All Features

Every CodeBaker feature in one place, grouped by what you do with it. Each row links to the page that explains it in detail.

• Writing template files
• Replacing values in code that stays valid
• Filters, system properties and data
• The template configuration
• Advanced mapping
• Updating existing files
• The generation dialog
• Installing and sharing templates
• Safety and the IDE

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Writing template files

Feature	What it does	Details
Templates are real files	A template is a folder of ordinary files with their own extensions, so the IDE highlights and inspects them as usual	Core Principles
Start from working code	Copy code that works, replace the parts that vary, and generate	Core Principles
Variables in file contents	{{ name }} is replaced in every file, with no setup	Variables in file content
Variables in file and folder names	{{entityKey}}.html on disk becomes task.html, and pages/{{entityKey}}/ becomes pages/task/	Variables in file and folder names
Nested values	{{ user.name }} or ___user_dot_name___ reaches into objects and lists, in contents and in names	Nested properties
Conditions and loops	Full Pebble (Twig-like): if, else, for, expressions, comparisons and filters	Conditions and Loops, Pebble Syntax
Pebble syntax reference	The Pebble syntax you will use most, with checked examples, and what CodeBaker adds to it	Pebble Syntax
Custom placeholders	Declare another way to write a value, such as ___name___, under placeholders, so the template stays valid for the IDE	placeholders, Custom placeholders
Template syntax	Switch the whole template to other delimiters (curly, square, angle or your own), so a file's own {{ }} and {% %} stay plain text	syntax
placeholders or syntax?	How the two settings differ and when to use each	placeholders or syntax?
Directives in comments	A comment that starts with CodeBaker: is replaced by whatever follows it, in //, /* */, #, -- and <!-- --> comments	How CodeBaker comments work
Mixing approaches	Placeholders, native Pebble, comment-prefixed tags and replace rules can be combined in one template	Mixing approaches
Protecting literal code	A raw (or verbatim) block keeps {{ }} and {% %} exactly as written, and nothing else changes it: not placeholders, not replace, not rules, not directives (Vue, Handlebars, Twig and so on)	Preserving code with raw blocks
One literal string	{{ 'text' }} prints the text as it is and protects it the same way	Preserving code with raw blocks
Whitespace control	A - inside a tag removes the whitespace before or after it	Whitespace control
Line breaks stay tidy	A line that holds only tags leaves no empty line, and a value at the end of a line keeps its line break	How CodeBaker comments work
How processing works	The order in which placeholders, directives and Pebble are applied, in six plain steps with an example	How One File Is Processed
Known limitations	Where a template can still trip up the IDE	Known Limitations

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Replacing values in code that stays valid

Feature	What it does	Details
Inline replace	A trailing //CodeBaker: replace old => new swaps a value on that one line, so the template keeps real, working values	Inline replace
Block replace	One replace line applies to every match below it, with optional #tag groups	Block replace
Pause and resume	off and on pause or resume rules by value or by tag, for example to keep one block as it is	Pausing and resuming, Keeping one block as it is
Clear all rules	reset removes every rule declared so far	Clearing everything
Regular expressions	regex pattern => replacement with $1-style groups	Other forms
Protected text is skipped	Rules never rewrite text inside a raw or verbatim block, or a {{ 'text' }} string	Pitfalls
Rules work downwards	A block rule acts only below its declaration, so nothing has to be closed at the end	A rule works from its line downwards
Whole-template replacements	replace in the config swaps plain text in contents, names, open and expand	replace
IDE-valid CSS values	Keep real colors and units in the template and still make them variable	The problem this solves
IDE-valid strings	Put a Pebble expression inside a string, or set a variable first	Keeping string values IDE-valid
No duplicate declarations	A throwaway suffix such as ___alt1___ stops the IDE complaining about two branches that declare the same name	Avoiding duplicate declaration errors

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Filters, system properties and data

