How to install and configure Powerline on Linux (Deepin Linux 15.7, Debian / Ubuntu) with git status?

powerline_linux_bash_git_config.md

(Dead) simple installation / configuration of Powerline (powerline-status)

#Linux #bash #git #Powerline

If you ever have to reinstall Powerline on another machine this are the easy steps to follow to give you a nice looking prompt with git status and branch name in your bash terminal. Steps where done on Deepin Linux 15.7 but should also work on Debian / Ubuntu.

TL;DR

pip install powerline-status

wget https://github.com/powerline/powerline/raw/develop/font/PowerlineSymbols.otf
wget https://github.com/powerline/powerline/raw/develop/font/10-powerline-symbols.conf

# NOTE: adjust fonts paths properly!
mv PowerlineSymbols.otf /usr/share/fonts/

fc-cache -vf /usr/share/fonts/

mv 10-powerline-symbols.conf ~/.config/fontconfig/conf.d/

# add this to your .bashrc
powerline-daemon -q
POWERLINE_BASH_CONTINUATION=1
POWERLINE_BASH_SELECT=1
. {powerline-installation-dir}/bindings/bash/powerline.sh
# NOTE: use `pip show powerline-status` to find your **{powerline-installation-dir}**

mkdir -p ~/.config/powerline
# NOTE: adjust your {powerline-installation-dir} properly!
cp /{powerline-installation-dir}/config_files/config.json ~/.config/powerline

# edit ~/.config/powerline/config.json to see git branch name in prompt
# --> "theme": "default_leftonly",

# edit /{powerline-installation-dir}/segments/common/vcs.py to color highlight git status (sudo?)
# --> def __call__(self, pl, segment_info, create_watcher, status_colors=True, ignore_statuses=()):
# optionally set "ignore_statuses=()" to "ignore_statuses=(["U"])" to ignore untracked files

powerline-daemon --replace

# close all terminal windows
# FINISH

NOTE: If you run into issues scroll down and check my latest comments - hope it helps ♥

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS (10 STEPS)

How to install Powerline in 10 steps on Linux and configure it for bash terminal with git status.

1. pip install powerline-status

Fonts installation

Download fonts file and fontconfig file.

2. wget https://github.com/powerline/powerline/raw/develop/font/PowerlineSymbols.otf
   wget https://github.com/powerline/powerline/raw/develop/font/10-powerline-symbols.conf

Move the symbol font to a valid X fonts path. Valid fonts paths can be listed with xset q (--> Font Path: ...).

3. # NOTE: adjust fonts path properly!
   mv PowerlineSymbols.otf /usr/share/fonts/

Update fonts cache.

4. # NOTE: adjust fonts path properly!
   fc-cache -vf /usr/share/fonts/

Install fontconfig.

5. mv 10-powerline-symbols.conf ~/.config/fontconfig/conf.d/

Edit your .bashrc

Add this lines to your .bashrc

6. powerline-daemon -q
   POWERLINE_BASH_CONTINUATION=1
   POWERLINE_BASH_SELECT=1
   . {powerline-installation-dir}/bindings/bash/powerline.sh

NOTE: use pip show powerline-status to determine your {powerline-installation-dir} (e.g. Location: /usr/local/...)

Customization (show git status and branch name)

7. mkdir -p ~/.config/powerline

Copy config.json from {powerline-installation-dir}/config_files/ to ~/.config/powerline

8. # NOTE: adjust your {powerline-installation-dir} properly!
   cp /usr/lib/python3.6/site-packages/powerline/config_files/config.json ~/.config/powerline

To see git branch name and color highlighted git status in prompt you have to

• change shell/theme property from default to default_left_only in ~/.config/powerline/config.json (see 9.)
• copy default_leftonly.json to your user config directory (~/.config/powerline) and modify it (see 10.).

9. # edit ~/.config/powerline/config.json
   {
     ...
   	"ext": {
       ...
   		"shell": {
   			"colorscheme": "default",
   			"theme": "default_leftonly",
   			"local_themes": {
   				"continuation": "continuation",
   				"select": "select"
   			}
   		},
       ...
   	}
   }

10. # copy default_leftonly.json from powerline installation dir to user config dir
    cp {powerline-installation-dir}/config_files/themes/shell/default_leftonly.json ~/.config/powerline
    
    # modify default_leftonly.json in user config dir
    nano ~/.config/powerline/default_leftonly.json

    {
           "function": "powerline.segments.common.vcs.branch",
           "priority": 40,
           "args": {
                       "status_colors": true,
                       "ignore_statuses": ["U"]
                   }
    },

FINISH! APPLY CHANGES!

