Integration of NixOS/Nix with Haskell IDE Engine (HIE) and Emacs (Spacemacs)¶

1. Install the Cachix: https://github.com/cachix/cachix ¶

2. Installation of HIE: https://github.com/infinisil/all-hies/#cached-builds ¶

2.1. Provide cached builds¶

cachix use all-hies

2.2.a. Installation on NixOS distribution:¶

{ config, pkgs, ... }:

let

  all-hies = import (fetchTarball "https://github.com/infinisil/all-hies/tarball/master") {};

in {
  environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [

    (all-hies.selection { selector = p: { inherit (p) ghc865 ghc864; }; })

  ];
}

Insert your GHC versions.

Switch to new configuration:

sudo -i nixos-rebuild switch

2.2.b. Installation with Nix package manager:¶

nix-env -iA selection --arg selector 'p: { inherit (p) ghc865 ghc864; }' -f 'https://github.com/infinisil/all-hies/tarball/master'

Insert your GHC versions.

3. Emacs (Spacemacs) configuration:¶

dotspacemacs-configuration-layers
'(

  auto-completion

  (lsp :variables
       default-nix-wrapper (lambda (args)
                             (append
                              (append (list "nix-shell" "-I" "." "--command" )
                                      (list (mapconcat 'identity args " "))
                                      )
                              (list (nix-current-sandbox))
                              )
                             )

       lsp-haskell-process-wrapper-function default-nix-wrapper
       )

  (haskell :variables
           haskell-enable-hindent t
           haskell-completion-backend 'lsp
           haskell-process-type 'cabal-new-repl
           )

)


 dotspacemacs-additional-packages '(
                                    direnv
                                    nix-sandbox
                                    )

Where:

auto-complettion configures YASnippet.

nix-sandbox (https://github.com/travisbhartwell/nix-emacs) has a great helper functions. Using nix-current-sandbox function in default-nix-wrapper that used to properly configure lsp-haskell-process-wrapper-function.

Configuration of the lsp-haskell-process-wrapper-function default-nix-wrapper is a key for HIE to work in nix-shell

Inside nix-shell the haskell-process-type 'cabal-new-repl is required.

/Configuration was reassembled from: https://github.com/emacs-lsp/lsp-haskell/blob/8f2dbb6e827b1adce6360c56f795f29ecff1d7f6/lsp-haskell.el#L57 & its authors config: https://github.com/sevanspowell/dotfiles/blob/master/.spacemacs /

Refresh Emasc.

4. Open the Haskell file from a project¶

Open system monitor, observe the process of environment establishing, packages loading & compiling.

5. Be pleased writing code¶

Now, the powers of the Haskell, Nix & Emacs combined. It's fully in your hands now. Be cautious - you can change the world.

6. (optional) Debugging¶

If recieving sort-of:

readCreateProcess : cabal-helper-wrapper failure

HIE tries to run cabal operations like on the non-Nix system. So it is a problem with detection of nix-shell environment, running inside it.

If HIE keeps getting ready, failing & restarting - check that the projects ghc --version is declared in your all-hie NixOS configuration.