This repository provides a ready-to-use template for C++ projects based on CMake and VCPKG, with a bootstrap script to generate a fresh project quickly. It includes:

• A sample setup for GoogleTest, fmt, and Microsoft.GSL.
• Configuration files for clang-format and clang-tidy.
• A collection of .in files that allow you to automatically substitute the project name and namespace.
• Optional usage of vcpkg (either as a submodule or a globally installed instance).
• CMake Presets for easy builds (e.g., debug, release, release-sanitized, etc.).

Note: This template has been primarily tested on macOS. If you encounter issues on other platforms or have improvements, feel free to open a pull request!

1. Clone this repository (optionally with submodules if you want a local vcpkg directory):

   git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/<username>/<repo-name>.git

   If you forgot --recurse-submodules, you can do:

   git submodule update --init --recursive
   

2. Run the bootstrap script to generate a new project with your custom name and namespace:

   # On macOS/Linux:
   ./bootstrap.sh <ProjectName> <NamespaceName>
   # On Windows (Command Prompt or PowerShell):
   bootstrap.bat <ProjectName> <NamespaceName>

   For example:

   ./bootstrap.sh MyNewApp my_namespace

This will create a standalone folder called MyNewApp, initialize a Git repository there, optionally copy vcpkg, and remove the original template files.

3. Go into your newly created project (e.g., MyNewApp/) and review the structure:

• CMakeLists.txt
• include/, src/, tests/
• CMakePresets.json, CMakeUserPresets.json (contains ready-to-use build configurations)
• (Optional) vcpkg/ if submodules or local copy was included

Inside your newly created project folder (e.g. MyNewApp), you can use the existing CMake Presets instead of manually typing out all CMake options. Some examples:

1. Configure with the debug preset:

    cmake --preset=debug

2. Build using the same preset

   cmake --build --preset=debug

3. You can inspect available presets by running:

   cmake --list-presets

Before running the bootstrap script, you might see:

.
├─ vcpkg/                        # (Optional) vcpkg submodule
├─ template/                     # .in files: CMakeLists.txt.in, main.cpp.in, etc.
├─ bootstrap.sh                  # Script for generating a new project (macOS/Linux)
├─ bootstrap.bat                 # Script for generating a new project (Windows)
├─ bootstrap.CMakeLists.txt      # CMake logic to transform .in files into actual project files
├─ README.md                     # This documentation
└─ ... (other configs like .clang-format.in, .clang-tidy.in)

After the script finishes, you’ll have:

MyNewApp/
├─ include/
│  └─ MyNewApp.hpp              # Example generated header
├─ src/
│  └─ main.cpp                  # Example generated main
├─ tests/
│  ├─ CMakeLists.txt
│  └─ test_sample.cpp
├─ vcpkg/                        # Copied submodule (if present)
├─ CMakeLists.txt
├─ CMakePresets.json
├─ CMakeUserPresets.json
├─ vcpkg.json
├─ .clang-format
├─ .clang-tidy
└─ (other generated/adjusted files)

1. We keep .in files in the template/ folder, each containing placeholders like @APP_NAME@ or @APP_NAMESPACE@.
2. bootstrap.CMakeLists.txt (invoked by bootstrap.sh or bootstrap.bat) uses configure_file() to replace these placeholders with real values.
3. A final project is output to build_bootstrap/generated, then moved to a folder named after your new project.
4. Git is initialized in that new folder, and the original template files are removed.

If you want to add new features, fix issues, or test on other platforms (Windows, Linux, etc.), we welcome pull requests and any feedback. Feel free to open issues for discussion about best practices or new ideas.

This template has been primarily tested on macOS. Windows and Linux users are encouraged to try it out, adapt it, and submit changes if needed. We make no guarantee it works out of the box for all environments but will happily accept patches to improve cross-platform support!