diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 196c0d43b..bd9af2c6c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -77,6 +77,9 @@ Home Manager can be used in three primary ways:
installation][manual nix-darwin install] in the manual for a
description of this setup.
+Home Manager provides both the channel-based setup and the flake-based one.
+See [Nix Flakes][manual nix flakes] for a description of the flake-based setup.
+
Translations
------------
@@ -90,99 +93,6 @@ contribute to the translation effort then start by going to the
-Nix Flakes
-----------
-
-Home Manager includes a `flake.nix` file for compatibility with [Nix Flakes][]
-for those that wish to use it as a module. A bare-minimum `flake.nix` would be
-as follows:
-
-```nix
-{
- description = "NixOS configuration";
-
- inputs = {
- nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
- home-manager.url = "github:nix-community/home-manager";
- # nix-darwin.url = "github:lnl7/nix-darwin";
- };
-
- outputs = inputs@{ home-manager, nixpkgs, ... }: {
- nixosConfigurations = {
- hostname = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
- system = "x86_64-linux";
- modules = [
- ./configuration.nix
- home-manager.nixosModules.home-manager
- {
- home-manager.useGlobalPkgs = true;
- home-manager.useUserPackages = true;
- home-manager.users.jdoe = import ./home.nix;
-
- # Optionally, use home-manager.extraSpecialArgs to pass
- # arguments to home.nix
- }
- ];
- };
- };
-
- # You do not need this unless you are using the nix-darwin project
- darwinConfigurations = {
- hostname = inputs.nix-darwin.lib.darwinSystem {
- system = "x86_64-darwin";
- modules = [
- ./configuration.nix
- home-manager.darwinModules.home-manager
- {
- home-manager.useGlobalPkgs = true;
- home-manager.useUserPackages = true;
- home-manager.users.jdoe = import ./home.nix;
- }
- ];
- };
- };
- };
-}
-```
-
-The Home Manager configuration is then part of the NixOS/Darwin configuration
-and is automatically rebuilt with the system when using the appropriate command
-for the system, such as `nixos-rebuild switch --flake ` for NixOS,
-and `darwin-rebuild switch --flake ` with nix-darwin.
-
-If you are not using NixOS you can place the following flake in
-`~/.config/nixpkgs/flake.nix` to load your standard Home Manager
-configuration:
-
-```nix
-{
- description = "A Home Manager flake";
-
- inputs = {
- nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixpkgs-unstable";
- home-manager.url = "github:nix-community/home-manager";
- home-manager.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
- };
-
- outputs = inputs: {
- homeConfigurations = {
- jdoe = inputs.home-manager.lib.homeManagerConfiguration {
- system = "x86_64-linux";
- homeDirectory = "/home/jdoe";
- username = "jdoe";
- configuration.imports = [ ./home.nix ];
- };
- };
- };
-}
-```
-
-Note, the Home Manager library is exported by the flake under
-`lib.hm`.
-
-When using flakes, switch to new configurations with
-`home-manager switch --flake `.
-
Releases
--------
@@ -214,3 +124,4 @@ This project is licensed under the terms of the [MIT license](LICENSE).
[manual standalone install]: https://nix-community.github.io/home-manager/index.html#sec-install-standalone
[manual nixos install]: https://nix-community.github.io/home-manager/index.html#sec-install-nixos-module
[manual nix-darwin install]: https://nix-community.github.io/home-manager/index.html#sec-install-nix-darwin-module
+[manual nix flakes]: https://nix-community.github.io/home-manager/index.html#ch-nix-flakes
diff --git a/docs/manual.xml b/docs/manual.xml
index fe832a214..375a9694c 100644
--- a/docs/manual.xml
+++ b/docs/manual.xml
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
+
diff --git a/docs/nix-flakes.adoc b/docs/nix-flakes.adoc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a0e6aac7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/nix-flakes.adoc
@@ -0,0 +1,219 @@
+[[ch-nix-flakes]]
+== Nix Flakes
+
+:nixos-wiki-flakes: https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Flakes
+
+Home Manager includes a `flake.nix` file for compatibility with {nixos-wiki-flakes}[Nix Flakes].