Feature	What it does	Details
Any input style	Case filters split the input into words first, so user_profile, userProfile and USER PROFILE give the same result	Inflection filters
Inflection	pluralize, singularize, tableize, classify, foreignKey	Inflection
Case conversion	camelize, variable, underscore, dasherize, humanize, constantCase, dotCase, pathCase, trainCase and more, with aliases such as snakeCase and kebabCase	Case conversion
String helpers	slug, ucfirst, lcfirst	String helpers
Chaining and lists	Filters chain left to right and work item by item on a list	Chaining and lists
System properties	DATE, TIME, YEAR, USER, PROJECT_NAME, DIR_SLASH, NAMESPACE and more, in contents and in names	System properties
Overriding for one run	Edit a system property in the dialog for a single generation	Good to know
PHP namespace	In an IDE with PHP support NAMESPACE is filled from the folder you generate into (composer.json PSR-4 first), and a field for it is added to the dialog	The full list
Lists and objects	"{{ x | json }}" writes a list or object as valid JSON in a file	Lists and objects
Commas in loops	//CodeBaker: separator writes a comma between the items of a loop	Commas in loops
JSON5 to JSON	Write a template as .json5 and map it to a .json name: the result is converted to plain JSON by itself. format chooses it explicitly or turns it off	JSON5 templates

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The template configuration

The settings live in codebaker.config.json5, which is JSON5: comments and trailing commas are allowed. See the Configuration Reference for the complete schema.

Setting	What it does	Details
name	The name shown in New, Generate from Template	name
id	A stable folder name used when the template is installed	id
version	Shown next to the name, recorded in the history, compared when you install again	version
description	One line shown in the sample list	description
vars	One text field per variable, with a default; values may use Pebble and variables defined above them	vars
Typed values	A value that is exactly true, false or a plain number becomes a boolean or a number after resolution	vars
json	An editable JSON area for lists and objects; each top-level key becomes a variable	json
placeholders	Extra ways to write a value, such as ___VAR___	placeholders
syntax	The Pebble delimiters of the whole template, validated before anything is generated	syntax
paths	The folders where the template is offered, with include and exclude globs	paths
replace	Plain text replacements applied everywhere	replace
ignore	Template files and folders that are not generated, such as author notes	ignore
open	Files to open in the editor after generation	open
expand	Folders to reveal in the Project view after generation	expand
Built-in variables	The system properties, and in an IDE with PHP support an automatic NAMESPACE field, come first	Built-in variables
Complete examples	A model generated inside app/Models, and several files generated from the project root	Complete examples
Your first template	Write a simple template from scratch	Your First Template

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Advanced mapping

The settings live in codebaker.advanced.json5. See Advanced Templates for everything on this page in detail.

Feature	What it does	Details
Move or rename a file	Generate a file at another path or name	Mapping entries
One source, several outputs	A list of targets generates the same file more than once	Mapping entries
Skip a file	false or [] leaves a file or folder out	Mapping entries
Per-output data	data gives one output its own variables	What an item can contain
Where target points	Relative to the source's folder, to the output root with a leading /, or up with ..	Where does target point?
Whole folders	Rename a folder or clone it once per item, with data inherited by its files	Folders
Run order	init entries first, then ordinary, seed and json-upsert, then insert and replace	Entry types and run order
Write once	seed writes a file only if it does not exist, so your edits survive later runs	seed
Grow a JSON list	json-upsert adds an entry to a JSON array or replaces the one with the same key, and needs no seed	json-upsert
A list inside a larger JSON file	path leads to the list, creates what is missing and leaves the rest of the file alone	path
Where a new entry goes	position: append, prepend, sortBy, after, before or index	Where a new entry goes
Nothing thrown away	A json-upsert that would have to discard data, or meets a target that is not JSON, stops with a message that names the file	What it refuses, If the target is not JSON
Data inside a script	wrapperPrefix and wrapperSuffix let a list live inside text such as const ENTITIES = [...];	json-upsert
Read other files	$file loads a JSON5 file from the output, the template or the project	$file
Reuse a block	$ref points at another part of the same document with a JSON Pointer	$ref
Fetch data	$api loads JSON from a web address (GET or POST, headers, Basic authentication), with secrets hidden in the log	$api
Loops	A Pebble for around items creates one output per element of a list	Repeating in a loop
Conditional generation	if and else decide whether a file or an item exists	Conditional generation
Conditional naming	A target is rendered too, so a name can depend on a variable	Conditional naming
A full example	Seed and insert working together	A complete example

