ffizer
ffizer is a files and folders initializer / generator. Create any kind (or part) of project from template.
keywords: file generator, project template, project scaffolding, quickstart, project initializer, project skeleton
Motivations
Main features
- [X] project generator as a standalone executable (no shared/system dependencies (so no python + pip + ...))
- [X] a simple and generic project template (no specialisation to one ecosystem)
- [X] template as simple as possible, like a
- [X] copy or clone with file/folder renames without overwrite
- [X] few search and replace into file
- [X] template hosted as a local folder on the file system
- [ ] template hosted as a git repository on any host (not only public github)
- [X] at root of the repository
- [ ] in subfolder of the repository
- [ ] in any revision (branch, tag, commit)
- [X] a fast enough project generator
Sub features
- [X] dry mode (usefull to test)
- [ ] chain template generation because fragment of templates can be commons
- [ ] chain commands (eg: 'git init') (like a post-hook)
- [ ] raw command
- [ ] template command
Limitations
Some of the following limitations could change in the future (depends on gain/loss):
- no conditionnals file or folder creation
- no update of existing file or folder
- no specials features
- no plugin and not extensible (without change the code)
- handlebars is the only template language supported (support for other is welcome)
Usages
Install
via github releases
Download the binary for your platform from github releases, then unarchive it and place it your PATH.
via cargo
sh
cargo install ffizer
Run
```txt
ffizer 0.4.1
davidB
ffizer is a files and folders initializer / generator. Create any kind (or part) of project from template.
USAGE:
ffizer [FLAGS] [OPTIONS] --destination --source
FLAGS:
-h, --help Prints help information
--offline in offline, only local templates or cached templates are used
-V, --version Prints version information
-v, --verbose Verbose mode (-v, -vv (very verbose / level debug), -vvv) print on stderr
--x-alwaysdefaultvalue should not ask for valiables values, always use defautl value or empty (experimental
- for test only)
OPTIONS:
--confirm ask confirmation 'never', 'always' or 'auto' (default) [default: auto]
-d, --destination destination folder (created if doesn't exist)
--rev git revision of the template [default: master]
-s, --source uri / path of the template
```
- use a local folder as template
sh
ffizer --source $HOME/my_templates/tmpl0 --destination my_project
- use a remote git repository as template
sh
ffizer --source https://github.com/davidB/ffizer_demo_template.git --destination my_project
Create your first template
( from scratch without ffizer ;-) )
```sh
create the folder with the template
mkdir my-template
cd my-template
add file that will be copied as is
cat > file0.txt <
add a template file that will be "rendered" by the handlebars engine
- the file should have the .ffizer.hbs extension,
- the extension .ffizer.hbs is removed from the generated filename
cat > file1.txt.ffizer.hbs <
add a file with a name that will be "rendered" by the handlebars engine
- the file should have {{ variable }},
cat > '{{ project }}.txt' <
```
- The minimal template is an empty dir.
- a sample template and its expected output (on empty folder) is available at tests/test_1.
file priority (what file will be used if they have the same destination path)
txt
existing file
file with source extension .ffizer.hbs (and no {{...}} in the source file path)
file with identical source file name (and extension)
file with {{...}} in the source file path
Build
Alternatives
Generic
- Cookiecutter, lot of templates, require python + pip + install dependencies on system (automatic)
- Cookiecutter — Similar projects
- sethyuan/fgen: A file generator library to be used to generate project structures, file templates and/or snippets. Templates are based on mustache. require nodejs
- project_init in rust, use mustache for templating but I have some issues with it (project template creation not obvious, github only, plus few bug) I could contributes but I have incompatible requirements (and would like to create my own since a long time).
- skeleton, good idea but no template file, more like a script.
- porteurbars, very similar but I discover it too late.
Specialized
specilazed to a platform, build tool,...