Modern C++ Project Generator

A simple CLI tool that sets up a modern C++ project with CMake, similar to how cargo new works for Rust projects.

WARNING! This is a work in progress and may contain all kinds of weird bugs. Use at your own risk!

Why

I get confused when I open an IDE, simple as. I just want to be able to create a C++ project quickly and get going, but I'm also terrible at remembering all the commands, arguments and flags to create things like .clang-format, compile-commands.json and others in order to have a pleasant experience in [your favorite terminal text editor].

Features

• Creates a basic C++ project structure with src/, include/, and lib/ directories
• Generates CMake configuration with modern C++23 defaults
• Automatically detects and uses CMake version and preferred generator (Ninja if available)
• Includes debug and release build presets
• Sets up clangd support via compile_commands.json
• Configures .clang-format for consistent code style
• Provides platform-specific run scripts (run.ps1/run.sh)
• Initializes git repository with sensible .gitignore

Installation

git clone https://github.com/definitelynico/mfs-cpp-starter.git
cd mfs-cpp-starter
dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64

The compiled executable will be in bin/Release/net9.0/win-x64/publish/.

Usage

There are two ways to create a new project:

1. Initialize in Current Directory

mfs-cpp-starter init [project-name]

If project name is not provided, the current directory name will be used.

2. Create in New Directory

mfs-cpp-starter <project-path> [project-name]

If project name is not provided, the directory name will be used.

Examples

# Initialize in current directory
mfs-cpp-starter init my-project

# Create new project in a new directory
mfs-cpp-starter path/to/new-project

# Create new project with custom name
mfs-cpp-starter path/to/directory custom-name

Project Structure

my-project/
├── src/
│   └── main.cpp
├── include/
├── lib/
├── build/
├── CMakeLists.txt
├── CMakePresets.json
├── .clang-format
├── .clangd
├── .gitignore
└── run.ps1/run.sh      # Platform-specific run script

Building and Running Generated Projects

After creating a project, you can build and run it using the provided script:

# On Windows
./run.ps1

# On Linux/macOS
./run.sh

These scripts will:

1. Configure CMake if not already done
2. Build the project using the debug preset
3. Run the executable

Alternatively, you can manually build using:

# Debug build (outputs compile_commands.json)
cmake --preset debug
cmake --build --preset debug

# Release build
cmake --preset release
cmake --build --preset release

Requirements

• .NET 6.0 or later
• CMake 3.20 or later
• A C++ compiler (GCC, Clang, or MSVC)
• Git
• Ninja (optional, but recommended)