paperback

Easily generate files from templates

Install

npm install --global paperback

Purpose

Create your own templates. Answer questions about the templates via inquirer. Generate those templates with the power of lodash.

Usage

1. Starting with a project such as:

proj/
  components/
    app-bar/
      app-bar.js
      style.css
    jumping-button/
      jumping-button.js
      style.css

2. Create a pages directory mirroring the file structure of the actual project. The pages directory holds the templates.

proj/
  components/
    app-bar/
      app-bar.js
      style.css
    jumping-button/
      jumping-button.js
      style.css
+  pages/
+    components/
+     __name__/
+       __name__.js
+       style.css

The __word__ notation is treated specially in paperback. Paperback will later replace these values with answers from questions about how to generate the files.

The contents of proj/pages/components/__name__/__name__.js are a lodash template. Paperback will later perform lodash's template function to provide unique data.

console.log('Hello <%= place %>')

The contents of proj/pages/components/__name__/style.css

.<%= name %> {
  color: #000;
}

3. Create a prompts.js file.

proj/
  components/
    app-bar/
      app-bar.js
      style.css
    jumping-button/
      jumping-button.js
      style.css
  pages/
    components/
      __name__/
        __name__.js
+       prompts.js
        style.css

proj/pages/components/__name__/prompts.js

module.exports = [
  {
    name: "name",
    message: "What is the component name?"
  },
  {
    name: "place",
    message: "What is the place?"
  }
]

There must be a prompt with a "name" for each lodash template variable used.

These prompts are provided to inquirer to retrieve the required values for the template. Inquirer offers tons of features including input validation and different question types.

Later on after answering inquirer questions, paperback will know what to provide for the name and place template values in the file paths and file contents.

4. Run paperback

paperback components/__name__

Note: paperback may be ran without passing a page to generate. paperback will then ask the user to select which page to load.

inquirer asks questions...

What is the component name? hello-world
What is the place? Taco Bell

paperback will log:

Created /Users/dustin/proj/components/hello-world/hello-world.js
Created /Users/dustin/proj/components/hello-world/style.css

paperback generates the templated files.

proj/
  components/
    app-bar/
      app-bar.js
      style.css
+   hello-world/
+     hello-world.js
+     style.css
    jumping-button/
      jumping-button.js
      style.css
  pages/
    components/
      __name__/
        __name__.js
        prompts.js
        style.css

proj/components/hello-world/hello-world.js

console.log('Hello Taco Bell')

proj/components/hello-world/style.css

.hello-world {
  color: #000;
}

Misc. Usage

Custom Template Directory

If the pages directory name conflicts with the project structure, paperback may be told where to look for templates via:

paperback components/__name__ --template-path=templates/go/here

Providing Prompt Answers via CLI

Prompt answers may be passed via paperback command. For example, given a prompts.js of

module.exports = [
  {
    name: "name",
    message: "What is the name?"
  },
  {
    name: "greeting",
    message: "What is the greeting?"
  }
]

and paperback is invoked like paperback components/__name__ --name Dustin then paperback will not ask the name question, but will still ask the greeting question. The value provided with the name flag will be the assumed answer.

LICENSE

MIT © Dustin Specker