~/emacs/layers/ can now be used with symlinks for private layers

layers/smartparens/README.org

+#+TITLE: smartparens layer
+# Document tags are separated with "|" char
+# The example below contains 2 tags: "layer" and "web service"
+# Avaliable tags are listed in <spacemacs_root>/.ci/spacedoc-cfg.edn
+# under ":spacetools.spacedoc.config/valid-tags" section.
+#+TAGS: layer|web service
+
+# The maximum height of the logo should be 200 pixels.
+[[img/smartparens.png]]
+
+# TOC links should be GitHub style anchors.
+* Table of Contents                                        :TOC_4_gh:noexport:
+- [[#description][Description]]
+  - [[#features][Features:]]
+- [[#install][Install]]
+- [[#key-bindings][Key bindings]]
+
+* Description
+This layer adds support for something.
+
+** Features:
+  - Autocomplete
+  - Lint
+  - Refactor
+  - ...
+
+* Install
+To use this configuration layer, add it to your =~/.spacemacs=. You will need to
+add =smartparens= to the existing =dotspacemacs-configuration-layers= list in this
+file.
+
+* Key bindings
+
+| Key Binding | Description    |
+|-------------+----------------|
+| ~SPC x x x~ | Does thing01   |
+
+# Use GitHub URLs if you wish to link a Spacemacs documentation file or its heading.
+# Examples:
+# [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs/blob/master/doc/VIMUSERS.org#sessions]]
+# [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs/blob/master/layers/%2Bfun/emoji/README.org][Link to Emoji layer README.org]]
+# If space-doc-mode is enabled, Spacemacs will open a local copy of the linked file.

layers/smartparens/packages.el

+;;; packages.el --- smartparens layer packages file for Spacemacs.
+;;
+;; Copyright (c) 2012-2018 Sylvain Benner & Contributors
+;;
+;; Author: Pierre Balayé <ulys@ITAK>
+;; URL: https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs
+;;
+;; This file is not part of GNU Emacs.
+;;
+;;; License: GPLv3
+
+;;; Commentary:
+
+;; See the Spacemacs documentation and FAQs for instructions on how to implement
+;; a new layer:
+;;
+;;   SPC h SPC layers RET
+;;
+;;
+;; Briefly, each package to be installed or configured by this layer should be
+;; added to `smartparens-packages'. Then, for each package PACKAGE:
+;;
+;; - If PACKAGE is not referenced by any other Spacemacs layer, define a
+;;   function `smartparens/init-PACKAGE' to load and initialize the package.
+
+;; - Otherwise, PACKAGE is already referenced by another Spacemacs layer, so
+;;   define the functions `smartparens/pre-init-PACKAGE' and/or
+;;   `smartparens/post-init-PACKAGE' to customize the package as it is loaded.
+
+;;; Code:
+
+(defconst smartparens-packages
+  '(
+    yasnippet
+    yasnippet-snippets
+    smartparens
+    evil-smartparens
+     )
+  "The list of Lisp packages required by the smartparens layer.
+
+Each entry is either:
+
+1. A symbol, which is interpreted as a package to be installed, or
+
+2. A list of the form (PACKAGE KEYS...), where PACKAGE is the
+    name of the package to be installed or loaded, and KEYS are
+    any number of keyword-value-pairs.
+
+    The following keys are accepted:
+
+    - :excluded (t or nil): Prevent the package from being loaded
+      if value is non-nil
+
+    - :location: Specify a custom installation location.
+      The following values are legal:
+
+      - The symbol `elpa' (default) means PACKAGE will be
+        installed using the Emacs package manager.
+
+      - The symbol `local' directs Spacemacs to load the file at
+        `./local/PACKAGE/PACKAGE.el'
+
+      - A list beginning with the symbol `recipe' is a melpa
+        recipe.  See: https://github.com/milkypostman/melpa#recipe-format")
+
+(defun smartparens/init-yasnippet ()
+   (use-package yasnippet :ensure t)
+  )
+
+(defun smartparens/init-yasnippet-snippets ()
+  (use-package yasnippet-snippets :ensure t)
+  )
+
+(defun smartparens/init-evil-smartparens ()
+  (use-package evil-smartparens :ensure t)
+  )
+
+(defun smartparens/post-init-smartparens ()
+  (use-package smartparens
+    :diminish ""
+    :bind (("C-}" . sp-forward-slurp-sexp)
+           ("C-{" . sp-forward-barf-sexp)
+           ("C-)" . sp-splice-sexp))
+    :config (add-hook 'smartparens-enabled-hook #'evil-smartparens-mode)
+      )
+  )
+
+;;; packages.el ends here