How to Install and Configure Oh My Posh on Arch Linux with Zsh

Upgrading your terminal’s aesthetics and functionality can dramatically improve your coding experience. One way to do this on Arch Linux is by installing Oh My Posh, a prompt theme engine for shell environments. This blog post will guide you through the process of installing Oh My Posh and configuring the Alien theme using Zsh.

Step 1: Download the Correct Binary

Before anything, you must download the correct Oh My Posh binary suitable for Linux. You can check the latest release and appropriate file link directly from the Oh My Posh Releases page on GitHub. Use the following commands to download and set up the binary:

# Download the correct binary for Linux (replace the URL with the latest version if needed)
wget https://github.com/JanDeDobbeleer/oh-my-posh/releases/latest/download/posh-linux-amd64 -O oh-my-posh

# Make the binary executable
chmod +x oh-my-posh

# Move the binary to a directory in your PATH
sudo mv oh-my-posh /usr/local/bin/

Step 2: Verify the Installation

After installing, it’s crucial to ensure that the oh-my-posh executable is working correctly:

# Check Oh My Posh version to verify installation
oh-my-posh --version

If the command prints the version of Oh My Posh, the tool has been installed successfully.

Step 3: Configure Oh My Posh for Zsh

With Oh My Posh installed, your next step is to configure it to use with Zsh:

1. Create a directory for themes (if not already done):
   

   mkdir -p ~/.poshthemes
   

2. Download the Alien theme configuration:
   

   curl -Lo ~/.poshthemes/alien.omp.json https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JanDeDobbeleer/oh-my-posh/main/themes/alien.omp.json
   

3. Update your .zshrc file to use Oh My Posh:

   Open your .zshrc file in a text editor:
   

   nano ~/.zshrc
   

   Add the following line to the file to initialize Oh My Posh:
   

   eval "$(oh-my-posh --init --shell zsh --config ~/.poshthemes/alien.omp.json)"
   

   Save and close the file. Then, apply the changes:
   

   source ~/.zshrc
   

Step 4: Check the Configuration

To see the changes, open a new terminal window or tab. The Oh My Posh prompt with the Alien theme should now be active. Ensure your terminal is configured to use a Nerd Font to correctly display all icons and glyphs.

If you encounter any issues, verify that the oh-my-posh binary path (/usr/local/bin/oh-my-posh) is correctly included in your PATH environment variable. Make any necessary adjustments depending on your installation path.

This setup should now display the prompt correctly with the chosen theme, enhancing your terminal’s functionality and aesthetics. Enjoy your new, powerful, and visually pleasing terminal setup!