Scripts

Template Expand

Assembles a template file by replacing include directives with the contents of referenced files.

What it does

• Reads a template file and searches for include directives in the form [[include:path/to/file]].
• Replaces each include directive with the contents of the referenced file.
• Writes the fully rendered result to a new file whose name is the same as the template file, but with all underscores (_) removed.
• Helps compose larger files from reusable fragments, reducing duplication and making templates easier to maintain.

How to run it

python tpl_expand.py <template-file>

Inputs

• A single template file path passed as a command-line argument.

• Template files may contain include directives:

  [[include:header.txt]]
  

• Included file paths are resolved relative to the template file’s directory.

• Example:

  • _template.md
  • partials/header.md
  • partials/footer.md

Outputs

• Creates a rendered file in the same directory as the template.
• The output filename is generated by removing all underscores from the template filename.

• Example:

  • Input: _template.md
  • Output: template.md
• Prints an error message to stderr and exits with status code 1 if:
  • No template file is provided.
  • The specified template file does not exist.

Example

Given a template file:

# Documentation

[[include:partials/introduction.md]]

[[include:partials/usage.md]]

Run:

python tpl_expand.py _template.md

Result:

• The contents of partials/introduction.md and partials/usage.md are inserted into the template.
• A rendered file named template.md is created in the same directory.