gentf 0.1.4

Generate file structures from text tree files and scaffold React/Next.js projects

gentf

Generate file structures from text tree files. A simple CLI tool that creates directory structures and scaffolds framework projects from plain text definitions.

What is gentf?

gentf reads a text file describing a directory structure and creates that structure on your filesystem. It can also scaffold React or Next.js projects and merge your custom file structure into them.

Instead of manually creating dozens of folders and files, write a simple text tree and let gentf do the work.

Installation

pip install gentf

Quick Start

Basic Usage

Create a text file describing your structure:

my-project/
├── src/
│   ├── components/
│   │   └── Button.tsx
│   └── App.tsx
├── public/
│   └── favicon.ico
└── package.json

Then generate it:

gentf my-project.txt

This creates the entire structure in your current directory. Use -o to specify a different output location:

gentf my-project.txt -o ./output

Framework Scaffolding

gentf can scaffold React or Next.js projects and then apply your custom structure to them.

React with Vite:

gentf project.txt --type react --variant vite

React with Create React App:

gentf project.txt --type react --variant cra

Next.js (App Router):

gentf project.txt --type next --variant default

Next.js with TypeScript:

gentf project.txt --type next --variant ts

Next.js with Turbopack:

gentf project.txt --type next --variant turbopack

Next.js Pages Router:

gentf project.txt --type next --variant pages

When you use framework scaffolding, gentf will:

1. Create the framework project (React or Next.js)
2. Apply your custom file structure from the tree file
3. Merge everything together intelligently

Tree File Format

You can write your structure using box-drawing characters:

project-root/
├── src/
│   ├── components/
│   │   └── Button.tsx
│   └── pages/
│       └── Home.tsx
├── public/
│   └── favicon.ico
└── package.json

Or use simple indentation:

project-root/
    src/
        components/
            Button.tsx
        pages/
            Home.tsx
    public/
        favicon.ico
    package.json

Comments (lines starting with #) are automatically ignored, so you can add notes:

project/
├── src/
│   ├── components/    # Reusable UI components
│   └── utils/         # Helper functions
└── tests/             # Test files

How It Works

Project Name: The project name is automatically derived from your tree file name. If your file is myapp.txt, the project will be named myapp.

Smart Unwrapping: If your tree file has a top-level directory matching the project name, gentf automatically unwraps it to avoid creating nested structures. For example, if your tree file is myapp.txt and contains myapp/ at the top level, the contents go directly into the project root instead of creating myapp/myapp/.

Intelligent Merging: When scaffolding frameworks, your custom files are merged with the scaffolded project files. Existing files are preserved, and new files from your tree are added.

Examples

Simple Structure Generation

Create a structure.txt file:

my-app/
├── src/
│   └── index.js
├── public/
│   └── index.html
└── README.md

Generate it:

gentf structure.txt

React Project with Custom Structure

Create myapp.txt:

myapp/
├── src/
│   ├── components/
│   │   └── Header.tsx
│   └── hooks/
│       └── useAuth.ts
└── public/
    └── logo.svg

Scaffold and apply:

gentf myapp.txt --type react --variant vite -o ./projects

This creates a React + Vite project in ./projects/myapp/ with your custom structure merged in.

Next.js TypeScript Project

gentf myapp.txt --type next --variant ts

Creates a Next.js TypeScript project with your custom file structure.

Requirements

• Python 3.8 or higher
• Node.js and npm (required for framework scaffolding)

Getting Help

View all available options and detailed help:

gentf --help

Development

For local development:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/gentf
cd gentf

# Create virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install in editable mode
pip install -e .

# Run tests
pytest tests/

See DEVELOPMENT.md for more details.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.