How to Pass Images and Binaries

Include images, fonts, and other binary files in your templates without corruption.

The Problem

Using GlobType.Template on binary files corrupts them:

// BAD - corrupts images!
files: [
  { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Template }
]

The template processor tries to find var__ patterns in binary data, corrupting the file.

Solution: Use GlobType.Copy

Binary files must use GlobType.Copy:

files: [
  // Template files - process for variable substitution
  { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.md', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Template },
  { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.json', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Template },
  { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.yaml', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Template },

  // Binary files - copy without processing
  { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.png', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Copy },
  { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.jpg', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Copy },
  { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.ico', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Copy },
  { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.woff', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Copy },
  { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.woff2', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Copy }
]

Common Binary Types

Type	Extensions
Images	`.png`, `.jpg`, `.jpeg`, `.gif`, `.svg`, `.ico`, `.webp`
Fonts	`.woff`, `.woff2`, `.ttf`, `.otf`, `.eot`
Documents	`.pdf`, `.doc`, `.docx`
Archives	`.zip`, `.tar`, `.gz`
Binaries	`.exe`, `.dll`, `.so`, `.dylib`

Complete Example

import { StartTemplateWithLambda, GlobType } from '@atomicloud/cyan-sdk';

StartTemplateWithLambda(async (i, d) => {
  return {
    processors: [{
      name: 'cyan/default',
      files: [
        // Text files with variable substitution
        { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.html', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Template },
        { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.css', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Template },
        { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.js', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Template },
        { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.json', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Template },
        { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.md', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Template },

        // Images - copy only
        { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.png', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Copy },
        { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.jpg', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Copy },
        { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.svg', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Copy },
        { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.ico', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Copy },

        // Fonts - copy only
        { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.woff', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Copy },
        { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.woff2', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Copy },
        { root: 'templates', glob: '**/*.ttf', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Copy }
      ],
      config: {
        vars: {
          projectName: 'my-app'
        }
      }
    }]
  };
});

Directory Organization

Organize files by type for cleaner configuration:

cyan/templates/
├── src/              # Template files (processed)
│   ├── index.html
│   ├── styles.css
│   └── app.js
└── assets/           # Binary files (copied)
    ├── images/
    │   ├── logo.png
    │   └── favicon.ico
    └── fonts/
        ├── regular.woff2
        └── bold.woff2

files: [
  // Process all source files
  { root: 'templates/src', glob: '**/*', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Template },

  // Copy all assets (only binaries here)
  { root: 'templates/assets', glob: '**/*', exclude: [], type: GlobType.Copy }
]

Excluding Files

Use exclude patterns to skip files:

files: [
  {
    root: 'templates',
    glob: '**/*',
    exclude: [
      '**/*.test.js',     // Skip test files
      '**/node_modules/**', // Skip dependencies
      '**/.DS_Store'      // Skip macOS files
    ],
    type: GlobType.Template
  }
]

Always verify binary files work correctly after generation. Test images open, fonts load, and documents are readable.

Changing Glob Patterns - Tutorial on glob patterns
Globbing Reference - Glob syntax reference
Conditional Files - Include files conditionally

Pass Images and Binary Files