Templates

Project Templates¶

LDA provides pre-configured templates for common project types. Templates help you get started quickly with best practices and standard structures.

Available Templates¶

Research Template¶

Perfect for academic research projects with literature review, data collection, and analysis phases.

lda init --template research

Features: - Protocol management - Ethics tracking - Literature references - Data collection workflows - Statistical analysis - Publication preparation

Structure:

research-project/
├── docs/
│   ├── protocol/
│   ├── literature/
│   └── reports/
├── data/
│   ├── raw/
│   ├── processed/
│   └── metadata/
├── analysis/
│   ├── scripts/
│   ├── notebooks/
│   └── results/
├── publications/
│   ├── manuscripts/
│   ├── figures/
│   └── supplements/
└── admin/
    ├── ethics/
    ├── grants/
    └── meetings/

Software Template¶

Ideal for software development projects with source code, tests, and documentation.

lda init --template software

Features: - Source code organization - Test suite tracking - Documentation management - Build artifacts - Release management - Issue tracking

Structure:

software-project/
├── src/
│   ├── main/
│   └── test/
├── docs/
│   ├── api/
│   ├── guides/
│   └── tutorials/
├── config/
├── scripts/
├── build/
└── releases/

Documentation Template¶

Designed for technical writing and documentation projects.

lda init --template documentation

Features: - Multi-format output - Version tracking - Translation management - Review workflows - Publication pipeline

Structure:

documentation-project/
├── content/
│   ├── guides/
│   ├── tutorials/
│   ├── reference/
│   └── examples/
├── assets/
│   ├── images/
│   ├── diagrams/
│   └── videos/
├── locales/
├── themes/
└── output/

Data Science Template¶

Optimized for machine learning and data analysis projects.

lda init --template data-science

Features: - Dataset versioning - Experiment tracking - Model management - Pipeline automation - Results visualization

Structure:

datascience-project/
├── data/
│   ├── raw/
│   ├── interim/
│   ├── processed/
│   └── external/
├── notebooks/
│   ├── exploratory/
│   ├── analysis/
│   └── reports/
├── src/
│   ├── data/
│   ├── features/
│   ├── models/
│   └── visualization/
├── models/
├── reports/
│   ├── figures/
│   └── papers/
└── references/

Minimal Template¶

A bare-bones template for simple projects.

lda init --template minimal

Features: - Basic structure - Simple configuration - Quick setup - Minimal overhead

Structure:

minimal-project/
├── docs/
├── src/
├── data/
└── output/

Using Templates¶

Basic Usage¶

# Initialize with template
lda init --template research

# Interactive mode
lda init --template research --interactive

# With custom values
lda init --template research \
  --name "Climate Study" \
  --code "CLIMATE-2024" \
  --author "Dr. Smith"

Template Options¶

# List available templates
lda templates list

# Show template details
lda templates show research

# Preview template structure
lda templates preview research

# Create from specific version
lda init --template research@v2.0

Customizing Templates¶

Template Configuration¶

Each template includes a configuration file:

# template.yaml
name: research
version: 1.0
description: "Academic research project template"

variables:
  project_type:
    description: "Type of research"
    default: "experimental"
    choices: ["experimental", "theoretical", "review"]

  discipline:
    description: "Research discipline"
    default: "general"

  includes_data:
    description: "Will project include data collection?"
    type: boolean
    default: true

structure:
  - path: "docs/protocol"
    condition: "{{ project_type == 'experimental' }}"

  - path: "data/raw"
    condition: "{{ includes_data }}"

  - path: "analysis/statistical"
    condition: "{{ discipline in ['psychology', 'medicine'] }}"

files:
  - source: "README.md.j2"
    destination: "README.md"

  - source: "protocol.md.j2"
    destination: "docs/protocol/main.md"
    condition: "{{ project_type == 'experimental' }}"

configuration:
  project:
    type: "{{ project_type }}"
    discipline: "{{ discipline }}"

  sections:
    literature:
      enabled: true
      citation_style: "apa"

    data:
      enabled: "{{ includes_data }}"
      validation_required: true

Creating Custom Templates¶

Create template directory
```
mkdir ~/.lda/templates/my-template
```

Add template configuration

# ~/.lda/templates/my-template/template.yaml
name: my-template
version: 1.0
description: "My custom template"

variables:
  feature_x:
    description: "Enable feature X"
    type: boolean
    default: false

structure:
  - path: "src"
  - path: "docs"
  - path: "tests"
  - path: "config"
    condition: "{{ feature_x }}"

Add template files

# ~/.lda/templates/my-template/files/README.md.j2
# {{ project.name }}

{{ project.description }}

## Getting Started

This project was created with the {{ template.name }} template.

