A code template processor
Project description
The B Preprocessor
A code template processor
What is this?
This is a code templating pre-processor. In my work I often have to
write code which runs on multiple data files. The code has to be the
same, but the files differ in subtle ways: the number of files, the
format of the files, etc. Instead of writing one piece of code, then
tweaking it to work for each case, I write a B template, and put all
of the file-specific-subtleties into meta-data text files, and the B
pre-processor handles all of the case specific tweaking.
Why would I want this?
Readability
Everything is text files and python scripts. The output of the
preprocessor looks like normal code that was written from scratch.
I send code generated by the pre-processor to my boss all the time.
It makes him happy because it looks like code he writes; It makes
me happy because I don't have to be inefficient and write code his
way.
Flexibility
The preprocessor uses simple ideas: replacement, iteration, files
are treated as strings, the template boilerplate is handled with
the same rules as everything else. You can do some crazy things
with a little creativity.
Why didn't you just learn to use one of the other template scripting
languages?
Frankly, I wrote the first version of this over the course of two
hours. I needed something which worked, and I needed it fast. It would
have taken me longer to learn something new, than to make something
new.
Why B?
B comes before C! Most of my work coding is in C/C++. Now I can say
things like, "I wrote you A B C... ++ template for that." Actually, no,
thats a really limp joke.
when install with setuptools (or variant), an executable 'B' is added
to the user's path.
A code template processor
What is this?
This is a code templating pre-processor. In my work I often have to
write code which runs on multiple data files. The code has to be the
same, but the files differ in subtle ways: the number of files, the
format of the files, etc. Instead of writing one piece of code, then
tweaking it to work for each case, I write a B template, and put all
of the file-specific-subtleties into meta-data text files, and the B
pre-processor handles all of the case specific tweaking.
Why would I want this?
Readability
Everything is text files and python scripts. The output of the
preprocessor looks like normal code that was written from scratch.
I send code generated by the pre-processor to my boss all the time.
It makes him happy because it looks like code he writes; It makes
me happy because I don't have to be inefficient and write code his
way.
Flexibility
The preprocessor uses simple ideas: replacement, iteration, files
are treated as strings, the template boilerplate is handled with
the same rules as everything else. You can do some crazy things
with a little creativity.
Why didn't you just learn to use one of the other template scripting
languages?
Frankly, I wrote the first version of this over the course of two
hours. I needed something which worked, and I needed it fast. It would
have taken me longer to learn something new, than to make something
new.
Why B?
B comes before C! Most of my work coding is in C/C++. Now I can say
things like, "I wrote you A B C... ++ template for that." Actually, no,
thats a really limp joke.
when install with setuptools (or variant), an executable 'B' is added
to the user's path.
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