Installation

The first is to tell the Emagician Starter kit which directory is in. Run the next code block, and watch how it writes a new one below. You don't need to run the second one.

If there already is code below the "results:" block, then just delete it.

(concat "#+name: set-this-dir-as-var\n"
        "#+begin_src emacs-lisp\n"
        "(defvar emagician/dir\n"
        "        \"" (file-name-directory (buffer-file-name)) "\"\n" ;BAM! 
        "        \"Automagically generated variable where the emagicians kit is located\")\n"
        "#+end_" "src\n")

Then this next code block creates the init.el file by running the next code block. What this does is it takes the embedded elisp in this file (especially the parts where it determines how you are, and were the emagicians starer kit is) and weaves it together into a file called init.el.

(org-babel-tangle)

if you are interested, you can have a look at it:

(pop-to-buffer (find-file-other-window "./init.el"))

This next command is an invokation. Even if you are going to use the Emagician starter kit as is, you need to run the next code block. This defines a function that is used to create custom files for you.

The first one it creates is based on the identity you specified above. After that there are other customizations based on your login name, machine name and OS type.

But you need to run this one first.

There is also the possibility of you needing to store passwords and such. The default is to do so in a directory called private.org in your personal directory that is already in your .gitignore file.

Another option is to store them in a private.org.gpg file.

(defun emagician/invoke-custom-file (name) 
  "Create the customiztaion file, and load it up in emacs.
This function is actually created when the emagician identifies themself"
  (let ((filename (concat "./" name)))
    (find-file-other-window (concat name ".org"))
    (save-buffer)))

(emagician/invoke-custom-file emagician/true-name)

If you end up using differnet OS's, you may want to have this set up. This would handle per-os level customization. We use the "system-type" variable for determining which system type to use. We do munge it a little by replacing any / with a -.

(emagician/invoke-custom-file
                       (replace-regexp-in-string "/" 
                                                 "-" 
                                                 (symbol-name system-type)))

Different machines are not nessicarily on differnet OS's. Different OS's aren't nessicarily different machines. Now you can get more granular if need be.

(emagician/invoke-custom-file system-name)

Then again, maybe you need to separate customizations out by user account. Why not?

(emagician/invoke-custom-file (user-login-name))

If you get the message org-babel-execute-src-block: No org-babel-execute function for sh! then you need to enable shell mode for babel. Do that by running this code block:

(require 'ob-sh)

If it is working properly, the *Messages* buffer of the new emacs instance should read something like:

Loading /home/jonny/emagicians-starter-kit/Emagician.el (source)...done
loaded /home/jonny/emagicians-starter-kit/Emagician.el

Ok, check it out, the source block just spits out a string, that gets inserted verbatim into the org-mode buffer. I don't have to worry about where you put the starter kit it just builds itself a shell script. It's kinda like macros, but cross-lingual macros.

In fact, when the starter kit builds itself, it will use this cross-lingual aspect to figure out where it is.