micro-generator for individual files, easy like sunday morning

• any file, anywhere on disk can be a template
  • no need to install templates (like heavy weight project generators)
• easiest way to fill in templates, using simple handlebars placeholders
• no data files required (like other handlebars cli's)
  • you'll be prompted to fill in the data at runtime

$ npm install microgen # --global

$ microgen --help

  Usage: microgen <template-file> [output-file]

  Options:

    -h, --help      show usage help
    -p, --pipe      pipe output to stdout, instead of writing to file

    output-file     if not specified, it will be $PWD/<template-file>
                    * if <template-file> has an ".hbs" extension,
                      it will be removed from the output-file name

A microgen template is any file that can have handlebars placeholders. Microgen will scan the template for placeholders and prompt you to fill in a value for each one.

Supported placeholders:

• Variable {{some-value}}
• Block {{#some-boolean}}something{{else}}something else{{/some-boolean}}
  • {{^}} is the same as {{else}}
  • You can use string literals, e.g. {{#"Are you happy"}}great{{/"Are you happy"}}
• Comment {{!some string to display when prompting}}
  • {{!--x--}} is the same as {{!x}}
  • {{!}} just adds a newline to the display

For example, say you have a package.json template file:

{{!
== Let the Good Times Roll ==
}}
{
  "name": "{{name}}",
  "repository": "{{owner}}/{{name}}",
  "description": "{{description}}",
{{!}}{{#"Include Dependencies"}}
  "dependencies": {
{{#assert-dotenv}}
    "assert-dotenv": "3.0.0",{{/assert-dotenv}}{{!}}{{#"Use a CLI Helper [meow, inquirer, commander]"}}{{#meow}}
    "meow": "^3.0.0",{{else}}{{#inquirer}}
    "inquirer": "^1.0.2",{{^}}{{#commander}}
    "commander": "^2.9.0",{{/commander}}{{/inquirer}}{{/meow}}{{/"Use a CLI Helper [meow, inquirer, commander]"}}
  }
{{/"Include Dependencies"}}
}

Microgen will prompt you like so:

== Let the Good Times Roll ==

name: smile
owner: busterc
description: writes :) to stdout

Include Dependencies (Y/n): y
  assert-dotenv (Y/n): y
  
  Use a CLI Helper [meow, inquirer, commander] (Y/n): y
    meow (Y/n): n
      inquirer (Y/n): n
        commander (Y/n): y

...and the resulting output file will contain:

{
  "name": "smile",
  "repository": "busterc/smile",
  "description": "writes :) to stdout",

  "dependencies": {
    "assert-dotenv": "3.0.0",
    "commander": "^2.9.0",
  }
}

microgen was inspired by khaos

If you need heavy weight project scaffolding generators, then look into plop and yo

ISC © Buster Collings