README_en.md

template-simple

A template simple to show how to write a custom template by yourself.

Writing Custom Templates from Scratch

• A template repo must have a template directory that holds the template files.
• A template repo may have a metadata file for the template which can be either a meta.js or meta.json file. It can contain the following fields:
  • prompts: used to collect user options data
  • filters: used to conditional filter files to render
  • completeMessage: the message to be displayed to the user when the template has been generated. You can include custom instruction here

prompts

The prompts field in the metadata file should be an object hash containing prompts for the user. For each entry, the key is the variable name and the value is an Inquirer.js question object. Example:

{
    "description": {
        "type": "string",
        "required": false,
        "message": "Project description",
        "default": "project description"
    }
}

After all prompts are finished, all files inside template will be rendered using Handlebars, with the prompt results as the data.

Conditional Prompts

A prompt can be made conditional by adding a when field, which should be a JavaScript expression evaluated with data collected from previous prompts. For example:

{
  "prompts": {
    "lint": {
        "type": "confirm",
        "message": ""Use ESLint to lint your code?"
    },
    "eslint": {
      "when": "lint",
      "type": "list",
      "message": "Pick a lint config",
      "choices": [
        "standard",
        "airbnb",
        "none"
      ]
    }
  }
}

The prompt for eslint will only be triggered when the user answered yes to the lint prompt.

File filters

The filters field in the metadata file should be an object hash containing file filtering rules. For each entry, the key is a minimatch glob pattern and the value is a JavaScript expression evaluated in the context of prompt answers data. Example:

{
  "prompts": {
      "unit": {
          "type": "confirm",
          "message": "Setup unit tests with Mocha?"
      }
  },  
  "filters": {
    "test/*": "unit"
  }
}

Files under test will only be generated if the user answered yes to the prompt for unit.

Note that the dot option for minimatch is set to true so glob patterns would also match dotfiles by default.

Additional data available in meta.{js,json}

• destDirName - destination directory name

{
  "completeMessage": "To get started:\n\n  cd {{destDirName}}\n  npm install\n  npm run dev"
}

• isCwd - generating template into current directory

{
  "completeMessage": "{{#isCwd}}To get started:\n\n  npm install\n  npm run dev.{{else}}To get started:\n\n  cd {{destDirName}}\n  npm install\n  npm run dev.{{/isCwd}}"
}