
;; When running ‘projectile-switch-project’ (C-c p p), ‘neotree’ will change root automatically
(setq projectile-switch-project-action 'neotree-projectile-action)
;; show hidden files
(setq-default neo-show-hidden-files t))
Neat! As you see, each package comes with its own territory.
It automatically installs and requires the package (:ensure), enable the mode (:diminish) and then loads the configuration (:init).
Such task as adding packages, add new features (:init or :config), bind keys (:bind), etc. now becomes very easy and productive.
You can check out more cool features of use-package on its README.