bytecraft 0.2.0

A lightweight DSL for scaffolding files and folders

🧱 Bytecraft

A human-readable DSL for scaffolding files and folders.

pip install bytecraft

---

Bytecraft lets you describe a project structure in plain, readable instructions and execute it with a single command — no Bash, no Python boilerplate, no mental overhead.

# bootstrap.bc

set project "my-app"
set version "1.0.0"

set-working-folder "{{project}}"

make-folder "src"
make-folder "src/utils"
make-folder "assets"

make-file "README.md" with "# {{project}}"
make-file "src/main.py" with "print('Hello, World!')"
make-file "src/utils/helper.py"

py -m bytecraft bootstrap.bc

[Bytecraft] Working folder set: my-app
[Bytecraft] Created folder: my-app/src
[Bytecraft] Created folder: my-app/src/utils
[Bytecraft] Created folder: my-app/assets
[Bytecraft] Created file: my-app/README.md
[Bytecraft] Created file: my-app/src/main.py
[Bytecraft] Created file: my-app/src/utils/helper.py

---

Installation

Requires Python 3.10+

pip install bytecraft

---

Commands

set-working-folder

Sets the base directory for all subsequent relative paths. Created automatically if it doesn't exist.

set-working-folder "my-project"

---

make-folder

Creates a directory and any missing parent directories. Does nothing if the folder already exists.

make-folder "src/utils"

---

make-file

Creates a file. Parent directories are created automatically. Overwrites if the file already exists.

# Empty file
make-file "src/__init__.py"

# Inline content
make-file "VERSION" with "1.0.0"

# Multi-line content block
make-file "README.md" with ---
# My Project

Some description here.
---

---

copy-file

Copies a file or folder to a new location. Parent directories are created automatically. If copying a folder that already exists at the destination, it is replaced.

# Copy a file
copy-file "src/app.py" to "backup/app.py"

# Copy an entire folder
copy-file "src" to "src_backup"

---

move-file

Moves a file or folder to a new location. Parent directories are created automatically.

move-file "build/output.js" to "dist/app.js"
move-file "temp" to "archive/temp"

---

make-zip

Creates a zip archive from a file or folder. Folder structure is preserved inside the zip.

# Zip a folder
make-zip "releases/v1.0.zip" from "dist"

# Zip a single file
make-zip "releases/app.zip" from "dist/app.py"

---

set

Defines a variable. Variables are referenced anywhere using {{name}} syntax — in paths, content, and template calls.

set project "my-app"
set version "1.0.0"

make-file "VERSION" with "{{version}}"
make-file "src/main.py" with "# {{project}} v{{version}}"

Variables interpolate inside multi-line blocks too:

set author "Sourasish Das"

make-file "README.md" with ---
# {{project}}

Maintained by {{author}}.
---

---

define-template / use-template

Templates let you define reusable scaffolding blocks and stamp them out with different values.

define-template "module"
  make-folder "src/{{name}}"
  make-file "src/{{name}}/__init__.py"
  make-file "src/{{name}}/main.py" with "# {{name}} module"
end-template

use-template "module" name "auth"
use-template "module" name "api"
use-template "module" name "db"

Variables passed to use-template are local to that call — they don't leak back into the outer script. Global variables defined with set are still accessible inside the template body.

---

include

Runs another .bc file inline, with fully shared state. Variables, templates, the working folder, and strict mode all carry across in both directions.

include "base.bc"
include "templates/python.bc"

Paths are resolved relative to the calling script's directory, not the working folder.

---

strict on / strict off

Enables or disables strict mode. In strict mode, warnings become fatal errors — undefined variables, unknown commands, and missing source files all halt execution immediately.

strict on

set version "1.0.0"
make-file "VERSION" with "{{version}}"   # fine
make-file "bad.txt" with "{{typo}}"      # ERROR: halts execution

strict off

Strict mode can be toggled on and off within the same script.

---

Comments

Lines starting with # are ignored.

# This is a comment

---

Forgiving Syntax

Bytecraft is intentionally forgiving. Quotes are optional — if they're missing, Bytecraft will recover and interpret your intent:

make-file hello.txt with Hello World

is treated the same as:

make-file "hello.txt" with "Hello World"

Unknown commands print a warning and are skipped rather than crashing the whole script. Enable strict on if you want the opposite behaviour.

---

Full Example

# Full project scaffold + release build

strict on

set project "dashboard"
set author "Sourasish Das"
set version "1.0.0"

set-working-folder "{{project}}"

# Pull in shared folder templates
include "common/folders.bc"

# Stamp out feature modules
define-template "module"
  make-folder "src/{{name}}"
  make-file "src/{{name}}/__init__.py"
  make-file "src/{{name}}/main.py" with "# {{name}} — part of {{project}}"
end-template

use-template "module" name "auth"
use-template "module" name "api"
use-template "module" name "db"

# Static files
make-file "VERSION" with "{{version}}"

make-file "README.md" with ---
# {{project}}

Version: {{version}}
Author: {{author}}
---

make-file "tests/test_main.py" with ---
import unittest

class TestMain(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_placeholder(self):
        self.assertTrue(True)
---

# Package for release
copy-file "src" to "dist/src"
make-zip "releases/{{project}}-{{version}}.zip" from "dist"

---

Limitations (v0.2.0)

• No loops or conditionals
• No append mode
• No import of variables from external files (e.g. .env)

These are planned for future versions.

---

Roadmap

• Variables and interpolation
• Multi-line file content blocks
• copy-file and move-file
• make-zip
• Templates (define-template / use-template)
• include
• Strict mode
• append-file command
• Loops and conditionals
• .env / external variable files

---

License

Server-Lab Open-Control License (SOCL) 1.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Sourasish Das