{% if feature_x %}
## Feature X

This project includes Feature X configuration.
{% endif %}

Use custom template
```
lda init --template my-template
```

Template Examples¶

Research Project Example¶

lda init --template research

Configuration prompts:

Project name: Coral Reef Study
Project code: CORAL-2024
Author: Dr. Jane Smith
Email: jane.smith@oceanlab.edu
Organization: Ocean Research Institute
Research type: experimental
Discipline: marine biology
Include data collection? yes
Include statistical analysis? yes

Generated configuration:

project:
  name: "Coral Reef Study"
  code: "CORAL-2024"
  author: "Dr. Jane Smith"
  email: "jane.smith@oceanlab.edu"
  organization: "Ocean Research Institute"
  type: "experimental"
  discipline: "marine biology"

sections:
  protocol:
    name: "Research Protocol"
    type: "documentation"
    files:
      - "docs/protocol/*.md"
      - "docs/ethics/*.pdf"

  fieldwork:
    name: "Field Data Collection"
    type: "data"
    files:
      - "data/field/*.csv"
      - "data/field/*.json"
      - "data/photos/*.jpg"

  laboratory:
    name: "Lab Analysis"
    type: "data"
    files:
      - "data/lab/*.xlsx"
      - "data/lab/results/*.csv"

  analysis:
    name: "Statistical Analysis"
    type: "code"
    files:
      - "analysis/*.R"
      - "analysis/*.py"
      - "analysis/output/*.png"

tracking:
  monitor_changes: true
  backup_on_change: true

  validation:
    required_files:
      - "docs/protocol/main.md"
      - "docs/ethics/approval.pdf"
      - "data/metadata.json"

Software Project Example¶

lda init --template software

Configuration prompts:

Project name: Task Manager API
Project code: TASKAPI
Author: John Developer
Email: john@company.com
Language: python
Framework: fastapi
Include tests? yes
Include docs? yes
Include CI/CD? yes

Generated structure:

task-manager-api/
├── src/
│   └── taskapi/
│       ├── __init__.py
│       ├── main.py
│       ├── models/
│       ├── routes/
│       ├── services/
│       └── utils/
├── tests/
│   ├── unit/
│   ├── integration/
│   └── fixtures/
├── docs/
│   ├── api/
│   ├── development/
│   └── deployment/
├── config/
│   ├── development.yaml
│   ├── testing.yaml
│   └── production.yaml
├── scripts/
│   ├── setup.sh
│   ├── test.sh
│   └── deploy.sh
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       ├── test.yml
│       └── deploy.yml
└── requirements/
    ├── base.txt
    ├── development.txt
    └── production.txt

Advanced Template Features¶

Conditional Sections¶

sections:
  frontend:
    condition: "{{ project.includes_frontend }}"
    files:
      - "src/frontend/**/*"

  backend:
    condition: "{{ project.includes_backend }}"
    files:
      - "src/backend/**/*"

  mobile:
    condition: "{{ project.platforms contains 'mobile' }}"
    files:
      - "src/mobile/**/*"

Dynamic File Generation¶

files:
  - source: "config.yaml.j2"
    destination: "config/{{ environment }}.yaml"
    foreach: environment
    in: ["development", "staging", "production"]

Post-Init Hooks¶

hooks:
  post_init:
    - command: "git init"
      condition: "{{ use_git }}"

    - command: "npm install"
      condition: "{{ language == 'javascript' }}"

    - command: "python -m venv venv"
      condition: "{{ language == 'python' }}"

    - script: "scripts/setup.sh"
      condition: "{{ run_setup }}"

Template Inheritance¶

# child-template.yaml
extends: research
version: 1.0

# Override parent settings
variables:
  discipline:
    default: "psychology"
    choices: ["clinical", "cognitive", "social"]

# Add new sections
structure:
  - path: "experiments"
  - path: "participants"

# Extend configuration
configuration:
  sections:
    experiments:
      name: "Experiments"
      type: "protocol"

    participants:
      name: "Participant Data"
      type: "sensitive"
      encryption: required

Template Best Practices¶

1. Keep Templates Focused¶

Each template should serve a specific use case: - Research projects - Software applications - Documentation sites - Data pipelines

2. Use Meaningful Defaults¶

variables:
  author:
    default: "{{ env.USER }}"

  date:
    default: "{{ datetime.now().strftime('%Y-%m-%d') }}"

  organization:
    default: "{{ env.LDA_DEFAULT_ORG }}"

3. Document Variables¶

variables:
  database_type:
    description: "Database system to use"
    type: choice
    choices: ["postgresql", "mysql", "sqlite"]
    default: "postgresql"
    help: |
      PostgreSQL: Best for production
      MySQL: Good compatibility
      SQLite: Simple, file-based

4. Provide Examples¶

Include example files in your template:

template/
├── examples/
│   ├── sample_analysis.py
│   ├── example_config.yaml
│   └── demo_notebook.ipynb

5. Version Templates¶

version: 2.0
minimum_lda_version: 1.5.0
breaking_changes:
  - "Renamed 'data' section to 'datasets'"
  - "Removed deprecated 'output' directory"

Creating Template Packages¶

Package Structure¶

my-templates/
├── package.yaml
├── research-extended/
│   ├── template.yaml
│   └── files/
├── lab-notebook/
│   ├── template.yaml
│   └── files/
└── README.md

Publishing Templates¶

# Package templates
lda templates package my-templates/

# Publish to registry
lda templates publish my-template-pack-1.0.tar.gz

# Install from registry
lda templates install organization/template-pack

Template Development Workflow¶

Start with existing template

lda templates clone research my-research

Modify configuration

cd ~/.lda/templates/my-research
edit template.yaml

Test template

lda init --template my-research --dry-run

Iterate and refine
```
lda templates validate my-research
```
Share with team
```
lda templates export my-research
```

Next Steps¶

- :material-workflow:{ .lg .middle } __Workflows__ --- Common workflow patterns [:octicons-arrow-right-24: Learn more](workflows.md) - :material-cog:{ .lg .middle } __Configuration__ --- Detailed configuration options [:octicons-arrow-right-24: Configure](configuration.md) - :material-api:{ .lg .middle } __API Reference__ --- Template API documentation [:octicons-arrow-right-24: View API](../api-reference/templates.md)