01-UserDefaults.conf

Configuration file that defines default applications and user preferences for the HyprFlux system. This file sets up the preferred applications for various tasks and provides variables that are used throughout the Hyprland configuration.

Purpose

• Default Applications: Sets preferred applications for common tasks
• Variable Definitions: Provides variables used in keybindings and scripts
• User Preferences: Centralizes user-specific application choices
• System Integration: Integrates with scripts and other configuration files

File Location

~/.config/hypr/UserConfigs/01-UserDefaults.conf

Configuration Structure

Editor Configuration

# Set your default editor here uncomment and reboot to take effect.
# NOTE, this will be automatically uncommented if you select neovim or vim to your default editor
#env = EDITOR,vim #default editor

# Define preferred text editor for the KooL Quick Settings Menu (SUPER SHIFT E)
# script will take the default EDITOR and nano as fallback
$edit=${EDITOR:-nvim}

Editor Options

• Purpose: Sets the default text editor for the system
• Fallback: Uses nvim if EDITOR environment variable is not set
• Integration: Used by Quick Settings Menu and various scripts

Common Editor Choices:

$edit=${EDITOR:-nvim}      # Neovim (default)
$edit=${EDITOR:-vim}       # Vim
$edit=${EDITOR:-nano}      # Nano (beginner-friendly)
$edit=${EDITOR:-code}      # Visual Studio Code
$edit=${EDITOR:-gedit}     # GNOME Text Editor

Application Variables

# These two are for UserKeybinds.conf & Waybar Modules
$term = kitty              # Terminal
$files = thunar            # File Manager

Terminal Configuration

$term = kitty

Purpose: Defines the default terminal emulator Usage: Used in keybindings and scripts throughout HyprFlux

Alternative Terminal Options:

$term = kitty              # Kitty (default, GPU-accelerated)
$term = alacritty          # Alacritty (fast, minimal)
$term = foot               # Foot (lightweight for Wayland)
$term = wezterm            # WezTerm (feature-rich)
$term = gnome-terminal     # GNOME Terminal
$term = konsole            # KDE Konsole

File Manager Configuration

$files = thunar

Purpose: Defines the default file manager Usage: Used in keybindings and file management scripts

Alternative File Manager Options:

$files = thunar            # Thunar (default, lightweight)
$files = dolphin           # KDE Dolphin (feature-rich)
$files = nautilus          # GNOME Files/Nautilus
$files = pcmanfm           # PCManFM (minimal)
$files = nemo              # Nemo (Cinnamon file manager)
$files = ranger            # Ranger (terminal-based)
$files = yazi              # Yazi (modern terminal file manager)

Search Engine Configuration

# Default Search Engine for ROFI Search (SUPER S)
$Search_Engine = "https://www.google.com/search?q={}"

Purpose: Sets the default search engine for Rofi web search functionality Usage: Used by RofiSearch.sh script

Alternative Search Engines:

# Google (default)
$Search_Engine = "https://www.google.com/search?q={}"

# DuckDuckGo (privacy-focused)
$Search_Engine = "https://duckduckgo.com/?q={}"

# Bing
$Search_Engine = "https://www.bing.com/search?q={}"

# Startpage (privacy-focused Google results)
$Search_Engine = "https://www.startpage.com/sp/search?query={}"

# Searx (self-hosted search)
$Search_Engine = "https://searx.org/search?q={}"

# Brave Search
$Search_Engine = "https://search.brave.com/search?q={}"

Customization Examples

Development Setup

# Development-focused configuration
$edit=${EDITOR:-code}      # VS Code for development
$term = kitty              # Kitty with good font rendering
$files = dolphin           # Dolphin for advanced file operations
$Search_Engine = "https://duckduckgo.com/?q={}"  # Privacy-focused search

Minimal Setup

# Lightweight configuration
$edit=${EDITOR:-nano}      # Simple editor
$term = foot               # Lightweight terminal
$files = pcmanfm           # Minimal file manager
$Search_Engine = "https://www.google.com/search?q={}"  # Standard search

Privacy-Focused Setup

# Privacy-oriented configuration
$edit=${EDITOR:-vim}       # Terminal-based editor
$term = alacritty          # Minimal terminal
$files = thunar            # Standard file manager
$Search_Engine = "https://duckduckgo.com/?q={}"  # Privacy search engine

