Here Mode

1. The --here switch
2. Write policy when file exists
3. The order of write policy and condition

The --here switch

The normal npx makes <skeleton_provider> will create final project under a newly created local folder, named after project name.

However, you can use --here to force “makes” to create final project right in current folder, for example to create front-end project right in an existing back-end project folder.

npx makes <skeleton_provider> --here
npx makes --here <skeleton_provider>
npx makes <skeleton_provider> <optional_project_name> --here
npx makes --here <skeleton_provider> <optional_project_name>

Write policy when file exists

There is an obvious complication when creating project in existing folder: what do you want to do when a new file conflicts an existing file. This is where write policy came in, to fine control the behaviour when there is conflict.

Simple as conditional file, you can mark a file with write policy with additional suffix. Note this is only required for skeleton to make use of here mode.

Append one of three write policies to a file name:

• __skip-if-exists will skip the new file, the existing file is untouched.
• __append-if-exists will append the content of new file to existing file.
• __ask-if-exists will prompt end user for keep or replace the existing file. Note for convenience, when end use selected “keep the existing file”, a new file will still be created but with additional suffix __makes (e.g. new-file-name__makes).

For other files without any write policy suffix, the default behaviour is overwriting existing file, which is expected but dangerous. Make sure you add write policy suffix to important files.

The order of write policy and condition

You can mix write policy and condition in any order, it doesn’t matter. Following two file names are equivalent.

file-name__skip-if-exists__if_nodejs_and_babel
file-name__if_nodejs_and_babel__skip-if-exists