Trouble with exclude in .chezmoiignore (likely misuse)

[jibbers42]

My .chezmoiignore looks like...

{{ if ne .chezmoi.os "windows" -}}
Documents/
{{ end }}

{{ if ne .chezmoi.os "linux" -}}
.config/
{{- end }}

README.md

!.config/chezmoi/chezmoi.toml
!.config/powershell/completions/** # I've tried single * and no *

where I want the chezmoi.toml (and the powershell completions) to be in both windows and linux.

for windows:

> chezmoi.exe managed
Documents
Documents/PowerShell
Documents/PowerShell/Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1

(the .config/chezmoi/chezmoi.toml nor the completions are managed)

Any ideas on how to get this to work?

[jibbers42]

After looking at the docs again, I realize I wasn't doing chezmoi config quite right. Now that I have .chezmoi.toml.tmpl in the root of my source, instead of managing it as a normal config file, it's working again.

I'm still unsure how to exclude files from an ignored folder in .chezmoiignore, specifically the powershell completions in the original post.

[twpayne]

Thanks for the reminder. Fixed with 5b738bd.

[Avishayy]

@twpayne may I ask why there's a differentiation between a folder and its contents? I'm not sure I understand, I'm a new chezmoi user

[twpayne]

Yes, sometimes you just want to manage a folder, for example to ensure that a folder is created and has the right permissions, and you don't care about its contents.

[Jimmy2027]

Is it possible to include only one file in a subfolder without including all files in that folder?
Let's say I want to exclude everything from my work machine except .local/bin/my_bin
I tried the following config:

{{- if or (eq .chezmoi.hostname "my_work_machine") }}
# don't manage these files on work machines
*
!.local/bin/my_bin
{{- end }}

but then chezmoi managed is empty
if I add the parent folders as described above, all files in those folders are added.

[twpayne]

The * in your .chezmoiignore applies to all directories.

Please try:

{{- if or (eq .chezmoi.hostname "my_work_machine") }}
# don't manage these files on work machines
.local/bin/**
!.local/bin/my_bin
{{- end }}

[needleshaped]

I had very similar requirement:

Ignore Documents, except for

• Documents/PowerShell/Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1 and
• Documents/WindowsPowerShell/Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1

Following worked out in .chezmoiignore ✅:

{{- if eq .chezmoi.os "windows" }}
Documents/*
!Documents/*PowerShell/
{{- end }}

• note Documents/*, not **. Double star did NOT work for me,
• Neiter excluding specific file !Documents/**PowerShell/Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1 did NOT work, nor !Documents/**PowerShell/*.ps1 or !Documents/*PowerShell/*.ps1
• Documentation https://www.chezmoi.io/reference/special-files/chezmoiignore/ need an update, it does not answer this quite simple use case. Added doc: chezmoiignore.md, add exclude example #4635 providing example, but still, whole scenario is not clear, only trial & error helped.