Setting up the cfnmason project for Python

Cfnmason is yet another tool that can be used to manipulate cloudformation stacks. It is not designed to be a replacement for CloudFormation like Terraform, but as a means of making building and managing them easier. I had written a version of this ages ago in Ruby, but with most of my work now being in Python, I am creating a new version in Python. As I have never created an exportable Python package, this will track the process of building and releasing a new PyPi package.

Oh, and to keep things interesting, I am doing this on a mix of Windows 10 and Linux.

Creating the default layout using Poetry

The first thing that we need to do is to create the base package. I could do it by hand, but I want to try out the Poetry package and see if I will hate the decision later.

c:\dev> poetry new cfnmason
...
c:\dev\cfnmason> tree \f \a

|   pyproject.toml
|   README.rst
|
+---cfnmason
|       __init__.py
|
\---tests
        test_cfnmason.py
        __init__.py

Init a new Git repo and add a .gitignore file

These are more civilized times. As such, I almost always create a git repository when I am working on a project, even small ones. They may or may not be public, and it can fluctuate on which platform I use to host my code. This time I am opting for Github, and have uploaded the code.

I have been using gitignore.io to generate base .gitignore files for ages. Type in a few operating systems, the language you are coding for, any IDEs, etc, and you can have a useful .gitignore file right out of the gate. Sure you can do it by hand, but this is quick and easy, and it can always be edited later.

Modifying the Readme file

Poetry starts you with a README.rst file. I don’t know about you, but I have been working with MarkDown for ages. It is common on a number of platforms and there is support for it in a number of editors. I understand the RST files are really designed for technical documentation, but I can burn that bridge later. For now, I need a decent starting point.

We could have started by writing out the template by hand. This would have been long and tedious. Instead, I am using a template. By using a template, I am up and running quickly. I can add and remove parts that I do or do not need, and hopefully, I will not forget a major part. As this is the first pass, I am not going to update the entire thing, but at least get the project name in and the fact that I am working on it.

The license file

The last thing needed before I start working on the code is the license file. Which license you choose is up to you. Personally, I like to use the MIT license. It lets people do what they want. As this is an opensource project, I feel that people should be able to use it as much or as little as they want.

The easiest way to do this is using the Github console. Just add a new file via the web interface and name it LICENSE or LICENSE.md in all caps. Then you will have the option to choose from a list of known licenses.

That is it and next steps

Hmmm. This took longer to write than the work to get the base package up and running. And, that is going to be expected. But, it should also show some of the thoughts and considerations that are needed when creating a new project. Especially if it is going to open for the world.

With that I will leave you to it. In the next couple of days, I am going to start adding in the libraries that are needed to begin working on the project. As I have written this in Ruby before, I have a rough layout in my head of how I want the application to work. And, I know what libraries are needed to meet the core functionality.

The question that I have for myself is if I should take the time to ensure that I update the design docs. Having a design doc is a great way to ensure that you are not missing any features. I am going to have to sleep on it.