prism-install

The primary package manager interface for the user. It provides a fast, fuzzy-searchable list of available packages to install imperatively into the user's profile. It relies on a local cache of package data to ensure instant search results without needing to query the internet every time.

How it works

1. Cache Verification:
   • It checks for the existence of the package database at ~/.cache/prism/pkglist.txt.
   • If the database is missing, it automatically triggers prism-sync to download/generate it before proceeding.
2. Interactive Search:
   • It loads the package list into fzf (Fuzzy Finder).
   • Preview Window: As you scroll through the list, a preview pane at the top displays the description of the currently highlighted package.
   • Search Scope: The search is restricted to package names (ignoring descriptions) for cleaner matching.
3. Installation:
   • Once a package is selected, the script extracts the package attribute name (e.g., firefox).
   • It runs nix profile install "nixpkgs#<name>", pulling the package from the configured Nix channels and installing it into the user's environment.

Dependencies

• fzf: Powered the interactive search UI.
• prism-sync: An external script required to generate/update the package cache (likely fetches the latest package list from Nixpkgs).
• nix: The underlying package manager.
• gawk: Used to parse the selection string.

Usage

prism-install

Keybindings (within the interface)

• Type: Filter the package list.
• Enter: Install the selected package
• ESC / Ctrl+C: Cancel.