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SETTINGS

Robert Trenaman

Settings Guide

This guide covers all configuration options available in GitHub Commander.

Accessing Settings

Access settings via:

  • Main menu → Settings
  • Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+,
  • Or click the Settings button in the main interface

GitHub Settings

GitHub Token

Description: Your GitHub Personal Access Token for authentication.

How to Set:

  1. Generate token from GitHub.com
  2. Paste token into the field
  3. Click "Save"

Storage: Saved in ~/.github-commander/config.json

Security: Never share your token or commit it to repositories.

See: Authentication Guide for detailed token setup.

Repository Settings

Clone Directory

Description: Default folder for cloning repositories.

Default: ~/github-projects

How to Change:

  1. Enter new path or browse
  2. Click "Save"

Note: You can still specify a different location during clone operations.

Auto Commit Message

Description: Default commit message used when no custom message is provided.

Default: "Update via GitHub Commander"

How to Change:

  1. Enter your preferred message
  2. Click "Save"

Tip: Use a meaningful default message for your workflow.

Git Configuration

User Name

Description: Your Git user name for commit attribution.

Default: (Empty - uses system default)

How to Set:

  1. Enter your name
  2. Click "Save"

Example: "John Doe"

User Email

Description: Your Git email for commit attribution.

Default: (Empty - uses system default)

How to Set:

  1. Enter your email
  2. Click "Save"

Example: "john.doe@example.com"

Why Important: Git uses this to identify commit authors.

UI Settings

Theme

Description: Application color theme.

Options:

  • Dark - Dark theme (default)
  • Light - Light theme

How to Change:

  1. Select theme from dropdown
  2. Click "Save"
  3. Restart application for changes to take effect

Font Size

Description: Interface font size in points.

Default: 10

Range: 8 - 24

How to Change:

  1. Enter desired size
  2. Click "Save"
  3. Restart application for changes to take effect

Show Hidden Files

Description: Show files starting with . in file browsers.

Default: False (hidden)

How to Change:

  1. Check/uncheck the box
  2. Click "Save"
  3. Changes take effect immediately

Hidden Files Include:

  • .gitignore
  • .env
  • Configuration files
  • System files

Pages Settings

Source Branch

Description: Default branch for GitHub Pages deployment.

Default: main

Options: main, master, gh-pages, or custom

How to Change:

  1. Enter branch name
  2. Click "Save"

Note: Can be overridden per deployment.

Custom Domain

Description: Default custom domain for GitHub Pages.

Default: (Empty)

How to Set:

  1. Enter your domain (e.g., example.com)
  2. Click "Save"

See: GitHub Pages Guide for domain setup.

Wiki Settings

Default Home

Description: Default home page name for wikis.

Default: Home

How to Change:

  1. Enter page name
  2. Click "Save"

Note: This is a suggestion, not enforced.

Package Settings

npm Registry

Description: Default npm registry URL for package uploads.

Default: https://registry.npmjs.org

How to Change:

  1. Enter registry URL
  2. Click "Save"

Private Registries: Enter your organization's registry URL.

PyPI Repository

Description: Default PyPI repository URL for package uploads.

Default: https://pypi.org/simple

How to Change:

  1. Enter repository URL
  2. Click "Save"

Test PyPI: Use https://test.pypi.org/simple for testing.

Configuration File

Location

Configuration is stored in:

~/.github-commander/config.json

Format

The configuration file is JSON:

{
  "github_token": "your-token-here",
  "default_branch": "main",
  "clone_directory": "/home/user/github-projects",
  "auto_commit_message": "Update via GitHub Commander",
  "git_config": {
    "user.name": "Your Name",
    "user.email": "your.email@example.com"
  },
  "ui": {
    "theme": "dark",
    "font_size": 10,
    "show_hidden_files": false
  },
  "pages": {
    "source_branch": "main",
    "custom_domain": ""
  },
  "wiki": {
    "default_home": "Home"
  },
  "packages": {
    "npm_registry": "https://registry.npmjs.org",
    "pypi_repository": "https://pypi.org/simple"
  }
}

Manual Editing

You can edit the config file manually:

  1. Open ~/.github-commander/config.json in a text editor
  2. Make your changes
  3. Save the file
  4. Restart GitHub Commander

Warning: Invalid JSON will cause errors. Validate your changes.

Resetting Configuration

To reset all settings to defaults:

  1. Close GitHub Commander
  2. Delete the config file:
    bash rm ~/.github-commander/config.json
  3. Restart GitHub Commander
  4. Configure as needed

Import/Export Settings

Export Settings

To backup your settings:

  1. Copy ~/.github-commander/config.json
  2. Save to a safe location

Import Settings

To restore settings:

  1. Close GitHub Commander
  2. Copy your backup config to ~/.github-commander/config.json
  3. Restart GitHub Commander

Troubleshooting

Settings Not Saving

Causes:

  • File permission issues
  • Disk full
  • Config file locked

Solutions:

  • Check file permissions
  • Ensure disk space available
  • Close other instances of GitHub Commander

Invalid Configuration

Symptoms:

  • Application fails to start
  • Settings not loading

Solutions:

  • Validate JSON syntax
  • Reset configuration to defaults
  • Check for typos in config file

Configuration File Location

If config file is not in expected location:

  1. Check for environment variables
  2. Look in home directory
  3. Check application logs for actual path

Best Practices

Security

  • Never commit config file to repositories
  • Use environment variables for sensitive data (advanced)
  • Regularly rotate GitHub tokens
  • Keep backup of configuration

Backup

  • Export settings before major changes
  • Keep config file in version control (with secrets removed)
  • Document your preferred settings

Organization

  • Use meaningful commit messages
  • Document custom configurations
  • Keep settings consistent across machines

Next Steps

After configuring settings, explore:

Related

Wiki: Home

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