Maketree CLI

Create project structures effortlessly with a single command.

📜 Table of Contents

• Overview
• Why Maketree?
• Features
• Installation
  • Install via pip
  • Install from source
  • Download binaries
• Quickstart
• Usage
  • Display Help
  • Creating a Directory Structure
    • Define the Structure
    • Generate the Structure
  • Syntax for Writing a .tree file
  • Specifying a Destination Folder
  • Handling Existing Files
    • Overwrite Existing Files
    • Skip Existing Files
  • Extracting the Structure
  • Preview the Structure
  • Avoid Confirming
  • Avoid Color Output
  • Summary
• Compatibility
  • OS Support
  • Python Version Support
• FAQ
  • What is Maketree?
  • Do I have to be a Software Developer to use Maketree?
  • Why should I use Maketree?
  • How do I install Maketree?
  • How do I use Maketree to generate a project structure?
  • What should I do if I find a bug?
  • How do I uninstall Maketree?
• Contributing

📖 Overview

Maketree is a powerful CLI tool that generates directories and files based on a predefined structure. Instead of manually creating folders and files, just define your structure and let Maketree handle the rest.

🤔 Why Maketree?

• Saves Time: No more manually creating directories and files.
• Consistency: Maintain a standard project structure across all your projects.
• Easy to Use: Define a structure in plain text and generate it instantly.

🚀 Features:

• Supports nested directory structures
• Automatically creates missing parent directories
• Flexible file handling with warning, skip, and overwrite options
• Preview the directory tree before creation
• Color support
• Simple and easy to write structure syntax
• Lightweight, fast, and has zero dependencies
• Simple and user-friendly CLI

📦 Installation:

Install via **pip**:

Maketree is available on PyPI. (Recommended if you're a python developer and have python already installed on your system)

You can install it using:

pip install maketree

python>=3.8 must be installed on your system.

Install from **Source**:

If you are installing from source, you will need python>=3.8.

git clone https://github.com/Anas-Shakeel/maketree-cli.git
cd maketree-cli
pip install .

Download **Binaries**: _(No Python Required)_

Maketree provides standalone binaries for Linux, macOS, and Windows. (Recommended if you don't want to install Python.)

• Download the latest release from the Releases page.

• (Optional) Move the executable to a directory in your system's PATH (e.g., /usr/local/bin on Linux/macOS OR C:\maketree on Windows).

• Run maketree from the terminal.

  maketree -h

⚡ Quickstart:

Define your project structure in a .tree file:

structure.tree

my_project/
    src/
        main.py
        utils.py
    tests/
        test_main.py
    README.md
    .gitignore

Then, run:

maketree structure.tree

This will instantly generate the entire structure in your current directory.

⚙️ Usage

You can maketree from any location in your terminal. (If installed via pip or if moved the executable to a directory recognized by system's PATH)

Display Help

maketree -h

This will show the available commands and options:

usage: maketree [OPTIONS]

Create complex project structures effortlessly.

positional arguments:
  src                   source file (with .tree extension)
  dst                   where to create the tree structure (default: .)

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -cd, --create-dst     create destination folder if it doesn't exist.
  -et, --extract-tree   write directory tree into a .tree file. (takes a PATH)
  -g, --graphical       show source file as graphical tree and exit
  -o, --overwrite       overwrite existing files
  -s, --skip            skip existing files
  -nc, --no-color       don't use colors in output
  -nC, --no-confirm     don't ask for confirmation
  -v, --verbose         enable verbose mode

Maketree 1.2.0

Creating a Directory Structure

Maketree reads .tree file that defines the folder and file structure and then creates the corresponding structure on your filesystem.

Define the Structure

Create a file named myapp.tree:

src/
    style.css
    app.js
    index.html

This will create a src folder with three files: index.html, style.css, and app.js.

Generate the Structure

To generate the structure, Run:

maketree myapp.tree

It will ask for confirmation with a graphical representation of the structure.

.
└─── src/
│   ├─── app.js
│   ├─── index.html
│   └─── style.css
Create this structure? (y/N):

Output:

1 directory and 3 files have been created.

By default, maketree creates the structure in the current directory.

Syntax for Writing a `.tree` File

To ensure correctness, follow these simple points:

1. Directories must end with /
2. Indentation must be exactly 4 spaces (other indentations may cause unexpected results)
3. File and directory names must be valid according to your OS
4. Comments start with // (inline comments are not supported)

Example:

myapp.tree

// This is a comment, and is ignored by maketree.
node_modules/
public/
    favicon.ico
    index.html
    robots.txt
src/
    index.css
    index.js
.gitignore
package.json
README.md

Now, run:

maketree myapp.tree

Output: (After confirming)

3 directories and 8 files have been created.

Specifying a Destination Folder

You can specify a destination folder instead of creating the structure in the current directory.

maketree myapp.tree myapp/

It will throw an error if myapp/ does not exist.

Error: destination path 'myapp' does not exist.

Use --create-dst or -cd flag, maketree then creates the destination directory if it doesn't exists.

maketree myapp.tree myapp/ --create-dst

Output:

3 directories and 8 files have been created.

Handling Existing Files

If you run maketree again in the same directory without deleting files, you’ll see an error:

maketree myapp.tree myapp

Output:

Error: Found 8 existing files, cannot proceed. (try --skip or --overwrite)

By default, maketree does not overwrite or skip existing files.