Your changes will not apply until you restart the daemon

powerline-daemon --replace

---

Need even more details? --> Official Documentation

Some ideas came from this post powerline/powerline#186

Liked this one a lot

mkdir -p ~/.config/powerline
cat <<-'EOF' > ~/.config/powerline/config.json
{
    "ext": {
        "shell": {
            "theme": "default_leftonly"
        }
    }
}
EOF
powerline-daemon --replace

FYI you don't need ti patch Python source code. Copy default_leftonly.json in your user config directory and modify it:

                        {
                                "function": "powerline.segments.common.vcs.branch",
                                "priority": 40,
                                "args": {
                                        "status_colors": true,
                                        "ignore_statuses": ["U"]
                                }
                        },

FYI you don't need ti patch Python source code. Copy default_leftonly.json in your user config directory and modify it:

Thanks, will try this soon cause my powerline-prompt is broken since update from Deepin 15.7 to 15.10 :)

damn ... have trouble with fonts since update of Deepin 😭

looks like shit

Here's some fonts related docs from Deepin Wiki

ok ... not sure what went wrong before but in the end this is what brought my nice powerline back:

you can copy/paste that into console (with comments, commands will be executed in sequence)

# source: https://github.com/powerline/fonts
# clone
git clone https://github.com/powerline/fonts.git --depth=1
# install
cd fonts
./install.sh
# clean-up a bit
cd ..
rm -rf fonts
fc-cache -vf
powerline-daemon --replace

# close and reopen console
# FINISH

in case I need this one day - some fonts related paths in Deepin Linux:

• /etc/fonts/
• /etc/fonts/conf.d
• /etc/fonts/conf.d/README !!!
• /usr/share/fontconfig/
• /usr/share/fonts/

FYI you don't need ti patch Python source code. Copy default_leftonly.json in your user config directory and modify it:

                        {
                                "function": "powerline.segments.common.vcs.branch",
                                "priority": 40,
                                "args": {
                                        "status_colors": true,
                                        "ignore_statuses": ["U"]
                                }
                        },

For some reason this does not work for me. So here is my old solution for that which works:

	# edit /{powerline-installation-dir}/segments/common/vcs.py (may require sudo)
        # in this line
        def __call__(self, pl, segment_info, create_watcher, status_colors=False, ignore_statuses=()):
        # change:  status_colors=False --> status_colors=True
	# change: ignore_statuses=() --> ignore_statuses=(["U"])             to ignore untracked files
        # so that the result looks like this	
	def __call__(self, pl, segment_info, create_watcher, status_colors=True, ignore_statuses=(["U"])):

I am using Kali Linux and I got it to work after I changed the .bashrc code to look like:

export PATH=$PATH:/home/$(users)/.local/bin/

# Powerline initialisation code
powerline-daemon -q
POWERLINE_BASH_CONTINUATION=1
POWERLINE_BASH_SELECT=1
. {powerline-installation-dir}/bindings/bash/powerline.sh

Sorry this is definately not "Dead simple"

you say:

. {powerline-installation-dir}/bindings/bash/powerline.sh

...
# copy default_leftonly.json from powerline installation dir to user config dir
cp {powerline-installation-dir}/config_files/themes/shell/default_leftonly.json ~/.config/powerline

NOTE: use pip show powerline-status to determine your {powerline-installation-dir} (e.g. Location: /usr/local/...)

well:

pi@raspberrypi:~ $  pip show powerline-status
Name: powerline-status
Version: 2.8.1
Summary: The ultimate statusline/prompt utility.
Home-page: https://github.com/powerline/powerline
Author: Kim Silkebaekken
Author-email: kim.silkebaekken+vim@gmail.com
License: MIT
Location: /usr/lib/python3/dist-packages
Requires:
Required-by:

and

ll /usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/powerline/bindings/
total 48
drwxr-xr-x  9 root  4096 May 19 08:02 ./
drwxr-xr-x 13 root  4096 May 19 08:02 ../
-rw-r--r--  1 root 10072 May 20  2020 config.py
-rw-r--r--  1 root     0 May 20  2020 __init__.py
drwxr-xr-x  3 root  4096 May 19 08:02 ipython/
drwxr-xr-x  3 root  4096 May 19 08:02 pdb/
drwxr-xr-x  2 root  4096 May 19 08:02 __pycache__/
drwxr-xr-x  3 root  4096 May 19 08:02 tmux/
drwxr-xr-x  3 root  4096 May 19 08:02 vim/
drwxr-xr-x  3 root  4096 May 19 08:02 wm/
drwxr-xr-x  3 root  4096 May 19 08:02 zsh/

now where is your {powerline-installation-dir}/bindings/bash/powerline.sh?
{powerline-installation-dir}/config_files/themes/shell/default_leftonly.json is not to be found!
also /{powerline-installation-dir}/config_files/config.json file is not existing!