SimpleCodeGenerator Best Practices for Maintainable Projects

Getting Started with SimpleCodeGenerator: A Beginner’s Guide

SimpleCodeGenerator is a lightweight tool that helps you scaffold code quickly and consistently. This guide walks you through installation, basic usage, common templates, and tips to integrate generated code into your workflow.

What SimpleCodeGenerator does

SimpleCodeGenerator creates boilerplate code from templates and simple configuration. Use it to:

• Generate project scaffolds (folders, entry files)
• Create repetitive components (classes, services, controllers)
• Standardize file structures and coding conventions across projects

Installation

1. Ensure you have Node.js (v14+) installed.
2. Install SimpleCodeGenerator globally:

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npm install -g simple-code-generator 

(If you prefer a local install, run npm install –save-dev simple-code-generator.)

Create your first template

1. Make a templates folder in your project:

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mkdir scg-templates cd scg-templates 

2. Create a template file for a simple module, e.g., module.tpl:

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export class {{Name}} { constructor() {

 
// TODO: initialize 
}
hello() {
console.log('Hello from {{Name}}'); 
} } 

Template variables are wrapped in {{ }} and will be replaced when generating files.
Basic usage
From your project root, run:
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scg generate module –name User 
This command:

Finds module.tpl in the configured templates path
Replaces {{Name}} with User
Writes the resulting file to the default output (e.g., src/User.js)

Common command options:

–template  specify a template file
–name  provide required variables
–out  set output directory
–force overwrite existing files

Example: Generate a REST controller
Template controller.tpl:
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import express from ‘express’; const router = express.Router();

 
// GET /{{resource}} router.get(‘/’, async (req, res) => {   res.send(‘List of {{resource}}’); });
 
// GET /{{resource}}/:id router.get(‘/:id’, async (req, res) => {   res.send(‘Get {{resource}} ’ + req.params.id); });
 
export default router; 
Command:
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scg generate controller –template controller.tpl –resource users –out src/controllers 
Configure defaults
Create a .scgrc in your project to avoid repeating options:
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{   “templatesPath”: “scg-templates”,   “outDir”: “src”,   “fileExtension”: “.js” } 
Tips and best practices

Keep templates small and focused (one responsibility per template).
Use consistent variable names and casing conventions.
Store shared partials (headers, license blocks) and include them in templates.
Add linting and formatting to generated output (run Prettier/ESLint as a post-generate hook).
Version-control your templates so team members can reuse them.

Troubleshooting

Template not found: confirm templatesPath and template filename.
Variables not replaced: ensure variable names match exactly, including case.
File already exists: use –force or change output path.

Next steps

Create templates for components you build most often.
Integrate generation into your CI/CD or project-init scripts.
Explore advanced features (conditional blocks, loops) if supported by your template engine.

Getting started with SimpleCodeGenerator takes minutes and saves hours over time by removing repetitive setup work. Start by creating one or two templates for your most common patterns and iterate from there.