# Salt Extend

`salt-extend` is a templating tool for extending SaltStack. If you're looking to add a module to SaltStack, then the `salt-extend` utility can guide you through the process.

You can use Salt Extend to quickly create templated modules for adding new behaviours to some of the module subsystems within Salt.

Salt Extend takes a template directory and merges it into a SaltStack source code directory.

## Command line usage

See salt-extend

## Choosing a template

The following templates are available:

### module

Creates a new execution module within salt/modules/{{module_name}}.py

### module_unit

Creates a new execution module unit test suite within tests/unit/modules/test_{{module_name}}.py

### state

Creates a new state module within salt/states/{{module_name}}.py

### state_unit

Creates a new state module unit test suite within tests/unit/states/test_{{module_name}}.py

## Adding templates

1. Create a directory under <src>/templates

2. Create a file `template.yml` containing properties for

> - `description` - a description of the template

> - `questions` - a collection of additional questions to ask the user, the name of the item will be used as the key in the context dictionary within the jinja template.

>   - `question` - The question to ask the user, as a string

>   - `default` - (optional) the default value, can contain Jinja2 template syntax and has access to the default context properties

### Example template.yml

    description: "Execution module"
    questions:
        depending_libraries:
            question: "What libraries does this module depend upon?"
        virtual_name:
            question: "What module virtual name to use?"
            default: "{{module_name}}"

3. Create the files within <src>/templates/<your template> to match the target

Note

File names can contain Jinja 2 template syntax, e.g. '{{module_name}}.py}}'

### Example file in the template directory

    print("Hello {{module_name}}")
    __virtual__ = "{{__virtual_name__}}"

### Default context properties

The default context provides the following properties

- `description` - A description of the template

- `short_description` - A short description of the module as entered by the user

- `version` - The version name of the next release

- `module_name` - The module name as entered by the user

- `release_date` - The current date in the format YYYY-MM-DD

- `year` - The current year in the format YYYY

As well as any additional properties entered from the questions section of `template.yml`

## API

### salt.utils.extend module

#### SaltStack Extend

A templating tool for extending SaltStack.

Takes a template directory and merges it into a SaltStack source code directory. This tool uses Jinja2 for templating.

This tool is accessed using salt-extend

> codeauthor:

>   Anthony Shaw <anthonyshaw@apache.org>

salt.utils.extend.apply_template(template_dir, output_dir, context)

  Apply the template from the template directory to the output using the supplied context dict.

  Parameters:

    - src (`str`) -- The source path

    - dst (`str`) -- The destination path

    - context (`dict`) -- The dictionary to inject into the Jinja template as context

salt.utils.extend.run(extension=None, name=None, description=None, salt_dir=None, merge=False, temp_dir=None)

  A template factory for extending the salt ecosystem

  Parameters:

    - extension (`str`) -- The extension type, e.g. 'module', 'state', if omitted, user will be prompted

    - name (`str`) -- Python-friendly name for the module, if omitted, user will be prompted

    - description (`str`) -- A description of the extension, if omitted, user will be prompted

    - salt_dir (`str`) -- The targeted Salt source directory

    - merge (`bool`) -- Merge with salt directory, False to keep separate, True to merge trees.

    - temp_dir (`str`) -- The directory for generated code, if omitted, system temp will be used