project_init

A simple CLI tool to bootstrap new projects with opinionated defaults.

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Features

• Creates base directory structure
• Adds a LICENSE file (MIT or GPL-3)
• Initializes a Git repository (git init)
• Adds a sensible .gitignore
• Supports Go, Python, C, Java and Javascript
• CLI-driven—no GUI
• Adds a README.md file

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Installation

1. Clone this repo:

   git clone https://github.com/jean0t/project_init.git
   cd project_init

2. Build the binary:

   go build -o project_init ./project_init

3. (Optionally) move it into your $PATH:

   mv project_init /usr/local/bin/

OBS: you can avoid clone the repo and build the binary by yourself, simply download in the releases the binary and go to step 3 directly

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Usage

project_init -lang <go|python> [-license <mit|gpl-3>] [-gitignore=<true|false>] <project_name>

Flag	Description	Default
-lang	Language scaffold to generate	python
-license	License type (mit or gpl-3)	gpl-3
-gitignore	Include a .gitignore file (true or false)	true

Examples

• Create a Go project with MIT license:

  project_init myapp --lang go --license mit

• Create a Python project with GPL-3 and no .gitignore:

  project_init service --lang python --license gpl-3 --gitignore=false

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Generated Structure

myapp/
├── LICENSE        # MIT or GPL-3, per flag
├── .gitignore
├── src/           # source code
│   └── main.go    # or main.py
├── tests/         # test stubs
└── .git/          # Git repo

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README Skeleton

Each new project also gets a starter README.md with:

# <project_name>

A brief description of what the project does.

## Installation

Instructions to install or build.

## Usage

Examples of how to run the project.

## License

<MIT or GPL-3> © <year> <your name>

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To-Do

• Add support for more languages
• Enhance templates (customizable README, code samples)
• Allow custom license text or additional license types

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Contributing

Forks and pull requests are welcome!

My motivation: I loved Crystal’s built-in crystal init skeleton generator and wanted something similar for the languages I use every day.

Feel free to add new languages, improve templates, or suggest enhancements.