Skip to main content

Explanation

This section helps you understand the concepts, design decisions, and architectural thinking behind Petk. Use this when you want to understand the "why" behind the toolkit's design and implementation.

Core Concepts​

Template Philosophy​

  • Dynamic Content Generation - Why Petk focuses on dynamic template processing
  • Functional Programming Approach - The reasoning behind functional design patterns
  • Configuration-Driven Development - How configuration shapes template behavior
  • Modular Architecture - Why Petk is built as a modular monorepo

Design Principles​

  • Simplicity Over Complexity - Keeping templates readable and maintainable
  • Convention Over Configuration - Sensible defaults with customization options
  • Separation of Concerns - Clear boundaries between engine, converter, and CLI
  • Developer Experience First - Prioritizing ease of use and debugging

Template Engine Concepts​

  • Include Resolution - How dynamic content inclusion works internally
  • Variable Scoping - Variable resolution and inheritance patterns
  • Processing Pipeline - The multi-stage template processing workflow
  • Error Handling Strategy - Graceful error recovery and debugging support

Architectural Decisions​

Monorepo Structure​

  • Why Turborepo? - Benefits of the chosen build system and tooling
  • Package Organization - Logic behind the current package structure
  • Dependency Management - Strategy for managing shared dependencies
  • Development Workflow - How the monorepo supports development velocity

Technology Choices​

  • TypeScript First - Why TypeScript is the primary language
  • Node.js Runtime - Platform considerations and compatibility
  • YAML Configuration - Benefits of YAML over other configuration formats
  • Markdown Processing - Design decisions in the converter architecture

API Design​

  • CLI Interface - Command structure and usability considerations
  • Template Syntax - Language design choices and trade-offs
  • Configuration Schema - Validation and extensibility approaches
  • Error Messages - User-friendly error reporting strategy

System Architecture​

Processing Flow​

Input Templates → Parser → Engine → Processor → Output Files
                    ↓         ↓         ↓
                Config → Variables → Includes → Validation

Component Relationships​

  • Engine Core - Central template processing logic
  • CLI Interface - User interaction and command orchestration
  • Converter Module - Specialized Markdown-to-YAML processing
  • Utility Functions - Shared functionality across packages

Data Flow​

  • Configuration Loading - How settings cascade and override
  • Template Discovery - File system traversal and pattern matching
  • Content Processing - Multi-pass processing for complex templates
  • Output Generation - File writing and directory structure management

Design Trade-offs​

Performance vs. Flexibility​

  • Template Complexity - Balancing power with processing speed
  • Memory Usage - Handling large templates and batch processing
  • Caching Strategy - When to cache vs. reprocess content
  • Parallelization - Concurrent processing considerations

Developer Experience vs. Simplicity​

  • Configuration Options - Providing flexibility without overwhelming users
  • Error Messages - Detailed diagnostics vs. concise feedback
  • Template Syntax - Expressive power vs. learning curve
  • CLI Commands - Feature completeness vs. interface simplicity

Maintenance vs. Features​

  • Code Organization - Modular design for long-term maintainability
  • Testing Strategy - Comprehensive testing without slowing development
  • Documentation - Keeping docs current with rapid development
  • Backward Compatibility - Evolution strategy for breaking changes

Future Considerations​

Extensibility​

  • Plugin Architecture - Plans for extending functionality
  • Custom Processors - User-defined template processing logic
  • Template Libraries - Sharing and distributing template collections
  • Integration Ecosystem - Building connections with other tools

Scalability​

  • Large Projects - Handling enterprise-scale template systems
  • Performance Optimization - Future improvements for speed and memory
  • Distributed Processing - Multi-machine template processing
  • Cloud Integration - Native cloud platform support

Evolution Strategy​

  • API Stability - Maintaining compatibility while adding features
  • Migration Paths - Smooth upgrades for existing projects
  • Community Input - Incorporating user feedback into design decisions
  • Technology Updates - Keeping current with ecosystem changes

Comparison with Alternatives​

Template Engines​

  • Why Not Handlebars? - Limitations that led to custom engine development
  • Differences from Jinja2 - Unique features and design philosophy
  • Static Site Generators - How Petk complements vs. replaces SSGs
  • Enterprise Solutions - Positioning against commercial template tools

Build Systems​

  • Integration vs. Replacement - Working with existing build pipelines
  • Monorepo Tools - Why Turborepo over Lerna or Nx
  • CI/CD Considerations - Template processing in automated workflows
  • Development Servers - Hot reloading and development experience

Want to dive deeper? Start with our Learning tutorials to see these concepts in action, or check the Reference section for detailed technical specifications.