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Updating existing files

Feature	What it does	Details
Slots	Mark a place in a file with {% slot name %} and {% endslot %}, bare or inside a CodeBaker: comment	insert
Insert	type: "insert" adds a fragment to a slot, or updates the fragment with the same id, and never removes anything else	insert
Append or prepend	mode places a new fragment at the end or the start of the slot	insert
Indentation	indent follows the neighboring line (auto), an offset from the slot's line, or an exact text	insert
Comment style	commentStyle writes new fragment markers as html, block, hash, sql, line or tag	insert
Safe by construction	The file you insert into is never run through the template engine, so a Vue or Twig file with its own {{ }} is safe	insert
Start from a prepared file	A seed file on the entry creates the target when it does not exist yet	insert
Replace a slot	type: "replace" swaps the whole content of a slot	replace
Keep your own edits	Make the file a seed, so each run only updates its own fragment	Why did the text I typed into a slot disappear?

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The generation dialog

Generating always runs the same four steps. See the Generation Workflow.

Step	What happens	Details
The whole process	Diagrams of the big picture, what happens inside the steps and how to choose how a file is written	How It Works
1. Properties	A form with the system properties, one field per vars entry and the JSON editor	Step 1
Values with expressions	A field may use Pebble and the fields above it	Step 1
History	The last 20 runs of a template are kept, and the newest one pre-fills the form	History
2. Progress	A log of resolved properties, JSON, references and files, with the reason when something fails	Step 2
Write check	Before anything is written, every file the generation would change is checked: a read-only file or folder is listed, and nothing is written yet	When something fails
3. Preview	A tree of everything that will be written, colored as new, modified, edited or unchanged	Step 3
Edit before writing	The generated text is editable, and your edits are what gets written	Editing the generated code
Compare with the file	The IDE's diff viewer, with a three-way merge for files that already exist	Comparing with the existing file
4. Finish	All files are written in one IDE command, then open and expand run	Step 4
Undo	The whole generation is a single undoable command	Undo

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Installing and sharing templates

Feature	What it does	Details
Sample templates	Install the bundled Hello World and CRUD Demo from the menu	Getting Started
Install from a link	A .zip link, or a GitHub repository, branch, tag or folder	Install from a link
Install from a file	A .zip file from disk	Install from a file
One-click install	An Install in IDE button on a web page, with a confirmation before anything is installed	One click from a web page
Which links work	The accepted link forms and their rules	Which links work
Versions	One installed version per template id, with a choice to replace, install side by side or cancel	Where it is installed
Archive limits	Size, file count, redirect and depth limits that protect against oversized or malicious archives	Limits
Removing a template	Delete its folder; files it already generated stay	Removing a template
Sharing your own	Publish a template as a link or a file	Sharing your own template
Templates live in Git	The .CodeBaker/ folder is committed with your code, so a team shares the same templates	Getting Started

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Safety and the IDE

Feature	What it does	Details
Review before writing	Nothing is written until you finish the preview, and existing files ask for confirmation	Step 3
IDE highlighting of directives	The CodeBaker: that starts a directive comment is colored, so you can tell it from an ordinary comment	How CodeBaker comments work
Early, clear errors	An invalid syntax or $ref, a failing $api or a malformed slot stops with a message that says what is wrong	syntax, $ref
Secrets are hidden	$api credentials and headers are masked in the generation log	$api
Stays inside the project	A template cannot read or write files outside your project, and a path that tries to leave it is refused	Stay safe
Limits	Pebble cannot load other templates or reach into Java, a huge range or output is refused, and install archives have size limits	Stay safe, Limits
Files are written with care	An existing file is changed in place, so permissions, owner and symbolic links stay. A new file gets the executable bits of its template file. Binary files are copied byte for byte, and text keeps its encoding	Step 4
Install only trusted templates	A template writes files and can fetch from addresses it names	Stay safe
Troubleshooting	The usual install problems and their fixes	Troubleshooting

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Where to go next

• Getting Started - Install the plugin and try the samples
• Template Basics - How a template is written
• Configuration Reference - Every setting in codebaker.config.json5
• Advanced Templates - Everything in codebaker.advanced.json5
• Known Limitations - What to watch out for