+The support is still experimental and may change in backwards incompatible ways.
+
+[[sec-flakes-prerequisties]]
+=== Prerequisties
+
+* Install Nix 2.4 or have it in `nix-shell`.
+
+* Enable experimental features `nix-command` and `flakes`.
++
+Either set in `nix.conf`
++
+[source,bash]
+experimental-features = nix-command flakes
++
+or pass them to `nix` by
++
+[source,console]
+nix --experimental-features "nix-command flakes" your command
+
+* Prepare your Home Manager configuration (`home.nix`).
++
+Unlike the channel-based setup,
+`home.nix` will be evaluated when the flake is built,
+so it must be present before bootstrap of Home Manager from the flake.
+See <> for introduction about
+writing a Home Manager configuration.
++
+[NOTE]
+====
+The `stateVersion` will be specified in the flake instead of in the configuration file.
+
+Remove the line containing `home.stateVersion` in the example.
+====
+
+[[sec-flakes-standalone]]
+=== Standalone setup
+
+1. Set up a flake with a `flake.nix` as follows:
++
+[source,nix]
+----
+{
+ description = "Home Manager configuration of Jane Doe";
+
+ inputs = {
+ # Specify the source of Home Manager and Nixpkgs
+ home-manager.url = "github:nix-community/home-manager";
+ nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
+ home-manager.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
+ };
+
+ outputs = { home-manager, ... }:
+ let
+ system = "x86_64-linux";
+ username = "jdoe";
+ in {
+ homeConfigurations.${username} = home-manager.lib.homeManagerConfiguration {
+ # Specify the path to your home configuration here
+ configuration = import ./home.nix;
+
+ inherit system username;
+ homeDirectory = "/home/${username}";
+ # Update the state version as needed.
+ # See the changelog here:
+ # https://nix-community.github.io/home-manager/release-notes.html#sec-release-21.05
+ stateVersion = "21.11";
+
+ # Optionally use extraSpecialArgs
+ # to pass through arguments to home.nix
+ };
+ };
+}
+----
++
+[NOTE]
+====
+* The above example tracks the master branch of Home Manager
+and nixos-unstable branch of Nixpkgs.
+If you would like to use the `release-21.11` branch,
+change the `home-manager` input url to `github:nix-community/home-manager/release-21.11`
+and `nixpkgs` url to `github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-21.11`.
+Make sure to also update to the `stateVersion` option accordingly.
+
+* The Home Manager library is exported by the flake under
+`lib.hm`.
+====
+
+2. Install Home Manager and apply the configuration by
++
+[source,console]
+----
+$ nix build --no-link #homeConfigurations.jdoe.activationPackage
+$ "$(nix path-info #homeConfigurations.jdoe.activationPackage)"/bin/activate
+----
++
+If `flake.nix` resides in `~/.config/nixpkgs`,
+`` may be `~/.config/nixpkgs`
+as a Git tree or `path:~/.config/nixpkgs` if not.
+
+3. Since the release `21.05`,
+building a flake-based configuration is as simple as
++
+[source,console]
+$ home-manager switch --flake 'flake-uri#jdoe'
++
+once home-manager is installed.
++
+Here, `jdoe` is a configuration specified in the flake file,
+and `#jdoe` will be expanded to
+`#homeConfigurations.jdoe.activationPackage`
+and be built by Nix.
+
+[NOTE]
+====
+The flake inputs are not upgraded automatically when switching.
+The analogy to the command `home-manager --update ...` is `nix flake update`.
+
+If updating more than one input is undesirable,
+the command `nix flake lock --update-input ` can be used.
+
+You can also pass flake-related options
+such as `--recreate-lock-file` or `--update-input [input]`
+to `home-manager` when building/switching,
+and these options will be forwarded to `nix build`.
+See the {nixos-wiki-flakes}[NixOS Wiki page] for detail.
