Cookiecutter

Warnings

• breaking Python 3.9 and older versions are no longer officially supported. `cookiecutter` now requires Python 3.10 or newer for versions 2.7.0 and later.
  Fix: Upgrade your Python environment to 3.10 or newer.
• gotcha In version 2.7.0, the `cookiecutter -V` command incorrectly reported the version as 2.6.0, despite the installed package being 2.7.0. The programmatic `cookiecutter.__version__` was correct.
  Fix: Upgrade to 2.7.1 or later, where this issue is resolved.
• gotcha Cookiecutter templates can execute arbitrary code through hook scripts (e.g., `pre_gen_project.py`). Users should only use templates from trusted sources, as malicious templates can compromise your system.
  Fix: Review the template's `hooks` directory before generating a project, and only use templates from reputable sources. Consult the official security policy for details on the trust model.
• gotcha When using `jinja2_time` in templates, ensure a timezone is explicitly set (e.g., in `cookiecutter.json` or environment variables) to avoid unexpected date/time behavior, as `jinja2_time` does not provide a default timezone.
  Fix: Define `_timezone` in your `cookiecutter.json` file or set the `TZ` environment variable before running Cookiecutter.

Install

• pip install cookiecutter Default

Imports

• cookiecutter

  from cookiecutter.main import cookiecutter

Quickstart

This example demonstrates how to use `cookiecutter` programmatically. It first creates a minimal local template, then generates a project from it, providing `extra_context` to avoid interactive prompts, and finally cleans up the generated files and template.

from cookiecutter.main import cookiecutter
import os
import shutil

# Define a temporary output directory
output_dir = './my_new_project_temp'

# Define a simple local template for demonstration
template_path = './my_template'

# Create a simple template for demonstration purposes
# In a real scenario, you'd clone from a Git URL or use a local template.
if not os.path.exists(template_path):
    os.makedirs(os.path.join(template_path, '{{ cookiecutter.repo_name }}'))
    with open(os.path.join(template_path, 'cookiecutter.json'), 'w') as f:
        f.write('{"repo_name": "my-project"}')
    with open(os.path.join(template_path, '{{ cookiecutter.repo_name }}', 'README.md'), 'w') as f:
        f.write('Hello, {{ cookiecutter.repo_name }}!')

print(f"Generating project from template: {template_path}")
# Run cookiecutter programmatically
# This will prompt for 'repo_name' unless `no_input=True` is used
# or default_context is provided.
# For a runnable quickstart, we'll provide default_context and no_input.

try:
    cookiecutter(
        template_path,
        no_input=True, # Set to False to be prompted
        extra_context={'repo_name': 'my-generated-project'},
        output_dir=output_dir,
        overwrite_if_exists=True
    )
    print(f"Project successfully generated in {os.path.join(output_dir, 'my-generated-project')}")
    # Verify a file exists
    generated_file = os.path.join(output_dir, 'my-generated-project', 'README.md')
    if os.path.exists(generated_file):
        with open(generated_file, 'r') as f:
            print(f"Content of {generated_file}:\n{f.read()}")
    else:
        print("Error: Generated file not found.")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"An error occurred: {e}")
finally:
    # Clean up the temporary template and generated project
    if os.path.exists(template_path):
        shutil.rmtree(template_path)
    if os.path.exists(output_dir):
        shutil.rmtree(output_dir)
    print("Cleanup complete.")