Nift

Nift is a minimal build system designed for quickly bootstrapping projects on Linux.

It's useful for full-stack hackathon projects and personal projects, enabling you to quickly generate reusable templates with common file structures and configurations, so you can start coding right away.

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Features

• Quick Project Setup: Use templates to generate boilerplate code and directory structures.
• Fullstack Generation: Quickly create connected front and backends.
• Customizable Templates: Create and manage templates tailored to your workflow.
• Verbose Mode: View directory structures and manage templates via an intuitive CLI menu.

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Built-in Templates

Nift includes some standard project templates.

Frontend

• Next.js (React)

Backend

• Django (python)
• Flask (python)

Languages

• C++: A C++ project with Google Test and Doxygen, built with CMake.
• Python (Script): A Python CLI project using click, virtual environment, dependency management, argument parsing, packaging, and a README.

Feel free to enhance these templates or add your own to the repository.

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Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/Archii0/nift.git
cd nift

2. Deploy Nift

Run the deployment script to set up Nift:

sudo ./deploy.sh

This will:

• Move the /templates directory to /var/nift.
• Place the Nift script in /usr/bin/, making it globally accessible.

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Usage

Generating a Project

To generate a project using a template, run:

nift <project-name>

Nift will:

1. Create a new directory named <project-name>.
2. Copy the chosen template files into the directory.
3. Replace placeholders (e.g., PROJECTNAME) in filenames and file content with the specified <project-name>.

Verbose Mode

Enable verbose mode for additional functionality:

nift <project-name> [-v|--verbose]

In verbose mode, you can:

• Browse available templates via a CLI menu.
• View directory structures of templates, such as:

  C++/
  ├── CMakeLists.txt
  ├── lib/
  ├── Makefile
  ├── src/
      ├── CMakeLists.txt
      ├── main.cpp
  ├── tests/
      ├── CMakeLists.txt
      ├── main.cpp
  

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Creating Custom Templates

1. Undeploy Nift

Before modifying templates, undeploy Nift:

sudo ./undeploy.sh

This removes Nift's deployed files, allowing you to safely edit templates.

2. Add a Template

Create a new folder in the /templates directory to define your template. Use PROJECTNAME as a placeholder in filenames and file content for dynamic substitution.

Example: C Template

File: PROJECTNAME.c

/* PROJECTNAME.c */

#include "PROJECTNAME.h"

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    printf("Nifty.");
    return 0;
}

Templates are ideal for standardizing common project elements, such as:

• Main function stubs.
• Type definitions and imports.
• Build system files (e.g., Makefiles).
• Directory structures for larger projects.

Note on Empty Directories

Git does not track empty directories. To preserve them, you can:

• Add a placeholder file (e.g., .gitkeep).
• Automate directory creation in your build scripts.

3. Redeploy Nift

Once your templates are ready, redeploy:

sudo ./deploy.sh

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Contribution

Contributions are welcome! Submit a pull request to:

• Add new templates.
• Improve existing templates.
• Enhance Nift's functionality.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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Support

If you encounter issues or have questions, open an issue on the GitHub repository.