generate-template-files

A simple generator that is independent of any language. Create custom boilerplate, scaffolding, skeleton, and templating code files that you need to create over and over again. All you need is NodeJS installed to get started.

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Medium Article - Generate Template Files with Ease

Install

With NPM:

$ npm install generate-template-files

With Yarn:

$ yarn add generate-template-files

Usage

1. Check out the examples folder or create a file called generate.js. Note that this file name is flexible.
2. In that file, add in the example code below.
3. Run node generate.js within Terminal (Mac) or Powershell (Win) once you've added your template files.

const { generateTemplateFiles } = require('generate-template-files');

const config = require('../package.json');

generateTemplateFiles([
  {
    option: 'Create Redux Store',
    defaultCase: '(pascalCase)',
    entry: {
      folderPath: './tools/templates/react/redux-store/',
    },
    stringReplacers: ['__store__', { question: 'Insert model name', slot: '__model__' }],
    output: {
      path: './src/stores/__store__(lowerCase)',
      pathAndFileNameDefaultCase: '(kebabCase)',
      overwrite: true,
    },
  },
  {
    option: 'Create Reduce Action',
    defaultCase: '(pascalCase)',
    entry: {
      folderPath: './tools/templates/react/redux-store/__store__Action.ts',
    },
    stringReplacers: ['__store__', '__model__'],
    dynamicReplacers: [
      { slot: '__version__', slotValue: config.version },
      { slot: '__description__', slotValue: config.description },
    ],
    output: {
      path: './src/stores/__store__/__store__(lowerCase)/__store__(pascalCase)Action.ts',
      pathAndFileNameDefaultCase: '(kebabCase)',
    },
    onComplete: (results) => {
      console.log(`results`, results);
    },
  },
]);

As outlined in the examples folder, I prefer to create a tools folder and place generate.js w/ templates files in there. Additionally, I'll add a script task ("generate": "node ./tools/generate.js") to my package.json file for convienent running of the generator using npm run generate or yarn generate.

┣━ package.json
┣━ src
┗━ tools/
   ┣━ generate.js
   ┗━ templates/
      ┣━ SomeFile.js
      ┗━ __name__(pascalCase)Action.ts

API

The generateTemplateFiles function takes an array of IConfigItem items.

IConfigItem

• option - The name of the option to choose when asked.

• defaultCase - The default Case Converters to use with the Replacer Slots in the template files. Default is (noCase).

• entry.folderPath - Path to a folder of files or a single template file.

• stringReplacers - An array of Replacer Slots used to replace content in the designated entry.folderPath.

• dynamicReplacers - (Optional) An array of IReplacer used to replace content in the designated entry.folderPath.

• output.path - The desired output path for generated files. Case Converters and Replacer Slots can be used to make the path somewhat dynamic.

• output.pathAndFileNameDefaultCase - The Case Converters to use for the file path and file name(s).

• output.overwrite - (Optional) When true it will overwrite any files that are named the same.

• onComplete - (Optional) Takes a callback function that is called once the file(s) have been outputted. A IResults object will be passed to the callback.

Example

{
    option: 'Create Redux Store',
    defaultCase: '(pascalCase)',
    entry: {
        folderPath: './tools/templates/react/redux-store/',
    },
    stringReplacers: ['__store__', { question: 'Insert model name', slot: '__model__' }],
    dynamicReplacers: [
        {slot:'__version__', slotValue: config.version},
        {slot:'__description__', slotValue: config.description}
    ],
    output: {
        path: './src/stores/__store__(lowerCase)',
        pathAndFileNameDefaultCase: '(kebabCase)',
    },
    onComplete: (results) => {
        console.log(results);
    },
},

IResults

Below is an example of what you receive from the onComplete callback. It has the output path, list of files created and the Replacer Slots with the value entered.

