Test Templates Locally

The try command lets you test templates during development without publishing to the registry. This provides a fast feedback loop: write code, test, iterate.

Basic Usage

cyanprint try template <template_path> <output_path>

Argument	Description
`template_path`	Path to template directory (containing `cyan.yaml`)
`output_path`	Directory for generated output

Quick Start

Create Template Directory

cyan.yaml

index.ts

Dockerfile

package.json

README.md

Run Try Command

cyanprint try template . ./output

This command will:

Build the template Docker image automatically
Start the coordinator daemon (if needed)
Prompt for template questions
Generate the project

Check Output

ls ./output

How It Works

The try command automates the full development workflow:

cyan.yaml ──► Docker Build ──► Coordinator ──► Template Execution ──► Output

Build: Creates the template image from your cyan.yaml configuration
Coordinate: Starts a local coordinator on port 9000
Execute: Runs your template logic with interactive prompts
Generate: Writes files to the output directory

The try command builds images automatically—you don't need to run docker build manually.

Command Options

Keep Containers

Preserve containers after execution for debugging:

cyanprint try template . ./output --keep-containers

Useful when:

Inspecting container state
Debugging build issues
Checking mounted volumes

Skip Daemon Autostart

Use an already-running coordinator:

cyanprint try template . ./output --disable-daemon-autostart

Custom Coordinator

Connect to a different coordinator endpoint:

cyanprint try template . ./output -c http://coordinator.example.com:9000

Development Workflow

Iterative Development

Write your template logic in cyan/index.ts
Test with cyanprint try template . ./output
Review generated files in ./output
Iterate by modifying code and re-running

# After making changes
rm -rf ./output
cyanprint try template . ./output

For hot-reloading during development, see Dev Mode which enables live code updates without rebuilding.

Testing Different Inputs

Create multiple output directories to test different configurations:

Test with TypeScript configuration:

# Test with TypeScript configuration
cyanprint try template . ./output-ts

# Review TypeScript output
ls ./output-ts
cat ./output-ts/package.json

Test with Python configuration:

# Test with Python configuration
cyanprint try template . ./output-python

# Review Python output
ls ./output-python
cat ./output-python/pyproject.toml

Test with C# configuration:

# Test with C# configuration
cyanprint try template . ./output-csharp

# Review C# output
ls ./output-csharp
cat ./output-csharp/Project.csproj

Trying Group Templates

Group templates (meta-templates) combine multiple published templates:

cyanprint try group <group_path> <output_path>

Groups don't require building because they reference published templates from the registry.

Next Steps

Dev Mode - Hot-reloading during development
Push to Registry - Publish your template
Add Plugins - Enhance with post-processing

Test Templates Locally

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