Generating a Project from a Framework Template

Overview

During project creation, WebStorm can generate a project stub for developing Web applications. The project structure is set up and some sources are generated based on external templates and frameworks downloaded upon your request.

WebStorm generates project stubs based on the following templates:

• HTML5 Boilerplate, Twitter Bootstrap, and Foundation for client-side application stubs.
• Node.js Express for the server-side applications using Node.js. and Node.js Boilerplate
• Dart Web application stubs for developing the client side of applications.
• Meteor project stubs for both the client and the server sides of applications.
• PhoneGap/Apache Cordova/Ionic project stubs.
• AngularJS project stubs.

Generating a HTML5 Boilerplate, Web Starter Kit, Twitter Bootstrap, or Foundation application stub

1. Choose File | New | Project on the main menu or click Create New Project on the Welcome screen. The Create New Project Dialog opens.
2. In the left-hand pane, choose the template to use depending on your preferences and the functionality to be implemented in your application:
   • Empty: choose this option to get just a project folder without any contents.
   • HTML5 Boilerplate: choose this option to use the HTML5 Boilerplate template. This is a starting project template that can be easily adapted to your needs.
   • Web Starter Kit: choose this option to use the Web Starter Kit.
   • Twitter Bootstrap: choose this option to use the Twitter Bootstrap template, which is an elaborate modular toolkit with rich HTML, CSS, and JavaScript support.
   • Foundation: choose this option to use the Foundation framework.
3. The set of controls in the right-hand pane depends on the chosen template.
   1. Specify the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
   2. From the Version drop-down list, choose the template version to use and click Create.

Generating a Node.js Express application stub

Generating such application stubs requires that Node.js is supported in WebStorm:

1. The Node.js runtime environment is downloaded and installed on your computer.
2. The Node.js repository plugin is installed and enabled. The plugin is activated by default. If the plugin is disabled, enable it on the Plugins settings page as described in Enabling and Disabling Plugins.

Learn more in Node.js

To generate a Node.js application stub:

1. Choose File | New | Project on the main menu or click Create New Project on the Welcome screen. The Create New Project Dialog opens.
2. In the left-hand pane, choose Node.js Express App.
3. In the right-hand pane:
   1. Specify the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
   2. The path to the Node.js executable file node.exe and to the Node.js package manager file npm.cmd.
   3. The Express template engine to use. From the Template engine drop-down list, choose one of the following:
      • Jade - haml.js successor.
      • EJS - embedded JavaScript.
      • Hogan.js.
      • Handlebars.
   4. The CSS engine to use. From the CSS engine drop-down list, choose one of the following:
      • Plain CSS
      • Stylus
      • Less
      • Compass.
      • Sass.
4. Click Create, when ready. WebStorm launches the Express Project Generator tool that downloads all the required data, sets up the project structure, and opens the project either in the current window or in a new one, depending on your choice.

Generating a Dart application stub

Generating Dart application stubs requires that Dart is supported in WebStorm:

1. The Dart SDK is available on your computer.
2. The Dart plugin is installed and enabled. The plugin is activated by default. If the plugin is disabled, enable it on the Plugins settings page as described in Enabling and Disabling Plugins.

To generate a Dart application stub:

1. Choose File | New | Project on the main menu or click Create New Project on the Welcome screen. The Create New Project Dialog opens.
2. In the left-hand pane, choose Dart.
3. In the right-hand pane:
   1. Specify the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
   2. Specify the paths to the Dart SDK and optionally to the Dartium executable file (Windows and Linux)/Dartium application (macOS). WebStorm detects and displays the Dart version.
   3. To have annotations verified and assertions checked, select the Start Dartium in checked mode checkbox. Learn more from Using Dartium command-line flags.
   Click Create when ready.

If necessary, you can open the Dart page of the Settings dialog box by clicking the Settings button and configure command-line options and a custom user data directory for Dartium.

Generating a Meteor application stub

When you click Create, WebStorm generates a skeleton of a Meteor application, including an HTML file, a JavaScript file, a CSS file, and a .meteor folder with subfolders. The .meteor/local folder, which is intended for storing the built application, is automatically marked as excluded and is not involved in indexing.

By default, excluded files are shown in the project tree. To hide the .meteor/local folder, click the button on the toolbar of the Project tool window and remove a tick next to the Show Excluded Files option.

1. Choose File | New | Project on the main menu or click Create New Project on the Welcome screen. The Create New Project Dialog opens.
2. In the left-hand pane, choose Meteor App.
3. In the right-hand pane:
   1. Specify the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
   2. Specify the location of the Meteor executable file (see Installing Meteor).
   3. From the Template drop-down list, choose the sample to generate. To have a basic project structure generated, choose the Default option.
   4. In the Filename text box, type the name for the mutually related .js, .html, and .css files that will be generated. The text box is available only if the Default sample type is selected from the Template drop-dow list.

Generating a PhoneGap/Cordova/Ionic application stub

1. Choose File | New | Project on the main menu or click Create New Project on the Welcome screen. The Create New Project Dialog opens.
2. In the left-hand pane, choose PhoneGap/Cordova App.
3. In the right-hand pane:
   1. Specify the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
   2. Specify the location of the executable file phonegap.cmd, or cordova.cmd, or ionic.cmd (see Installing PhoneGap/Cordova/Ionic).

When you click Create, WebStorm generates a skeleton of a PhoneGap/Cordova/Ionic application with the framework-specific structure.

Generating an AngularJS application

WebStorm can generate a project stub for developing applications using AngularJS. To generate an Angular stub, use Angular CLI, see Angular. To generate an AngularJS application stub:

1. Choose File | New | Project on the main menu or click Create New Project on the Welcome screen. The Create New Project Dialog opens.
2. In the left-hand pane, choose AngularJS.
3. In the right-hand pane, specify the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
4. When you click Create, WebStorm generates the AngularJS-specific project structure with all the required configuration files based on the AngularJS seed project
5. Download the AngularJS dependencies that contain the AngularJS code and the tools that support development and testing: open the embedded Terminal (View | Tool Windows | Terminal) and type npm install at the command prompt. Learn more about the installation of dependencies in the Install Dependencies section of the readme.md file.

When you click Create, WebStorm generates a skeleton of a AngularJS application with the framework-specific structure.

Generating a React application with create-react-app

1. Choose File | New | Project on the main menu or click Create New Project on the Welcome screen. The Create New Project Dialog opens.
2. In the left-hand pane, choose React App.
3. In the right-hand pane, specify the project folder, the Node.js interpreter to use, and the path to the create-react-app package.
4. Optionally:
   Specify a custom package to use instead of react-scripts during the project generation. This can be one of the packages forked from react-scripts, for example, react-awesome-scripts, custom-react-scripts, react-scripts-ts, etc.
5. When you click Create, WebStorm generates a React-specific project with all the required configuration files.

Learn more about installing React and creating React applications from React Official website.