Consider adding automatic language mode installation?

[volb]

One of the things holding me back from using spacemacs full time is the lack of automated installation of major modes for new languages not built in yet. Would this be a bad idea to add? Or has it been added already? It's a feature in prelude.

[volb]

I can help work on this if you'd like.

[syl20bnr]

I won't provide such feature. Spacemacs is designed to install and use only what you explicitly reference in your .spacemacs file. If you want the support for a language you can see if it is supported with SPC f e h and then add it to your .spacemacs.

For now when you add a layer to your dotspacemac-configuration-layers variable you have to restart spacemacs but there will be support for installing it without restarting it. It will even be possible to install it from helm-spacemacs (SPC f e h) but to make it persistent it will be necessary to add it explicitly to your dotfile.

Generally I'm for explicit declaration since it gives more control and tends to make debugging easier.

[syl20bnr]

Followup on this. I'm considering it. It can be a nice feature to quickly look at a file in another language without actually installing a layer.

[volb]

This makes me happy haha. How about some sort of special personal configuration layer that holds odds and ends like this? The documentation compares config layers to Vundle but while Vundle is less organized, it seems like less work? I don't know, the organization as it is is very clean. Just a thought.

[Compro-Prasad]

Any progress on this @syl20bnr ?

[Miciah]

Does dotspacemacs-enable-lazy-installation provide the requested functionality? Lazy installation of layers appears to have been added since this issue was opened, but it is not clear to me whether "installation of major modes for new languages not built in yet" means installing Spacemacs layers that are not enabled by default or installing packages for which layers have not yet been defined.

[fiveNinePlusR]

I think this is built in now to spacemacs and can be closed unless the original author of the issue says that it's not what they mean.

[Compro-Prasad]

@sdwolfz This can be closed. Spacemacs offers to install a layer according the extension of a file.