Template Initializer Action

AUTOMATICALLY initializes a new repository created from a template. This action checks if it is running in a new repository (not the original template), renames files, replaces placeholders, cleans up unwanted files, and self-destructs the setup workflow.

🚀 Features

• Auto-Detection: Runs only when a new repository is created from the template.
• File Renaming: Renames specific files (e.g., README_TEMPLATE.md to README.md).
• Content Replacement: Automatically replaces {{REPO_NAME}} with the new repository name in renamed files.
• Cleanup: Removes temporary files and the initialization workflow itself after execution.
• Git Identity: Configures a bot user to commit changes.

📦 Usage

Add this action to a workflow file (e.g., .github/workflows/setup.yml) in your template repository.

name: Template Setup
on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  setup:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: write
    steps:
      - name: Initialize Template
        uses: aretw0/template-initializer@v1
        with:
          template_repository: aretw0/my-template # REPLACE with your template repo
          workflow_filename: .github/workflows/setup.yml # The file identifying THIS workflow
          files_to_rename: "README_TEMPLATE.md:README.md" # Optional: Space separated list of old:new
          files_to_remove: "LICENSE-TEMPLATE" # Optional: Space separated list of files to remove

⚙️ Inputs

Input	Description	Required	Default
template_repository	The owner/repo of the original template. Prevents the action from checking out the template itself.	Yes	N/A
workflow_filename	The path to the workflow file calling this action. It will be deleted after successful initialization.	Yes	N/A
files_to_rename	A space-separated list of old_path:new_path pairs. Also replaces {{REPO_NAME}} in the new file.	No	""
files_to_remove	A space-separated list of files, directories, or glob patterns (e.g., docs/*.md) to delete.	No	""
reset_changelog	If true, resets CHANGELOG.md to a standard initial header.	No	false
reset_version	If true, resets VERSION file to 0.0.1.	No	false
token	GitHub token for authentication.	No	${{ github.token }}