Hjem impure

Hjem impure provides a script which:

• Replaces every hjem symlink with writable normal files and directories
• Links particular symlinks back into your nixos configuration | advanced installation

No more waiting for nixos-rebuilds to modify your dots. Ever.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/974e4f9e-0156-4ec1-b7ca-fcf9e4eb7e5b

Installation

First, add hjem-impure to your flake inputs

{
  inputs = {
    hjem-impure = {
      url = "github:Rexcrazy804/hjem-impure";
      # these are only required for internal tests,
      # hence you can set em to nothing
      inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "";
      inputs.hjem.follows = "";
    };
  };
}

Next, add hjem-impure as an extraModule for hjem and enable hjem impure for your desired user

# assuming that you pass inputs as specialArgs
{inputs, ...}:
{
  # imports the hjemModule
  hjem.extraModules = [inputs.hjem-impure.hjemModules.default];
  # enable hjem-impure
  hjem.users.${myUserName}.impure.enable = true;
}

And that's it, after you rebuild your configuraiton you should have the hjem-impure executable.

Advanced Installation

Hjem impure offers the ability to optionally relink certain symlinks created by hjem back into your nixos configuration, granted that there exists a common dotsDir from which each file/dir is source'd

{config, ...}:
{
  hjem.users.${myUserName} = {
    impure = {
	  # enable hjem-impure
      enable = true;
	  # pure path to dotsFolder AS STRING
      dotsDir = "${./myDotsFolder}";
	  # impure absolute path to dots folder
      dotsDirImpure = "/home/myuser/nixos/myDotsFolder";
    };

    xdg.config.files = let
	  # aforementioned common dots
      dots = config.hjem.users.${myUserName}.impure.dotsDir;
    in {
	  # it is a requirement to use `dots` for the relinking feature
      "hypr/hyprland.conf".source = dots + "/hyprland/hyprland.conf";
      "hypr/hypridle.conf".source = dots + "/hyprland/hypridle.conf";
    };
  };
}

for a fleshed out configuration see nix/test/config.nix

Usage

simply run the below to make your hjem links modifiable and if configured, overwrite with symlinks to your nixos configuration.

hjem-impure

The next nixos-rebuild will overwrite hjem-impure's changes. Alternatively you can also re-create hjem's immutable links using

systemd-tmpfiles --user --create

or if you use smfh as the linker

systemctl start hjem-activate@userName.service

How does it work exactly?

hjem impure module simply reads information hjem uses to plant files in place. This information is converted into a shell script that either replaces the symlinks with symlinks to the nixos configuration, or makes a writable copy of the file or directory.

Acknowledgements

• hjem-rum my reference for creating this module
• jade's use nix less sparked the idea for this and I've gratefully used their script as a base for hjem-impure