Hi Guix,
Since the config file deployment mechanism of Guix Home is designed to be
pluggable, as mentioned in the comments of (gnu home services), I tried to write
a home-writable-files-manager-service-type[1] to deploy writable config files.
This home service type is based on home-symlink-manager-service-type and serves
as a replacement to it. On home environment activation, the service deploys
config files as regular files and makes them writable -- with the exception of
directories, they're still symlinked.
When deploying a config file, if its target file exists and differs from it in
sha256 hash, the previously existing target file will be saved to a backup
directory, similar to the home-symlink-manager-service-type.
Comparing with home-symlink-manager-service-type, since the deployed files are
writable, this approach is compatible with more software and makes it easier to
edit these files before a reconfiguration of the home environment.
For example, with the following service
--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
(simple-service 'my-libc-files
home-files-service-type
`(("my-libc-dir" ,(file-append glibc "/lib"))
("my-libc.so" ,(file-append glibc "/lib/libc.so"))))
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
The activated home environment will have ~/my-libc-dir as a symlink and
~/my-libc.so as a writable regular file.
To use the service, assuming you have the definition, modify essential-services
from your home environment declaration and replace the original
home-symlink-manager-service-type. No other changes are needed.
(Refer to home-environment-default-essential-services via @@ here, since
currently it is not exported.)
--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
(home-environment
(packages ...)
(essential-services
(cons* (service home-writable-files-manager-service-type)
(modify-services ((@@ (gnu home)
home-environment-default-essential-services)
this-home-environment)
(delete home-symlink-manager-service-type))))
(services ...))
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
Thanks
[1]:
https://codeberg.org/hako/Rosenthal/src/commit/ed943d36b4163d7186109e9e430adbe0392aaa8d/modules/rosenthal/home/services/writable-files-manager.scm
