README.zsh.rst

ZSH Configuration

This dir contains a modular zsh environment. The appropriate symlinks are created when you run ../install-conf.py.

There are three main user local zsh conf files.

~/.zshenv

Loaded for all shells. Links to ./dot.zshenv and loads ~/.zsh/env.d/* and ~/.zshenv.system-custom.

~/.zshrc

Loaded for interactive shells. Links to ./dot.zshrc and loads ~/..zsh/rc.d/* and ~/.zshrc.system-custom.

~/.zprofile

Loaded for login shells.

See http://zsh.sunsite.dk/Guide/zshguide02.html#l9 for more details.

My criterion for the breakup into env or rc is: put it in env unless it's totally pointless or might cause problems. And only worrying about problems might be even better...

The man zsh says:

STARTUP/SHUTDOWN FILES
       Commands  are  first  read from /etc/zsh/zshenv; this
       cannot be overridden.  Subsequent behaviour is  modi‐
       fied  by  the  RCS and GLOBAL_RCS options; the former
       affects all startup  files,  while  the  second  only
       affects  global  startup files (those shown here with
       an path starting with a /).  If one of the options is
       unset at any point, any subsequent startup file(s) of
       the corresponding type will not be read.  It is  also
       possible   for   a  file  in  $ZDOTDIR  to  re-enable
       GLOBAL_RCS.  Both  RCS  and  GLOBAL_RCS  are  set  by
       default.

       Commands are then read from $ZDOTDIR/.zshenv.  If the
       shell is  a  login  shell,  commands  are  read  from
       /etc/zsh/zprofile and then $ZDOTDIR/.zprofile.  Then,
       if the shell is interactive, commands are  read  from
       /etc/zsh/zshrc and then $ZDOTDIR/.zshrc.  Finally, if
       the shell  is  a  login  shell,  /etc/zsh/zlogin  and
       $ZDOTDIR/.zlogin are read.

       When a login shell exits, the files $ZDOTDIR/.zlogout
       and then /etc/zsh/zlogout  are  read.   This  happens
       with  either  an explicit exit via the exit or logout
       commands, or an implicit exit by reading  end-of-file
       from  the terminal.  However, if the shell terminates
       due to exec'ing another process, the logout files are
       not  read.   These  are  also affected by the RCS and
       GLOBAL_RCS options.  Note also that  the  RCS  option
       affects  the  saving of history files, i.e. if RCS is
       unset when the shell exits, no history file  will  be
       saved.

       If  ZDOTDIR  is  unset,  HOME is used instead.  Files
       listed above as being  in  /etc  may  be  in  another
       directory, depending on the installation.

       As  /etc/zsh/zshenv  is run for all instances of zsh,
       it is important that it be kept as small as possible.
       In  particular,  it  is  a good idea to put code that
       does not need to be run for every single shell behind
       a  test  of  the  form `if [[ -o rcs ]]; then ...' so
       that it will not be executed when zsh is invoked with
       the `-f' option.

       Any of these files may be pre-compiled with the zcom‐
       pile builtin command (see zshbuiltins(1)).  If a com‐
       piled  file  exists (named for the original file plus
       the .zwc extension) and it is newer than the original
       file, the compiled file will be used instead.

FILES
       $ZDOTDIR/.zshenv
       $ZDOTDIR/.zprofile
       $ZDOTDIR/.zshrc
       $ZDOTDIR/.zlogin
       $ZDOTDIR/.zlogout
       ${TMPPREFIX}*   (default is /tmp/zsh*)
       /etc/zsh/zshenv
       /etc/zsh/zprofile
       /etc/zsh/zshrc
       /etc/zsh/zlogin
       /etc/zsh/zlogout     (installation-specific - /etc is
       the default)