Template-based file generator

CLI utility for generating files and folder structures from customizable templates.

Installation

Quick Start with npx

npx @gromlab/create <template> <name>

Global Installation (Recommended)

Global installation provides the create command with autocomplete for template names.

1. Install:

npm i -g @gromlab/create && create install-autocomplete

2. Reload your shell:

# macOS (zsh)
source ~/.zshrc

# Linux (bash)
source ~/.bashrc

# Linux (fish)
exec fish

Usage

create <template> <name> [path] [options]

If [path] is not specified, files are created in the current directory.

Example

# Create a component from template
create component Button

# Specify output folder positionally
create component Button src/components

Templates

Templates are stored in the .templates/ folder at the project root. Each subfolder is a separate template.

Creating a Template

1. Create a folder in .templates/ with the template name
2. Add files and folders using variables in names and content
3. Variables are enclosed in double curly braces: {{variable}}

The number of variables is unlimited — use any names you need.

Structure

.templates/
├── component/
│   └── {{name.pascalCase}}/
│       ├── index.ts
│       ├── {{name.pascalCase}}.tsx
│       └── {{name.pascalCase}}.module.css
└── zustand-store/
    └── {{name.camelCase}}Store/
        ├── index.ts
        ├── {{name.camelCase}}Store.ts
        └── {{name.camelCase}}Store.type.ts

Variables

Variables are substituted in file/folder names and file contents. You can use any variables in templates — the CLI will prompt for values for all found variables.

• name — required variable, set by positional argument
• Custom variables are passed via flags: --author "John Doe"

Case Modifiers:

Syntax	Result for myButton
{{name}}	myButton
{{name.pascalCase}}	MyButton
{{name.camelCase}}	myButton
{{name.kebabCase}}	my-button
{{name.snakeCase}}	my_button
{{name.screamingSnakeCase}}	MY_BUTTON

# Template with {{name}} and {{author}} variables
create component Button --author "John Doe"

Template Content Example

// {{name.pascalCase}}.tsx
import styles from './{{name.pascalCase}}.module.css'

export const {{name.pascalCase}} = () => {
  return <div className={styles.wrapper}>{{name.pascalCase}}</div>
}

Options

Option	Description
--overwrite	Overwrite existing files
--skip-update	Skip CLI update check
--<variable> <value>	Custom template variable

Programmatic API

The package can be used as a library:

import { buildPlan, writePlan, collectTemplateVariables } from '@gromlab/create';

Function	Description
renderTemplate(input, vars)	Substitutes variables and modifiers in a string
collectTemplateVariables(templateDir)	Collects all variable names from a template
listTemplateNames(templatesDir)	Lists available templates (subdirectories)
findNearestTemplatesDir(startDir)	Walks up the directory tree looking for .templates
readDirRecursive(dir)	Recursive list of all files in a directory
resolveTemplateContext(templatesDir, name, vars)	Validates template and variables
buildPlan(templateDir, outDir, vars, files)	Builds generation plan (source → target)
writePlan(plan, vars, overwrite)	Writes files to disk according to the plan
getCollisions(plan)	Lists plan files that already exist on disk
getExistingDirs(outDir, dirs)	Checks which directories already exist
getTopLevelDirs(outDir, plan)	Top-level directories from the plan
getRoots(outDir, plan)	Root paths for summary output
CASE_MODIFIERS	Case modifier functions dictionary