sticks

A modern, lightweight CLI tool for managing C and C++ projects

Features • Installation • Quick Start • Usage • Updating • Contributing

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Features

• 🎯 Interactive Mode - Just run sticks for guided project setup with arrow key navigation
• 🚀 Quick Project Setup - Create new C/C++ projects with a single command
• 📁 Multiple Build Systems - Support for both Makefile and CMake with automatic conversion
• 🔨 Smart Structure - Auto-generates organized project structure with source files and build configs
• 📦 Dependency Management - Easily add/remove dependencies in your Makefile
• 🔧 Multi-Source Support - Add multiple source files with automatic build integration
• 📝 Auto-Generated Config - Creates .gitignore, .editorconfig, Clang-format config, VSCode settings
• 🔄 Self-Updating - Built-in update mechanism that downloads from GitHub releases
• 📦 Package Manager Integration - Support for Conan and vcpkg for dependency management
• 🔧 Modular Features - Add/remove build systems and package managers to existing projects post-creation
• 🔀 Git Integration - Automatically initializes git repository when git is available
• ⚡ Command Aliases - Short aliases for faster typing (f, add-pm, rm-pm, etc.)
• 🎯 Zero Runtime Dependencies - Just needs GCC; no Rust/Cargo required after installation
• ✅ Quality Assured - Comprehensive test suite with 62 automated tests (100% coverage)
• 🔐 CI/CD Pipeline - Automated testing, building, and releases on every change

Installation

Choose the installation method that works best for you:

📦 Package Managers (Recommended)

Arch Linux (AUR)

Package Name: sticks-aur

# Using an AUR helper (recommended)
yay -S sticks-aur
# or
paru -S sticks-aur

# Or manually clone from AUR
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/sticks-aur.git
cd sticks-aur
makepkg -si

See sticks-aur repository for packaging details.

Debian/Ubuntu

# Download the latest .deb package
wget https://github.com/mAmineChniti/sticks/releases/latest/download/sticks_0.3.6-1_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i sticks_*.deb

🚀 Pre-built Binaries

wget https://github.com/mAmineChniti/sticks/releases/latest/download/sticks-linux-x86_64
chmod +x sticks-linux-x86_64
sudo mv sticks-linux-x86_64 /usr/local/bin/sticks

🦀 From Cargo

cargo install sticks

Requires Rust toolchain from rustup.rs.

🔨 Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mAmineChniti/sticks.git
cd sticks

# Build release binary
cargo build --release

# Install (choose one)
sudo cp target/release/sticks /usr/local/bin/  # System-wide
# or
cp target/release/sticks ~/.local/bin/         # User only

Quick Start

Interactive Mode (Easiest!)

Just run sticks with no arguments for an interactive guided experience:

sticks

Follow the prompts to:

1. Enter your project name
2. Choose language (C or C++)
3. Select build system (Makefile or CMake)
4. Your project is created!

Use arrow keys to navigate, Enter to select.

Command Line

# Create a new C++ project with Makefile (default)
sticks cpp my-project
cd my-project

# Or with CMake build system
sticks cpp my-project --build cmake
cd my-project

# Add a dependency
sticks add libcurl

# Add more source files
sticks src utils network

# Build and run
make
./my-project

Usage

Interactive Mode

Run sticks without any arguments to enter interactive mode:

sticks

This launches a guided setup where you can:

• Enter project name
• Select language (C or C++) using arrow keys
• Choose build system (Makefile or CMake) using arrow keys
• Confirm with Enter to create your project

Command Shortcuts

Common commands have short aliases for faster typing:

sticks i              # sticks init
sticks s myfile       # sticks src myfile
sticks a libcurl      # sticks add libcurl
sticks r libcurl      # sticks remove libcurl
sticks u              # sticks update
sticks f              # sticks feature

Feature Subcommand Aliases

Feature management also supports shortcuts:

sticks f list                     # List project features
sticks f add-pm conan myapp             # Add Conan (shortcut for add-package-manager)
sticks f rm-pm vcpkg                    # Remove vcpkg (shortcut for remove-package-manager)
sticks f convert cmake                  # Convert build system

Getting Started

Create a new project in a subdirectory:

sticks c my-c-project       # New C project with Makefile
sticks cpp my-cpp-project   # New C++ project with Makefile

Create with CMake build system:

sticks c my-project --build cmake       # C project with CMake
sticks cpp my-project --build cmake     # C++ project with CMake

Create with package manager integration:

sticks cpp my-project --build cmake --package-manager conan      # C++ with CMake and Conan
sticks c my-project --build cmake -p vcpkg                       # C with CMake and vcpkg

Initialize in current directory:

sticks init c               # Initialize C project here
sticks init cpp --build cmake  # Initialize C++ project with CMake

Managing Dependencies

Add dependencies:

sticks add libcurl              # Single dependency
sticks add openssl libpq zlib   # Multiple dependencies

Automatically updates your Makefile's install-deps target.

Remove dependencies:

sticks remove libcurl           # Remove single dependency
sticks remove openssl libpq     # Remove multiple dependencies

Cleans up the install-deps rule automatically when empty.

