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AstroNvim Docs

Configuration Mechanism

Value of runtimepath option

The AstroNvim start-up code extends the value of runtimepath and it contains not only $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/nvim but also $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/astronvim. Here, $XDG_CONFIG_HOME is normally set to ~/.config.

This allows us to place user settings under the normal path of ~/.config/nvim/lua/user and the offset path of ~/.config/astronvim/lua/user.

Its value can be verified by :lua print(vim.go.runtimepath).

Shim function and its hook points

Configuration mechanism of AstroNvim uses the shim function astronvim.user_opts (usually aliased to local variable user_opts) when setting default values in the upstream source. The resulting default values returned by this shim function are the user requested combination of corresponding upstream and user settings.

Running rg user_opts at the root of the source tree should reveal many hook points of user_opts calls in the source where the upstream sets default values.

How AstroNvim works for user settings

Let us describe tersely in plain words how this shim function astronvim.user_opts works in AstroNvim when it is called as user_opts("MODULE", DEFAULT, EXTEND) with a twist of oversimplification. This should provide some perspective for how AstroNvim works for user settings.

  • The DEFAULT contains a table setting the upstream default values.
  • The "MODULE" contains a string specifying user settings by the module or variable name.
  • If the module named user.MODULE exists, then AstroNvim obtains user settings from the user.MODULE module.
    • This is the Splitting Up Configuration case.
    • If the EXTEND is nil (missing) or true, settings are extended:
      • If the user.MODULE module returns a table, then AstroNvim assigns the returned table to the MODULE variable, and generates settings by calling the vim.tbl_deep_extend("force", DEFAULT, MODULE) function extending the DEFAULT table by the MODULE table.
      • If the user.MODULE module returns a function, then AstroNvim assigns the returned function to the MODULE variable, and generates custom extended settings by calling the MODULE function with the DEFAULT as its argument.
    • If the EXTEND is false, settings are overridden:
      • If the user.MODULE module returns a table, then AstroNvim ignores DEFAULT and generates settings from the MODULE table.
      • If the user.MODULE module returns a function, then AstroNvim ignores DEFAULT and generates settings by executing the MODULE function.
  • If the module named user.MODULE doesn’t exist, then AstroNvim obtains user settings from the user/init.lua file while looking for the MODULE variable in it.
    • This is the single setting file case using the user/init.lua file as discussed before.
    • If the EXTEND is nil (missing) or true, settings are extended:
      • If the MODULE variable contains a table, then AstroNvim generates settings by calling the vim.tbl_deep_extend("force", DEFAULT, MODULE) function extending the DEFAULT table by the MODULE table.
      • If the MODULE variable contains a function, then AstroNvim generates custom extended settings by calling the MODULE function with the DEFAULT as its argument.
    • If the EXTEND is false, settings are overridden:
      • If the MODULE variable contains a table, then AstroNvim ignores DEFAULT and generates settings from the MODULE table.
      • If the MODULE variable contains a function, then AstroNvim ignores DEFAULT and generates settings by executing the MODULE function.
  • If neither the module named user.MODULE nor the variable named MODULE in the user/init.lua file exist, then AstroNvim generates settings from the original upstream DEFAULT.