A minimal python script you can use anywhere to perform substitutions of your specifications on save.

1. git clone / git submodule this repository into the project folder
2. Ensure you have python3 installed
3. While at the root of your project folder, run the following command.

python macroOnSave/main.py

4. If this is your first time, a macro_config.json file would be created.
5. Edit the macro_config.json file to your requirement.
   1. watch_dir is the directory which macros will be enabled.
   2. macro_dir is the directory where you define your macros.
   3. marker is the tag before the file name to be substituted.
   4. replace_start is the tag to mark the start of a macro.
   5. replace_end is the tag to mark the end of a macro.
   6. refresh_time is the period which the program will check file saves
6. Re-run python macrosOnSave/main.py to start the program.

Suppose you set your watch_dir as src/ and macro_dir as macro/.

And you are working on a file src/A/main.cpp which has the following content.

// src/A/main.cpp
#include <iostream>

int main() {
    std::cout << "Hello World\n";
}

And you have defined a macro in macro/B/bye.cpp. Note that only the lines between ...MACRO-START... and ...MACRO-END... will be used.

// macro/B/bye.cpp - Start
#include <iostream>

// MACRO-START
void bye() {
    std::cout << "Goodbye\n";
}
// MACRO-END

Then simply by typing >>> <substring of macro file name> like >>> by or >>> bye.c,

// src/A/main.cpp
#include <iostream>

>>> by

int main() {
    std::cout << "Hello World\n";
}

Turns into the following on save

// src/A/main.cpp
#include <iostream>

void bye() {
    std::cout << "Goodbye\n";
}

int main() {
    std::cout << "Hello World\n";
}

Its just that simple.

1. Macros are line level replacements. So expect the line containing >>> <filename> to be replaced with the file contents of the macro.
2. You can define macros in subdirectories, of macro_dir as the program will scour the directory for a suitable file.