The docs say to keep the .emacs file in the HOME directory.
I'd like to share the file between multiple computers using a git repo. What is the best way to structure the repo without including everything else that's in HOME.
Do I have to turn HOME itself into a repo and include everything else in the directory in the .gitignore?
There is no need to to turn your whole home into a repo. .emacs.d will be enough, and cloning it whatever you go will do it too.
Supposing that your .emacs.d is a repo, to do that your .gitignore should look like:
/*
!init.el
!.gitignore
First line tells git to ignore everything, second line tells git that init.el shouldn't be ignored. Third line prevents git from ignoring the .gitignore. More info here.
Notice that if you ignore a subdirectory you won't be able to "unignore" files under it this way. Instead, use a .gitignore file specific to that subdirectory.
!. Was going to commit just .emacs.d/init.el and then add ignore everything.
– Hugh_Kelley
Oct 3 at 21:31
init.el file in your repository. I would recommend that you use a 'normal' .gitignore approach of explicitly ignoring the things you don't want, and committing everything else.
– phils
Oct 3 at 23:27
init.el into a set of manageable files, will inevitably happen sooner or later.
– Muihlinn
Oct 3 at 23:35
.emacs.d/init.el. Many of the other files that are created by lisp packages are now stored in the.emacs.ddirectory too, so this keeps all your Emacs related files in one place", which essentially answers your question. – phils Oct 3 at 23:29