Adding Source Files

sticks src utils               # Adds src/utils.cpp (or .c) and header
sticks src network database    # Add multiple source files

Sticks will:

• Create source files in src/
• Create corresponding headers
• Update build file (Makefile or CMakeLists.txt) automatically

Package Manager Integration

Sticks supports C/C++ package managers for dependency management:

Conan

Create a project with Conan dependency management:

sticks cpp my-project --build cmake --package-manager conan
cd my-project

This generates a conanfile.txt. To add dependencies:

1. Edit conanfile.txt and add packages to the [requires] section:

   [requires]
   libcurl/7.85.0
   openssl/1.1.1q

2. Install dependencies: conan install . --build=missing

vcpkg

Create a project with vcpkg:

sticks cpp my-project --build cmake --package-manager vcpkg
# or using short flag
sticks cpp my-project --build cmake -p vcpkg
cd my-project

This generates a vcpkg.json. To add dependencies:

1. Edit vcpkg.json and add packages to the "dependencies" array:

   "dependencies": [
     "libcurl",
     "openssl"
   ]

2. Install: ./vcpkg/vcpkg install

3. CMakeLists.txt is pre-configured to use vcpkg toolchain

Enhancing Existing Projects

After creating a project, you can add or modify features using the sticks feature (or sticks f for short) command:

View Project Features

List all detected features and configurations:

sticks f list

Output shows:

• Current build system (Makefile or CMake)
• Configured package managers
• Configuration files status

Convert Build System

Change between Makefile and CMake:

# Convert Makefile project to CMake
sticks f convert cmake

# Convert CMake project to Makefile
sticks f convert makefile

# Optionally specify project name (auto-detected if omitted)
sticks f convert cmake my_project

This will:

• Remove old build system file
• Generate new configuration with your source files
• Maintain project structure

Add Package Manager

Add Conan or vcpkg to an existing project:

# Add Conan to current project
sticks f add-pm conan

# Add vcpkg
sticks f add-pm vcpkg

# Specify project name if needed
sticks f add-pm conan my_project

Remove Package Manager

Remove a package manager if you no longer need it:

sticks f rm-pm conan
sticks f rm-pm vcpkg

Example Workflow

Start with a bare Makefile project, then enhance it:

# Create basic C project with Makefile
sticks c my_app
cd my_app

# Later, add CMake support
sticks f convert cmake

# Then add Conan for dependencies
sticks f add-pm conan

# View all features
sticks f list

Generated Configuration Files

When you create a project, Sticks automatically generates:

• Build System Files: Makefile or CMakeLists.txt (your choice)
• Git: .gitignore, .gitattributes (pre-configured for C/C++), auto-initializes git repository (if git is installed)
• Code Style: .editorconfig, .clang-format (consistent formatting)
• IDE: VSCode .vscode/settings.json, launch.json, tasks.json (if VS Code is installed)
• Documentation: README.md (project-specific template)

This gives you a professional, production-ready project structure out of the box!

Getting Help

sticks --help           # Show all commands
sticks <command> --help # Help for specific command
sticks --version        # Show version

Updating

Sticks can update itself without requiring Rust/Cargo:

sticks update

This downloads the latest binary from GitHub releases and replaces your installation.

Alternative update methods:

# Arch Linux (using AUR package manager)
# Package name: sticks-aur
yay -Syu sticks-aur
# or
paru -Syu sticks-aur

# Cargo installation
cargo install sticks --force

Uninstallation

# Cargo installation
cargo uninstall sticks

# Arch Linux (AUR package name: sticks-aur)
yay -R sticks-aur
# or
paru -R sticks-aur

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt remove sticks

# Manual installation
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/sticks
# or
rm ~/.local/bin/sticks

Project Structure

A typical sticks-managed project looks like:

my-project/
├── src/
│   ├── main.cpp        # Entry point
│   ├── utils.cpp       # Additional sources
│   └── network.cpp
├── include/
│   ├── utils.h         # Headers
│   └── network.h
├── bin/                # Final compiled binaries (gitignored)
├── build/              # Object files and build artifacts (gitignored)
└── Makefile            # Auto-generated, customizable

Technical Details

• Language: Rust 2021 edition
• Dependencies: clap 4, anyhow (build-time only)
• Dev Dependencies: serial_test (for isolated test execution)
• Runtime Requirements: GCC (for compiling your C/C++ projects)
• Supported Architectures: x86_64
• Supported Platforms: Linux (Arch, Debian, Ubuntu, others)
• Test Coverage: 62 comprehensive tests covering all core functionality (100% coverage)
• CI/CD: Automated testing, building, and releases via GitHub Actions

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how to get involved:

1. Report Issues: Found a bug? Open an issue
2. Submit PRs: Fork the repo and submit pull requests
3. Improve Docs: Help us make documentation better

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

Contributors

This project is maintained by:

mAmineChniti Creator & Maintainer

omibo Contributor

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Contact

Maintainer: mAmineChniti
Email: emin.chniti@esprit.tn
Repository: github.com/mAmineChniti/sticks
AUR Package: aur.archlinux.org/packages/sticks-aur

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Made with ❤️ for the C/C++ community