How can I create a list of package names to import?

Help
1

I currently have this file which contains my cli packages:
https://git.2li.ch/Nebucatnetzer/nixos/src/branch/master/common/cli-packages.nix

I have some systems which aren’t running Nixos but I still would like to use home-manager.
How could I now include the cli-packages.nix in the home-manager config? E.g. here:
https://git.2li.ch/Nebucatnetzer/nixos/src/branch/master/home-manager/common.nix

Can I just rewrite cli-packages.nix to something like this:

[
  tree
  htop
];

and in home-manager this:

home.packages = with pkgs; [
  import ../common/cli-packages.nix
  ansible
];
2

Not as easy as that.

cli-packages.nix needs to know about pkgs from somewhere, therefore it would be easier to make it return a function:

pkgs:

with pkgs; [
  tree
  htop
]

And then also you need to concatenate the lists rather than nesting them:

home.packages = with pkgs; [ ansible ] ++ import ./cli-packages.nix {};

Though personally, I prefer the module approach. In general I do consider raw imports an antipattern in configurations.

1 Like
3

How would that look like?

Btw. what happens if I have:

imports = [
  ./something-else.nix
];
home.packages = with pkgs; [
  ansible
];

And something-else.nix contains home.packages as well?
Why doesn’t it get overwritten?

4

Because modules work that way. Options you set in modules do not get overwritten but merged.

5

Found the docs about it in nixos-help, I’m still trying to figure out where to find the information :slight_smile: .

1 Like