Ghost Files¶
In Cloney template repositories, ghost files are special files or directories whose names start with double underscores (__). These files are ignored during the cloning process, meaning they won't be included in the final result. However, any Go template logic embedded within these ghost files is still processed.
Creating Ghost Files¶
To create a ghost file, follow these steps:
-
Name Convention: Begin by naming your file or directory with a double underscore prefix, like
__my-ghost-file.txtor__my-ghost-dir. -
Define Template Logic: Inside the ghost file, include Go template logic using constructs like
{{ ... }}and other Go template syntax.
Here's an example of a simple ghost file named __ghost-file.txt:
This is a ghost file.
This file won't appear in the cloned project.
{{- $variable := "You can use this variable anywhere." -}}
{{- define "my-ghost-block" }}
You can reference this block in non-ghost template files!
{{- end }}
Usage and Purpose¶
Ghost files serve various purposes in Cloney template repositories:
-
Organizing Template Logic: Ghost files provide a space to organize and encapsulate template logic without affecting the cloned project's structure.
-
Sharing Common Logic: You can create shared ghost files containing commonly used template logic, making it accessible across multiple template files.
-
Conditional Content: Include conditional logic in ghost files to control content based on specific criteria without cluttering the cloned project.
Example Use Case¶
Suppose you need to include a license header in every file of your cloned project. You can create a ghost file __license-header.txt containing the license header definition and then reference it in all the other template files.
{{- define "license-header" -}}
This is a license header.
Copyright 2024.
{{- end -}}
In this way, ghost files provide a convenient mechanism to structure, share, and reuse template logic without affecting the final output of the cloned project.