#Global Variables

DKCutter provides several built-in variables that you can leverage within your project templates, hooks, and even the dkcutter.json configuration file. These variables offer dynamic information and functionalities to enhance your project generation process.

#Accessing Global Variables

There are two primary ways to access global variables in DKCutter:

1. dkcutter.<variable>: Use this syntax to access specific DKCutter variables within your project templates and hooks (JavaScript or TypeScript).
2. colors: This special variable provides color functionality for styling prompts in your dkcutter.json configuration.

#DKCutter Variables

DKCutter offers the following built-in variables:

• dkcutter.pkgManager: Returns the package manager used to execute DKCutter (possible values: npm, yarn, pnpm, or bun).

• dkcutter.now: Provides the current date and time as a JavaScript Date object. You can use the standard date object methods to manipulate this value (refer to the JavaScript Date constructor documentation for details).

  Example: Using dkcutter.now in dkcutter.json

  dkcutter.json

  {
    "license": {
      "promptMessage": "What license would you like to use (generated on {{ dkcutter.now.toLocaleDateString() }})?",
      "value": ["MIT", "BSD-3", "GNU GPL v3.0"]
    }
  }
  

  In this example, the promptMessage dynamically incorporates the current date using the toLocaleDateString() method.

• dkcutter.update: This function allows you to modify existing context values during project generation. It takes three arguments:

  • Variable Name (string): The name of the context variable you want to update.
  • New Value: This can be a string literal, a template expression (refer to the templates in context documentation for details), or another variable.
  • Return Updated Value (optional, boolean): Set this to true if you want the function to return the updated value.

  Example: Updating a Context Variable in a Hook

  hooks/preGenProject.ts

  console.log("{{ dkcutter.domainName }}"); // "  domain.com  " (with extra spaces)
  const trimmedDomain = `{{ dkcutter.update('domainName', dkcutter.domainName|trim) }}`;
  console.log("{{ dkcutter.domainName }}"); // "domain.com" (trimmed)
  

  This code snippet demonstrates how to update the domainName context variable by removing leading and trailing whitespace using the trim filter.

• dkcutter.add: This function adds new key-value pairs to the context during project generation. It takes three arguments:

  • Variable Name (string): The name of the new context variable you want to add.
  • Value: This can be a string literal, a template expression, or another variable.
  • Return Added Value (optional, boolean): Set this to true if you want the function to return the added value.

  Example: Adding a Context Variable in a Hook

  hooks/preGenProject.ts

  console.log("{{ dkcutter.authorName }}"); // "" (not defined)
  const authorName = `{{ dkcutter.add('authorName', 'Your Name') }}`;
  console.log("{{ dkcutter.authorName }}"); // "Your Name"
  

  This code snippet adds a new context variable named authorName with the value "Your Name".

#Colors Variable

The colors variable provides access to color functionality for styling prompts within your dkcutter.json configuration file. It utilizes the colorette library.

#Example: Using Colors in Prompts

{
  "license": {
    "promptMessage": "What {{ colors.blue('license') }} would you like to use?",
    "value": ["MIT", "BSD-3", "GNU GPL v3.0"]
  }
}

In this example, the promptMessage uses the colors.blue('license') expression to style the word "license" in blue, enhancing the readability and user experience of the prompt.

By effectively utilizing these global variables, you can streamline your DKCutter project