# Alias File Tracking Cleanup

## Overview

The `cleanup-alias-tracking.sh` script is designed to clean up the git repository on systems where `dotfiles/my-aliases.zsh` was previously tracked but should now be treated as a dynamically generated file.

## Problem Context

Originally, `my-aliases.zsh` was tracked in git, but this caused conflicts when the bootstrap process tried to update it with system-specific aliases. The file is now:

- **Generated dynamically** from `my-aliases.zsh.original` template
- **Customized per system** (debian vs ubuntu vs fedora)
- **Should not be tracked** in git to prevent conflicts

## What This Script Does

1. **Removes git tracking** of `dotfiles/my-aliases.zsh`
2. **Updates .gitignore** to ignore the file
3. **Commits the changes** with a descriptive message
4. **Verifies the cleanup** was successful
5. **Provides next steps** for pushing and regenerating aliases

## Usage

### On Each System You Manage

```bash
# Navigate to your shell repository
cd ~/shell

# Run the cleanup script
./cleanup-alias-tracking.sh
```

### What You'll See

The script will:
- Show current git status
- Check if the file is currently tracked
- Check if .gitignore already has the entry
- Ask for confirmation before making changes
- Perform the cleanup
- Verify the results

### Example Output

```
=== Alias File Tracking Cleanup Script ===
This script will remove my-aliases.zsh from git tracking
and update .gitignore to prevent future conflicts.

=== Current Git Status ===
M  dotfiles/my-aliases.zsh

my-aliases.zsh is currently tracked by git
.gitignore needs to be updated

Actions that will be performed:
  1. Remove dotfiles/my-aliases.zsh from git tracking
  2. Add dotfiles/my-aliases.zsh to .gitignore
  3. Commit the changes

Continue? (y/N): y

=== Removing my-aliases.zsh from git tracking ===
✓ Removed dotfiles/my-aliases.zsh from git tracking

=== Updating .gitignore ===
✓ Added new Generated dotfiles section to .gitignore

=== Committing changes ===
✓ Changes committed successfully

=== Verification ===
✓ dotfiles/my-aliases.zsh is no longer tracked
✓ .gitignore contains entry for dotfiles/my-aliases.zsh

=== Final Git Status ===
(clean working directory)

=== Cleanup Complete! ===
```

## After Running the Script

1. **Push the changes** to your repository:
   ```bash
   git push origin main
   ```

2. **Regenerate the aliases** on the system:
   ```bash
   # Run setup to regenerate aliases from template
   ~/shell/setup/setup.sh
   ```

3. **Verify aliases work**:
   ```bash
   # Source your shell config or start a new terminal
   source ~/.zshrc

   # Test aliases
   ll  # Should work if aliases were generated correctly
   ```

## Safety Features

- **Confirmation prompt** before making any changes
- **Git status checks** to show what will be affected
- **Verification steps** to ensure cleanup was successful
- **No data loss** - the script only removes tracking, not the actual file
- **Idempotent** - safe to run multiple times

## Troubleshooting

### Script Says "No changes needed"

This means the cleanup was already done on this system. You can verify by checking:
```bash
git ls-files | grep my-aliases.zsh  # Should return nothing
grep "my-aliases.zsh" .gitignore    # Should show the ignore entry
```

### File Still Shows as Modified

If `my-aliases.zsh` still shows as modified after cleanup:
1. This is normal - the file exists locally but is now ignored
2. Delete the local file: `rm dotfiles/my-aliases.zsh`
3. Run setup to regenerate: `~/shell/setup/setup.sh`

### Merge Conflicts on Other Systems

If you get merge conflicts when pulling:
1. Run this cleanup script first
2. Then pull the latest changes
3. The conflicts should be resolved automatically

## Files Modified

- **dotfiles/my-aliases.zsh** - Removed from git tracking
- **.gitignore** - Added ignore entry with explanatory comment
- **Git history** - One commit documenting the change

## Related Files

- **dotfiles/my-aliases.zsh.original** - Template file (remains tracked)
- **setup/setup.sh** - Script that generates aliases from template
- **~/.oh-my-zsh/custom/aliases.zsh** - Final generated aliases location