Templatr - Overview

A lightweight Visual Studio Code extension that lets you generate new files from reusable templates.
Perfect for meeting notes, daily logs, tasks, reports, or any repeatable document structure.

Features

Create files from templates stored in the .templates/ folder
Dynamic template selection via Command Palette
Per-template output folders (customizable in settings)
Custom variables (${user}, ${project}, ${title}, etc.)
Required ${title} input used for both filename and template content
Built-in variables for date, timestamp, and workspace name
Quick template creation via one command

Commands

Settings

You can configure the extension from Settings → Extensions → Templatr,
or directly in your workspace .vscode/settings.json.

Example Configuration

{
  "templatr.variables": {
    "user": "Bruce Wayne",
    "project": "Bat Framework"
  },
  "templatr.outputFolder": "notes",
  "templatr.templateFolders": {
    "note.md": "notes",
    "task.md": "tasks",
    "meeting_minutes.md": "meetings",
    "bug_report.md": "reports"
  },
  "templatr.defaultFileExtension": "md",
  "templatr.showNotifications": true
}

User Guide

Overview

The Templatr extension allows you to quickly create new Markdown files from reusable templates.
You can store templates in a .templates/ folder in your workspace, customize variables, and generate structured documents in seconds.

Installation

1. Open Visual Studio Code.
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X).
3. Search for Templatr.
4. Click Install.

Quick Start

Step 1: Create your first template

1. Open Command Palette: Ctrl+Shift+P
2. Run: Templatr: Create New Template
3. When prompted, enter a name (e.g. meeting_minutes.md)
4. Write your template content, e.g.:

   # ${title}
   
   Author: ${user}
   Date: ${date}
   Project: ${project}
   ---
   ${content}
   

5. Save the file — it will be stored in .templates/ inside your workspace.

Step 2: Create a new file from a template

1. Open Command Palette: Ctrl+Shift+P
2. Run: Templatr: Create From Template
3. Select one of your templates.
4. You'll be asked to provide a filename
5. You’ll be asked to provide values for any missing variables.
6. The new file is created in the output folder (default: notes/).

Example result:

# Weekly Sync

Author: Bruce Wayne  
Date: 10/28/2025, 22:50  
Project: Bat Framework  
---
Summary of discussion...

Settings

You can customize behavior in:

User Settings → File ▸ Preferences ▸ Settings ▸ Extensions ▸ Templatr

or directly in your workspace .vscode/settings.json file.

Example:

{
  "templatr.variables": {
    "user": "Bruce Wayne",
    "project": "Bat Framework"
  },
  "templatr.outputFolder": "workspace-notes",
  "templatr.defaultFileExtension": "md",
  "templatr.showNotifications": true
}

Available Settings

Template Variables

You can use placeholders inside your templates using the ${variable} syntax.

Built-in Variables Variable | Example | Description --- | --- | --- ${date} | 10/28/2025, 22:52 | Local date and time ${ISODate} | 2025-10-28 | ISO date format ${timestamp} | 2025-10-28T22-52-33 | File-safe timestamp ${workspaceName} | MyProject | Current workspace folder name

Custom Variables

Defined in settings.json under templatr.variables.

Example:

"templatr.variables": {
  "user": "Bruce Wayne",
  "project": "Bat Framework"
}

You can then reference ${user} and ${project} inside templates.

Interactive Prompts

If a variable is not found in either built-in or user-defined settings, the extension will ask you for it when creating a file.

Folder Structure

.your-workspace/
├── .templates/
│   ├── note.md
│   ├── task.md
│   ├── meeting_minutes.md
│   └── bug_report.md
│
├── notes/
│   └── Daily_Report.md
├── tasks/
│   └── Fix_Bug_42.md
└── meetings/
    └── Team_Sync.md

Tips & Best Practices

• Use .templates/ to store all template types (.md, .txt, etc.)
• Prefix variables with ${} — plain text won’t be replaced.
• Use descriptive template names (daily_report.md, meeting_summary.md).
• Combine with VS Code snippets or shortcuts for faster workflows.
• Sync your .templates/ folder in Git to share templates across projects.

Troubleshooting

Feedback & Contributions

Issues and suggestions are welcome! Open a GitHub issue or submit a pull request to contribute new features or improvements.

License

Released under the MIT License.

© 2025 Nikola Puric