WSL Dotfiles - Unified Color Scheme System

A sophisticated dotfiles configuration that creates seamless color scheme synchronization between WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) and Windows Terminal environments using Pywal.

Features

🎨 Automatic Color Generation

• Pywal Integration: Generates color palettes from wallpapers or screenshots
• Cross-Platform Sync: Synchronizes colors between WSL and Windows environments
• Dynamic Updates: Real-time color scheme updates across all terminal interfaces

🖥️ Windows Integration

• PowerShell Profile: Enhanced with Starship prompt and Terminal-Icons
• Windows Terminal: Automatic color scheme application and cursor color matching
• Screenshot-to-Palette: Capture desktop screenshots and generate color schemes
• Wallpaper Management: Set wallpapers and sync colors automatically

🐧 WSL Integration

• Starship Prompt: Customized with Pywal color integration
• Bash Scripts: Automatic color synchronization utilities
• Cross-Environment: Seamless color updates between Windows and WSL

Screenshots

PowerShell with Synchronized Colors

System Monitoring with Color Theme

Development Environment

Installation

Prerequisites

• Windows 10/11 with WSL2 enabled
• PowerShell 7+ (covers installation in video)
• Windows Terminal (for best visual experience)
• Nerd Font (required for icons - covered in setup video)
• Python and pip (for Pywal installation)
• Optional: Wallpaper Engine (for live wallpaper color extraction)

Setup Steps

1. Install Pywal

   pip install pywal

2. Install Required PowerShell Modules

   # Terminal Icons for file type icons
   Install-Module -Name Terminal-Icons -Force
   
   # PSReadLine for enhanced autocompletion (covered in Part 2)
   Install-Module -Name PSReadLine -Force

3. Install Starship Prompt

   # In WSL (Ubuntu/Debian)
   curl -sS https://starship.rs/install.sh | sh

   # In PowerShell (Windows)
   winget install --id Starship.Starship

4. Clone and Setup

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/wsl-dotfiles.git
   cd wsl-dotfiles
   
   # Copy Windows configs
   cp windows/Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1 $HOME/Documents/PowerShell/
   cp windows/.config/* $HOME/.config/
   
   # Copy WSL scripts
   cp wsl/*.sh $HOME/
   chmod +x $HOME/*.sh
   
   # Copy Starship config
   cp windows/.config/starship.toml $HOME/.config/

Usage

PowerShell Commands

The PowerShell profile provides several convenient aliases:

# Generate colors from current wallpaper and sync
Pywal-Starship

# Update theme from new wallpaper
Wallpaper-Starship

# Take screenshot and generate theme
Screenshot-Starship

Core Functions (from winwal.psm1 module)

• pywal_to_starship: Updates Starship colors from current Pywal theme
• update_pywal_to_starship: Generates new Pywal theme from wallpaper and syncs
• screenshot_to_pywal_to_starship: Takes desktop screenshot, generates theme, and applies colors

PSReadLine Autocompletion

The setup includes enhanced PowerShell autocompletion with PSReadLine:

• History-based suggestions
• Predictive text
• Enhanced tab completion
• Configured in the PowerShell profile

Manual Sync

# In WSL - sync colors to local Starship
~/waltostarship.sh

# In WSL - sync colors to Windows Starship
~/winwaltostarship.sh

Configuration Files

Windows (/windows/)

• Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1: PowerShell profile with Pywal integration
• .config/starship.toml: Starship prompt configuration with Pywal colors
• .config/winwal.psm1: Windows Pywal integration module
• .config/screenshot.ps1: Screenshot and wallpaper management

WSL (/wsl/)

• waltostarship.sh: Sync Pywal colors to WSL Starship config
• winwaltostarship.sh: Sync Pywal colors to Windows Starship config

Color Palette

The system uses a 9-color palette (color0-color8) extracted by Pywal:

• color0: Background
• color1-color6: Accent colors
• color7: Foreground
• color8: Bright background

These colors are automatically applied to:

• Starship prompt segments
• Windows Terminal color scheme
• Terminal Icons theme
• Command prompt colors

Advanced Features

Automatic Terminal Integration

• Windows Terminal settings are automatically updated
• Cursor color matches the color scheme
• Previous settings are backed up before changes

Multi-Backend Support

• Supports multiple Pywal backends (colorthief, colorz, haishoku, etc.)
• Light/dark theme detection and automatic switching
• Terminal Icons integration with dynamic color themes

Screenshot Workflow

1. Minimizes all windows
2. Captures desktop screenshot
3. Generates color palette with Pywal
4. Updates all terminal configurations
5. Restores windows

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• Colors not updating: Ensure Pywal cache exists at ~/.cache/wal/
• Windows Terminal not changing: Check if Terminal is running with proper permissions
• Scripts not executable: Run chmod +x ~/waltostarship.sh ~/winwaltostarship.sh

Dependencies

• Ensure all PowerShell modules are installed
• Verify Pywal installation with wal --version
• Check Starship installation with starship --version

Videos

Part 1: Complete Setup Guide

Comprehensive tutorial for setting up PowerShell and WSL (bash) environment in Windows 11 with Pywal integration for dynamic color theming from desktop backgrounds and live wallpapers (Wallpaper Engine support).

Part 2: Advanced Features

Advanced configuration including screenshot-based theming, winwal.psm1 module enhancements, and PSReadLine autocompletion setup.

License

MIT License - Feel free to modify and adapt for your own setup.

Contributing

Pull requests welcome! Please ensure any changes maintain compatibility across both WSL and Windows environments.