Making templates with bluprint

Reusing code is the easiest way to speed up your dev time...

bluprint, our in-house scaffolding engine, makes it extremely easy to create templates you can use to build your next project.

What's a bluprint?

A bluprint is any code base you want to use as a template. Big ones, small ones; doesn't matter -- anything from complex tools like the graphics rig to a simple chart you know you'll make again.

How do I make a bluprint?

Start by installing bluprint:

$ yarn global add @reuters-graphics/bluprint

Now, there are only two things you need to do to make any code into a bluprint:

1. Add a .bluprintrc file to the root folder of your project template
2. Commit your code to GitHub

The bluprint CLI makes it easy to create a correctly formatted .bluprintrc. In the root of your project, just run:

$ bluprint new

At a minimum, all you need is to give your bluprint a name, but there's lots more you can do to templatize your code. Read more in bluprint's docs, especially the section about Actions, which you can use to customize your files for each project.

How do I use my new bluprint?

Once you've committed your code to GitHub with a .bluprintrc file, you can register your bluprint with the CLI.

$ bluprint add reuters-graphics/<your repo>

Now create a new directory for your project and use the CLI to start scaffolding your project:

$ mkdir my-new-project
$ cd my-new-project
$ bluprint start

📽️ Video

Watch a video tutorial.