Power User Setup

# Advanced user configuration
$edit=${EDITOR:-nvim}      # Neovim with plugins
$term = wezterm            # Feature-rich terminal
$files = ranger            # Terminal file manager
$Search_Engine = "https://searx.org/search?q={}"  # Self-hosted search

Integration with HyprFlux

Keybinding Integration

These variables are used extensively in UserKeybinds.conf:

# Terminal keybinding
bind = $mainMod, Return, exec, $term

# File manager keybinding
bind = $mainMod, F, exec, $files

# Editor keybinding (through scripts)
bind = $mainMod, E, exec, $edit

Script Integration

Scripts throughout HyprFlux reference these variables:

Quick Settings Menu

# In Kool_Quick_Settings.sh
EDITOR="$edit"  # Uses the defined editor variable

File Operations

# In various scripts
$files  # Opens the defined file manager
$term   # Launches the defined terminal

Waybar Integration

Waybar modules can use these variables:

"custom/terminal": {
    "format": " ",
    "on-click": "kitty",  // Could reference $term variable
    "tooltip-format": "Launch Terminal"
}

Advanced Configuration

Conditional Application Selection

# Choose editor based on availability
if command -v code >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    $edit = code
elif command -v nvim >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    $edit = nvim
else
    $edit = nano
fi

Environment-Specific Defaults

# Different defaults for different environments
case "$(hostname)" in
    "work-laptop")
        $edit = code
        $term = gnome-terminal
        $files = nautilus
        ;;
    "gaming-pc")
        $edit = nvim
        $term = kitty
        $files = thunar
        ;;
    *)
        $edit = ${EDITOR:-nvim}
        $term = kitty
        $files = thunar
        ;;
esac

Application Categories

# Extended application definitions
$edit = ${EDITOR:-nvim}           # Text editor
$term = kitty                     # Terminal emulator
$files = thunar                   # File manager
$browser = firefox                # Web browser
$music = spotify                  # Music player
$video = mpv                      # Video player
$image = imv                      # Image viewer
$pdf = zathura                    # PDF viewer
$calculator = qalculate-gtk       # Calculator
$notes = obsidian                 # Note-taking app

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Application Not Found

# Check if application is installed
which kitty
which thunar
which nvim

# Install missing applications
sudo pacman -S kitty thunar neovim

Variables Not Working

# Check if file is being sourced
grep "01-UserDefaults.conf" ~/.config/hypr/hyprland.conf

# Test variable expansion
echo $term
echo $files
echo $edit

Editor Not Set

# Check EDITOR environment variable
echo $EDITOR

# Set EDITOR in shell profile
echo 'export EDITOR=nvim' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'export EDITOR=nvim' >> ~/.zshrc

Debug Commands

# Check current variable values
hyprctl getoption $term
hyprctl getoption $files

# Test application launching
$term &
$files &
$edit test.txt

Validation

Test Application Launches

# Test each defined application
kitty &          # Test terminal
thunar &         # Test file manager
nvim --version   # Test editor

Verify Integration

# Check keybinding integration
hyprctl binds | grep -E "(term|files|edit)"

# Test search engine
curl -s "$Search_Engine" | head -n 5

Best Practices

Configuration Management

Backup Before Changes

cp ~/.config/hypr/UserConfigs/01-UserDefaults.conf ~/.config/hypr/UserConfigs/01-UserDefaults.conf.backup

Document Changes

# Add comments for custom choices
$term = alacritty          # Switched to alacritty for better performance
$files = ranger            # Using terminal file manager for efficiency

Application Selection

Consider System Resources

# Lightweight setup for older hardware
$term = foot               # Minimal terminal
$files = pcmanfm           # Lightweight file manager
$edit = nano               # Simple editor

Match Workflow Needs

# Development workflow
$edit = code               # IDE for development
$term = kitty              # Good font rendering for code
$files = dolphin           # Advanced file operations

Consistency

Match Desktop Environment

# GNOME-style applications
$term = gnome-terminal
$files = nautilus
$edit = gedit

# KDE-style applications
$term = konsole
$files = dolphin
$edit = kate

Maintain Theme Consistency

• Choose applications that support your color scheme
• Ensure applications integrate well with Wayland
• Consider applications that support dynamic theming

This user defaults configuration provides a centralized way to manage application preferences while ensuring consistency across the entire HyprFlux desktop environment.