+====
+
+[[sec-flakes-nixos-module]]
+=== NixOS module
+
+To use Home Manager as a NixOS module,
+a bare-minimum `flake.nix` would be as follows:
+
+[source,nix]
+----
+{
+ description = "NixOS configuration";
+
+ inputs = {
+ nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
+ home-manager.url = "github:nix-community/home-manager";
+ home-manager.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
+ };
+
+ outputs = inputs@{ nixpkgs, home-manager, ... }: {
+ nixosConfigurations = {
+ hostname = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
+ system = "x86_64-linux";
+ modules = [
+ ./configuration.nix
+ home-manager.nixosModules.home-manager
+ {
+ home-manager.useGlobalPkgs = true;
+ home-manager.useUserPackages = true;
+ home-manager.users.jdoe = import ./home.nix;
+
+ # Optionally, use home-manager.extraSpecialArgs to pass
+ # arguments to home.nix
+ }
+ ];
+ };
+ };
+ };
+}
+----
+
+The Home Manager configuration is then part of the NixOS configuration
+and is automatically rebuilt with the system when using the appropriate command
+for the system, such as `nixos-rebuild switch --flake `.
+
+[[sec-flakes-nix-darwin-module]]
+=== nix-darwin module
+
+The flake-based setup of the Home Manager nix-darwin module
+is similar to that of NixOS. The `flake.nix` would be:
+
+[source,nix]
+----
+{
+ description = "NixOS configuration";
+
+ inputs = {
+ nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
+ nix-darwin.url = "github:lnl7/nix-darwin";
+ darwin.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
+ home-manager.url = "github:nix-community/home-manager";
+ home-manager.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
+ };
+
+ outputs = inputs@{ nixpkgs, home-manager, nix-darwin, ... }: {
+ darwinConfigurations = {
+ hostname = nix-darwin.lib.darwinSystem {
+ system = "x86_64-darwin";
+ modules = [
+ ./configuration.nix
+ home-manager.darwinModules.home-manager
+ {
+ home-manager.useGlobalPkgs = true;
+ home-manager.useUserPackages = true;
+ home-manager.users.jdoe = import ./home.nix;
+
+ # Optionally, use home-manager.extraSpecialArgs to pass
+ # arguments to home.nix
+ }
+ ];
+ };
+ };
+ };
+}
+----
+
+and it is also rebuilt with the nix-darwin generations.
+The rebuild command here may be `darwin-rebuild switch --flake `.
diff --git a/docs/usage.adoc b/docs/usage.adoc
index 285835b29..52584251e 100644
--- a/docs/usage.adoc
+++ b/docs/usage.adoc
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ man home-configuration.nix
Once a configuration is successfully built, it can be activated. The activation performs the steps necessary to make the files, programs, and services available in your user environment. The `home-manager switch` command performs a combined build and activation.
+[[sec-usage-configuration]]
=== Configuration Example
A fresh install of Home Manager will generate a minimal `~/.config/nixpkgs/home.nix` file containing something like
@@ -128,6 +129,7 @@ home-manager build
which will create a `result` link to a directory containing an
activation script and the generated home directory files.
+[[sec-usage-rollbacks]]
=== Rollbacks
While the `home-manager` tool does not explicitly support rollbacks at the moment it is relatively easy to perform one manually. The steps to do so are
@@ -162,6 +164,7 @@ Starting home manager activation
…
----
+[[sec-usage-dotfiles]]
=== Keeping your ~ safe from harm
To configure programs and services Home Manager must write various things to your home directory. To prevent overwriting any existing files when switching to a new generation, Home Manager will attempt to detect collisions between existing files and generated files. If any such collision is detected the activation will terminate before changing anything on your computer.
@@ -194,6 +197,7 @@ Existing file '/home/jdoe/.config/git/config' is in the way
Please move the above files and try again
----
+[[sec-usage-graphical]]
=== Graphical services
Home Manager includes a number of services intended to run in a graphical session, for example `xscreensaver` and `dunst`. Unfortunately, such services will not be started automatically unless you let Home Manager start your X session. That is, you have something like