---
date: "2019-11-28:00:00+02:00"
title: "Template Repositories"
slug: "template-repositories"
sidebar_position: 14
toc: false
draft: false
aliases:
  - /en-us/template-repositories
menu:
  sidebar:
    parent: "usage"
    name: "Template Repositories"
    sidebar_position: 14
    identifier: "template-repositories"
---

# Template Repositories

Gitea `1.11.0` and above includes template repositories, and one feature implemented with them is auto-expansion of specific variables within your template files.

To tell Gitea which files to expand, you must include a `template` file inside the `.gitea` directory of the template repository.

Gitea uses [gobwas/glob](https://github.com/gobwas/glob) for its glob syntax. It closely resembles a traditional `.gitignore`, however there may be slight differences.

## Example `.gitea/template` file

All paths are relative to the base of the repository

```gitignore
# All .go files, anywhere in the repository
**.go

# All text files in the text directory
text/*.txt

# A specific file
a/b/c/d.json

# Batch files in both upper or lower case can be matched
**.[bB][aA][tT]
```

**NOTE:** The `template` file will be removed from the `.gitea` directory when a repository is generated from the template.

## Variable Expansion

In any file matched by the above globs, certain variables will be expanded.

Matching filenames and paths can also be expanded, and are conservatively sanitized to support cross-platform filesystems.

All variables must be of the form `$VAR` or `${VAR}`. To escape an expansion, use a double `$$`, such as `$$VAR` or `$${VAR}`

| Variable             | Expands To                                          | Transformable |
| -------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ------------- |
| REPO_NAME            | The name of the generated repository                | ✓             |
| TEMPLATE_NAME        | The name of the template repository                 | ✓             |
| REPO_DESCRIPTION     | The description of the generated repository         | ✘             |
| TEMPLATE_DESCRIPTION | The description of the template repository          | ✘             |
| REPO_OWNER           | The owner of the generated repository               | ✓             |
| TEMPLATE_OWNER       | The owner of the template repository                | ✓             |
| REPO_LINK            | The URL to the generated repository                 | ✘             |
| TEMPLATE_LINK        | The URL to the template repository                  | ✘             |
| REPO_HTTPS_URL       | The HTTP(S) clone link for the generated repository | ✘             |
| TEMPLATE_HTTPS_URL   | The HTTP(S) clone link for the template repository  | ✘             |
| REPO_SSH_URL         | The SSH clone link for the generated repository     | ✘             |
| TEMPLATE_SSH_URL     | The SSH clone link for the template repository      | ✘             |

## Transformers :robot:

Gitea `1.12.0` adds a few transformers to some of the applicable variables above.

For example, to get `REPO_NAME` in `PASCAL`-case, your template would use `${REPO_NAME_PASCAL}`

Feeding `go-sdk` to the available transformers yields...

| Transformer | Effect |
| ----------- | ------ |
| SNAKE       | go_sdk |
| KEBAB       | go-sdk |
| CAMEL       | goSdk  |
| PASCAL      | GoSdk  |
| LOWER       | go-sdk |
| UPPER       | GO-SDK |
| TITLE       | Go-Sdk |
