Adding Paths with Fish Shell

When working with the Fish shell, adding paths can be a bit tricky due to the fact that this path may vary from system to system. To overcome this issue, it is recommended to use the pkgconfig framework, which outputs the correct path using the command `pkg-config -variable confdir fish`.

If you still need to add paths manually, you can install them in the 'vendor' configuration directory, but keep in mind that users of other shells will not benefit from Fish-specific configuration. Additionally, if not carefully written, these custom configurations may have side effects or slow down the startup of the shell.

When developing another program, it is often necessary to install configuration files that are run for all users of the Fish shell on a system. This can speed up the starting of non-interactive or non-login shells. To achieve this, you can use the `status -is-login` command if you want to run a command only when using a login shell.

On the other hand, if you want to run a command only on starting an interactive shell, you can use the exit status of the command `status -is-interactive`. These files are executed every time a shell is started, allowing users to copy snippets and override some of their behavior.

In Fish, configuration files are sourced in a specific order. First, snippets are executed, followed by user initialization files, usually found in `~/.config/fish/config.fish` (controlled by the XDG_CONFIG_HOME environment variable). System-wide configuration files, located in `$_fish_sysconf_dir` (usually `/etc/fish/config.fish`), can also be included.

These system-wide configuration files are used to initialize settings that should be run for all users on a system, similar to `/etc/profile` for POSIX-style shells. Fish searches the directories specified in the XDG_DATA_DIRS environment variable for a `fish/vendor_conf.d` directory if this variable is not defined. By default, these directories include `/usr/share/fish/vendor_conf.d` and `/usr/local/share/fish/vendor_conf.d`.

In addition to system-wide configuration files, third-party software vendors can also ship their own configuration snippets in the `$_fish_sysconf_dir/conf.d` (by default, `/etc/fish/conf.d/`) or `$_fish_config_dir/conf.d` (by default, `~/.config/fish/conf.d/`) directories.

Finally, the main file is `~/.config/fish/config.fish` (or more precisely `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/fish/config.fish`). Fish configuration files are evaluated in a specific order, which includes configuration snippets in files ending with `.fish`, followed by user initialization files and system-wide configuration files. When Fish is started, it reads and runs its configuration files, allowing for customized settings and behavior.

Overall, adding paths with the Fish shell requires careful consideration of system-specific configurations and potential side effects. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your custom configurations are executed correctly and efficiently.

Fish shell add path