Overwrite Existing Files

Use the --overwrite or -o flag to overwrite existing files:

maketree myapp.tree myapp --overwrite

Output:

0 directories and 8 files have been created.

Skip Existing Files

Use the --skip or -s flag to keep existing files but create missing ones:

maketree myapp.tree myapp --skip

Output: (After deleting 3 files)

0 directories and 3 files have been created.

Extracting the Structure

You can also extract an already created project structure using -et or --extract-tree flag following the directory path of structure:

maketree --extract-tree myapp/

Output:

Tree has been extracted into 'myapp_1.tree'

Notice it created myapp_1.tree, because there was a myapp.tree already in the current directory.

Contents of myapp_1.tree file:

myapp/
    .gitignore
    package.json
    README.md
    node_modules/
    public/
        favicon.ico
        index.html
        robots.txt
    src/
        index.css
        index.js

Now this .tree file can be used whenever you want to create a similar project structure.

Preview the Structure

Use --graphical or -g to visualize the myapp.tree file:

maketree myapp.tree -g

Output:

.
├─── node_modules/
├─── public/
│   ├─── favicon.ico
│   ├─── index.html
│   └─── robots.txt
├─── src/
│   ├─── index.css
│   └─── index.js
├─── .gitignore
├─── package.json
└─── README.md

It is also shown before you create a structure for confirmation.

Avoid Confirming:

By default, maketree confirms before creating the structure. But this can sometimes be anoyying. Use --no-confirm or -nC flag to create the structure without confirming. (Notice the C is capital in -nC)

maketree myapp.tree myapp --no-confirm

Avoid Color Output:

By default, maketree uses ANSI escape codes to color the output.

maketree myapp.tree myapp/

If you're seeing something like this:

←[1m←[3m←[92msrc/←[0m
←[90m├───←[0m ←[1m←[3m←[92mnode_modules/←[0m
←[90m├───←[0m ←[1m←[3m←[92mpublic/←[0m
←[90m│   ←[0m←[90m├───←[0m favicon.ico
←[90m│   ←[0m←[90m├───←[0m index.html
←[90m│   ←[0m←[90m└───←[0m robots.txt
←[90m├───←[0m ←[1m←[3m←[92msrc/←[0m
←[90m│   ←[0m←[90m├───←[0m index.css
←[90m│   ←[0m←[90m└───←[0m index.js
←[90m├───←[0m .gitignore
←[90m├───←[0m package.json
←[90m└───←[0m README.md
←[95mCreate this structure? (y/N): ←[0m

Then your terminal doesn't support ANSI escape codes by default. (there are workarounds but they require extra python dependencies).

You will have to disable colors using --no-color or -nc flag.

maketree myapp.tree myapp/ --no-color

This will disable colors and you'll see normal text again.

Summary

Feature	Command Example
Create structure	maketree myapp.tree
Set destination	maketree myapp.tree myapp -cd
Overwrite files	maketree myapp.tree myapp -o
Skip existing	maketree myapp.tree myapp -s
Extract structure	maketree -et myapp/
Graphical preview	maketree myapp.tree -g
Avoid Confirm	maketree myapp.tree myapp -nC
Avoid Colors	maketree myapp.tree myapp -nc

🖥️ Compatibility

OS Support

Maketree is compatible with the following operating systems:

OS	Compatibility
Linux	✅ Supported
macOS	✅ Supported
Windows	✅ Supported

Python Version Support

Maketree works with Python 3.8 and later, ensuring compatibility with the latest Python releases.

Python Version	Compatibility
3.8	✅ Supported
3.9	✅ Supported
3.10	✅ Supported
3.11	✅ Supported
3.12	✅ Supported
3.13	✅ Supported (Latest)

❓ FAQ

What is Maketree?

Maketree is a command-line tool that helps developers quickly generate a predefined folder and file structures for your projects. It eliminates the need to manually create directories and files, allowing developers to start coding right away with a well-organized project structure.

Do I have to be a Software Developer to use Maketree?

No, you can be anyone. You can be a lawyer, student, or heck even Yavascript programmer.

Why should I use Maketree?

If you frequently create CLI applications, Maketree saves you time by setting up a standardized project structure instantly. It follows best practices and helps you maintain consistency across different projects.

How do I install Maketree?

You can install Maketree via pip. (for python developers)

pip install maketree

Or download the executable for your OS from Releases page.

How do I use Maketree to generate a project structure?

Simply create a file like anything.tree and define your project structure in it:

anything.tree

src/
    app.js
    index.html
    style.css

then run the following command:

maketree anything.tree

This will create the files and folders you specified in anything.tree file.

What should I do if I find a bug?

If you encounter a bug, please open an issue on GitHub with details about the problem. Be sure to include:

• A description of the issue
• Steps to reproduce
• Expected vs. actual behavior
• Any error messages you received

How do I uninstall Maketree?

To uninstall Maketree (installed via pip), Run:

pip uninstall maketree

🤝 Contributing

Contributions to Maketree are welcome and highly appreciated. However, before you jump right into it, i would like you to review Contribution Guidelines to make sure you have a smooth experience contributing to Maketree.