Multiple Configurations

Many different Neovim configurations can be used at the same time, by instaling each config in $HOME/.config/ using unique directory names

Community Configuration Projects

• Kickstart.nvim a highly documented starter to effectively build your own configuration
• LazyVim lazy & mason configuration
• Magit Kit fennel configuration from the author of Conjure
• cajus-nfnl fennel-based config
• AstroNvim rich Neovim experience

Always have a working config

Create a separate configuration when making major changes to your configuration or starting a new configuration from scratch.

NVIM_APPNAME environment variable

Set NVIM_APPNAME to a configuration directory name (relative to $HOME/.config/) to run Neovim with that specific config.

Run AstroNvim config in $HOME/.config/astronvim/

NVIM_APPNAME=astronvim nvim

The configuration directory name is used to save local share, state and cache files for that specific configuration.

Configure shell alias

Create a Shell alias for each configuration that will be used, to avoid setting the NVIM_APPNAME variable each time.

Add alias to .bashrc for Bash shell, .zshrc for Zsh or use a common shell-aliases file.

Define Shell Aliases to run each configuration

alias astro="NVIM_APPNAME=nvim-astro5 nvim"
alias lazyvim="NVIM_APPNAME=nvim-lazyvim nvim"
alias cajus="NVIM_APPNAME=nvim-cajus nvim"

shell-aliases

Create a .config/shell-aliases file containing all shell aliases which can be used with any shell.

A common shell-aliases file is very useful when switching between different shells, avoiding the need to define aliases twice.

Source the .config/shell-aliases file from within .bashrc or .zshrc

ZshBash

Load (source) aliases

.zshrc

# Shell Aliases
[[ ! -f ~/.config/shell-aliases ]] || source ~/.config/shell-aliases

Load (source) aliases

.bashrc

# Shell Aliases
if [ -f ~/.config/shell-aliases ]; then
    . ~/.config/shell-aliases
fi

Neovim config selector

Create a shell function to popup a menu with the list of available Neovim configurations, defined in ~/.config where the configuration directories are prefixed with nvim-, e.g. ~/.config/nvim-astro5/

Neovim Config Fuzzy Finder

List every neovim configuration in $HOME/.config, any directory starting with nvim- name.

.local/bin/nvim-fuzy-find

nvim-fuzy-find() {
  # All config paths are prefixed with ~/.config/nvim-
  local config=$(fdfind --max-depth 1 --glob 'nvim-*' ~/.config | fzf --prompt="Neovim Configs > " --height=15% --layout=reverse --border --exit-0)

  [[ -z $config ]] && echo "No config selected, Neovim not starting" && return

  # Open Neovim with selected config
  NVIM_APPNAME=$(basename $config) nvim $@
}

Neovim Config simple Selector

Add specific Neovim config directory names from ~/.config/

.local/bin/nvim-selector

 nvim-selector() {
  select config in nvim-astro5 nvim-astronvim5-template nvim-lazyvim nvim-kickstart
  do NVIM_APPNAME=nvim-$config nvim $@; break; done
}