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Add missing dot in ~/emacs.d/var path #62

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jamescherti merged 1 commit into from
May 11, 2025
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Add missing dot in ~/emacs.d/var path #62

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6 changes: 3 additions & 3 deletions README.md
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Expand Up @@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ In addition to *minimal-emacs.d*, startup speed is influenced by your computer's
- [Preventing Emacs from saving custom.el](#preventing-emacs-from-saving-customel)
- [Which other customizations can be interesting to add?](#which-other-customizations-can-be-interesting-to-add)
- [Customizations: pre-early-init.el](#customizations-pre-early-initel)
- [Reducing clutter in `~/.emacs.d` by redirecting files to `~/emacs.d/var/`](#reducing-clutter-in-emacsd-by-redirecting-files-to-emacsdvar)
- [Reducing clutter in `~/.emacs.d` by redirecting files to `~/.emacs.d/var/`](#reducing-clutter-in-emacsd-by-redirecting-files-to-emacsdvar)
- [Configuring straight.el?](#configuring-straightel)
- [Configuring elpaca (package manager)](#configuring-elpaca-package-manager)
- [Frequently asked questions](#frequently-asked-questions)
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -1045,15 +1045,15 @@ It is also recommended to read the following articles:

## Customizations: pre-early-init.el

### Reducing clutter in `~/.emacs.d` by redirecting files to `~/emacs.d/var/`
### Reducing clutter in `~/.emacs.d` by redirecting files to `~/.emacs.d/var/`

Emacs, by default, stores various configuration files, caches, backups, and other data in the `~/.emacs.d` directory. Over time, this directory can become cluttered with numerous files, making it difficult to manage and maintain.

A common solution to this issue is installing the no-littering package; however, this package is not essential.

An alternative lightweight approach is to simply change the default `~/.emacs.d` directory to `~/.emacs.d/var/`, which will contain all the files that Emacs typically stores in the base directory. This can be accomplished by adding the following code to `~/.emacs.d/pre-early-init.el`:
``` emacs-lisp
;; Reducing clutter in ~/.emacs.d by redirecting files to ~/emacs.d/var/
;; Reducing clutter in ~/.emacs.d by redirecting files to ~/.emacs.d/var/
;; IMPORTANT: This part should be in the pre-early-init.el file
(setq minimal-emacs-var-dir (expand-file-name "var/" minimal-emacs-user-directory))
(setq package-user-dir (expand-file-name "elpa" minimal-emacs-var-dir))
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