oliverdavies.uk/content/node.8f2bed8f-56cb-4269-8e1d-082af6201775.yml

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title:
  - value: |
      Why I built a tool to generate configuration files
created:
  - value: '2023-03-04T00:00:00+00:00'
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body:
  - value: |
      <p>I'm always working on various personal and client projects, and they contain a lot of the same configuration files. I exclusively use Docker and Docker Compose on all projects, I use a <code>justfile</code> for running tasks, and for PHP projects, I need configuration files for tools like PHPStan, PHPCS and PHPUnit.</p>

      <p>The majority of those files are the same with some slight configuration for each project - such as whether it uses <code>web</code> or <code>docroot</code>, or which paths are checked with static analysis or for coding standards issues.</p>

      <p>I've given a talk called <a href="/presentations/working-with-workspace">Working with Workspace</a> - a tool that we used at an agency I worked at. It had two functions - to execute project tasks and to generate configuration files from templates.</p>

      <p>I use a <code>justfile</code> to execute tasks and commands but needed to write my own tool to generate the configuration files.</p>

      <p>The result is that I can add one YAML file to a project, enter the values that it needs and when I run the CLI tool, it will generate all of the files the project needs.</p>

      <p>As well as being faster to set up a project, like a <a href="https://github.com/opdavies/docker-examples/tree/main/drupal-localgov">LocalGov Drupal Docker example</a>, having a canonical set of templated configuration files I can enhance and maintain by adding new features and fixes and they'll be added to every project when I next generate its files.</p>

              
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    processed: |
      <p>I'm always working on various personal and client projects, and they contain a lot of the same configuration files. I exclusively use Docker and Docker Compose on all projects, I use a <code>justfile</code> for running tasks, and for PHP projects, I need configuration files for tools like PHPStan, PHPCS and PHPUnit.</p>

      <p>The majority of those files are the same with some slight configuration for each project - such as whether it uses <code>web</code> or <code>docroot</code>, or which paths are checked with static analysis or for coding standards issues.</p>

      <p>I've given a talk called <a href="/presentations/working-with-workspace">Working with Workspace</a> - a tool that we used at an agency I worked at. It had two functions - to execute project tasks and to generate configuration files from templates.</p>

      <p>I use a <code>justfile</code> to execute tasks and commands but needed to write my own tool to generate the configuration files.</p>

      <p>The result is that I can add one YAML file to a project, enter the values that it needs and when I run the CLI tool, it will generate all of the files the project needs.</p>

      <p>As well as being faster to set up a project, like a <a href="https://github.com/opdavies/docker-examples/tree/main/drupal-localgov">LocalGov Drupal Docker example</a>, having a canonical set of templated configuration files I can enhance and maintain by adding new features and fixes and they'll be added to every project when I next generate its files.</p>

              
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