• output.path - The file(s) output path
• output.files - List of files created
• stringReplacers - List of Replacer Slots; name and values entered during the setup process

Example data you would get from the onComplete callback

{
    output: {
        path: './src/stores/some-thing',
        files: [
            './src/stores/some-thing/SomeThingModule.ts',
            './src/stores/some-thing/SomeThingModuleAction.ts',
            './src/stores/some-thing/SomeThingModuleGetter.ts',
            './src/stores/some-thing/SomeThingModuleMutation.ts',
            './src/stores/some-thing/SomeThingService.ts',
            './src/stores/some-thing/models/actions/ISomeThingState.ts',
            './src/stores/some-thing/models/actions/OtherThingResponseModel.ts'
        ]
    },
    stringReplacers: [
        {
            slot: '__store__',
            slotValue: 'some thing'
        },
        {
            slot: '__model__',
            slotValue: 'other thing'
        }
    ]
}

Replacer Slots or IReplacerSlotQuestion

Replacer Slots are unique string value(s) to be replaced by the generator. An array of string values and/or IReplacerSlotQuestion objects can be used.

stringReplacers: ['__store__', { question: 'Insert model name', slot: '__model__' }];

Replacer slot can be any string value you want to use. You can use something like this in your template files and/or in the file path names.

• ~replacerSlot~
• {{something else}}
• __AnythingYouWant__

IReplacerSlotQuestion

Below is an example of a IReplacerSlotQuestion

{question: 'Insert model name', slot: '__model__'}

• question - The question to ask the use what value should be used for the replacer slot
• slot - The string value for the Replacer Slots

Dynamic Replacer Slots

If you have data that is dynamically generated, or you have hard coded values you can use the dynamicReplacers:

dynamicReplacers: [
  {slot:'__description__', slotValue: config.description}
],

Case Converters

Case Converters transform the string value entered upon use of the generator.

Example

• In the generator template __replacerSlot__ is appended by the (pascalCase) converter such as __replacerSlot__(pascalCase).
• When the generator is ran, the string "product reducer" is provided for __replacerSlot__.
• As a result, the converter will produce ProductReducer.

Here is the string Lives down BY the River with each of the converters:

// If you typed in 'Lives down BY the River' for the a Replacer Slot named '__replacerSlot__' and 
// used one of the optional Case Converters you would get the following:

__replacerSlot__(noCase)        // Lives down BY the River
__replacerSlot__(camelCase)     // livesDownByTheRiver
__replacerSlot__(constantCase)  // LIVES_DOWN_BY_THE_RIVER
__replacerSlot__(dotCase)       // lives.down.by.the.river
__replacerSlot__(kebabCase)     // lives-down-by-the-river
__replacerSlot__(lowerCase)     // livesdownbytheriver
__replacerSlot__(pascalCase)    // LivesDownByTheRiver
__replacerSlot__(pathCase)      // lives/down/by/the/river
__replacerSlot__(sentenceCase)  // Lives down by the river
__replacerSlot__(snakeCase)     // lives_down_by_the_river
__replacerSlot__(titleCase)     // Lives Down By The River

// Note: you can set a 'defaultCase' converter in IConfigItem so all 
// Replacer Slots without a Case Converter will be transformed the same way.
__replacerSlot__                // LivesDownByTheRiver

One Rule: no spaces between the Replacer Slots and Case Converters. If there is a space, Case Converters will not work.

• ✅ __name__(camelCase)
• ⚠️ __name__ (camelCase)

Command Line Usage

You can use generate-template-files with the command line to generate your template files.

// generate.js
const { generateTemplateFilesCommandLine } = require('generate-template-files');

generateTemplateFilesCommandLine([
  {
    option: 'Create Reduce Action',
    defaultCase: '(pascalCase)',
    entry: {
      folderPath: './tools/templates/react/redux-store/__store__Action.ts',
    },
    stringReplacers: ['__store__', '__model__'],
    dynamicReplacers: [
      { slot: '__version__', slotValue: config.version },
      { slot: '__description__', slotValue: config.description },
    ],
    output: {
      path: './src/stores/__store__/__store__(lowerCase)/__store__(pascalCase)Action.ts',
      pathAndFileNameDefaultCase: '(kebabCase)',
    },
  },
]);

Minimum Options

node ./tools/generate.js create-reduce-action __store__=some-name __model__=some-other-name

All Options

node ./tools/generate.js create-reduce-action __store__=some-name __model__=some-other-name --outputpath=./src/here --overwrite

Command LIne Script Overview

• node ./tools/generate.js - Runs the generate-template-files library
• create-reduce-action - The template name; It uses the same option name in the IConfigItem but converts all options names to kebab-case. For example option: 'Create Reduce Action' will be converted to create-reduce-action when using the command line
• __store__=some-name - Are Replacer Slots and will be converted to { slot: "__store__", slotValue: "some-name" }
• --outputpath=./src/here - Will override the output.path in the IConfigItem
• --overwrite - Will overwrite files if the files already exists