bug: programs.bash.historyFile = "${config.xdg.dataHome}/bash/bash_history"; doesn't create the file

[mobsenpai]

Are you following the right branch?

• My Nixpkgs and Home Manager versions are in sync

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

Issue description

Basically setting the bash history file location doesn't create the required files leaving bash with no history files to write the history into.

Maintainer CC

@rycee

System information

- system: `"x86_64-linux"`
 - host os: `Linux 6.1.86, NixOS, 23.11 (Tapir), 23.11.20240417.e402c3e`
 - multi-user?: `no`
 - sandbox: `yes`
 - version: `nix-env (Nix) 2.18.1`
 - nixpkgs: `not found`

[sumnerevans]

I feel like this is more of a limitation of bash than anything else. I couldn't find any documentation that says that it doesn't create the necessary subdirectories, but I also did not find any documentation saying that it does create the directories.

One workaround is that you could add a mkdir -p ${config.xdg.dataHome}/bash to your programs.bash.initExtra

[mobsenpai]

That maybe so but that's just too hacky for me. Do you know how other users use it cuz it is an actual option in the home-manager?

[sumnerevans]

It does look like others are using it in the same way that you are: https://github.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=bash.historyFile&type=code

[mobsenpai]

I asked other repo owners and they also don't see the files created, but they were using other shells so it didnt matter. But this is clearly an issue.