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Generating Cadence Boilerplate

The flow generate command provides a convenient way to create boilerplate template files for common Cadence code components. This command streamlines the development process by automatically generating properly structured files with the correct syntax and organization.

Overview​


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flow generate [command]

Aliases: generate, g

The generate command supports four main subcommands for creating different types of Cadence files:

  • contract - Generate Cadence smart contract templates
  • script - Generate Cadence script templates
  • test - Generate Cadence test templates
  • transaction - Generate Cadence transaction templates

Generate Contract​

Creates a new Cadence smart contract with a basic template structure.

Usage​


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flow generate contract <name> [flags]

Example​


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flow generate contract HelloWorld

This command creates a file cadence/contracts/HelloWorld.cdc with the following content:


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access(all) contract HelloWorld {
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init() {}
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}

info

When generating a contract, a corresponding test file will also be created automatically (unless --skip-tests is used). For example, generating HelloWorld contract will also create cadence/tests/HelloWorld.test.cdc.

Flags​

  • --dir string - Directory to generate files in (defaults to cadence/contracts/)
  • --skip-tests - Skip generating test files
  • -h, --help - Help for contract command

Generate Transaction​

Creates a new Cadence transaction with a basic template structure.

Usage​


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flow generate transaction <name> [flags]

Example​


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flow generate transaction TransferTokens

This command creates a file cadence/transactions/TransferTokens.cdc with the following content:


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transaction() {
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prepare() {}
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execute {}
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}

Flags​

  • --dir string - Directory to generate files in (defaults to cadence/transactions/)
  • --skip-tests - Skip generating test files
  • -h, --help - Help for transaction command

Generate Script​

Creates a new Cadence script with a basic template structure.

Usage​


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flow generate script <name> [flags]

Example​


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flow generate script GetBalance

This command creates a file cadence/scripts/GetBalance.cdc with the following content:


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access(all) fun main() {}

Flags​

  • --dir string - Directory to generate files in (defaults to cadence/scripts/)
  • --skip-tests - Skip generating test files
  • -h, --help - Help for script command

Generate Test​

Creates a new Cadence test file with a basic template structure.

Usage​


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flow generate test <name> [flags]

Example​


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flow generate test MyToken

This command creates a file cadence/tests/MyToken.test.cdc with a basic test structure.

After generating a test, you can run it using flow test. For more information about writing and running Cadence tests, see the Cadence Tests documentation.

Flags​

  • --dir string - Directory to generate files in (defaults to cadence/tests/)
  • --skip-tests - Skip generating test files
  • -h, --help - Help for test command

Custom Directory Usage​

All generate commands support the --dir flag to specify a custom directory for the generated files. This is useful when your project requires a different organizational structure than the default.

Examples​


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# Generate contract in a custom directory
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flow generate contract MyToken --dir=src/contracts
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# Generate transaction in a custom directory
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flow generate transaction Transfer --dir=src/transactions
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# Generate script in a custom directory
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flow generate script GetData --dir=src/scripts
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# Generate test in a custom directory
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flow generate test MyToken --dir=src/tests

Project Structure​

When using the default directories, the generate command creates the following structure:


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cadence/
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├── contracts/
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│ └── MyToken.cdc
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├── scripts/
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│ └── GetBalance.cdc
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├── transactions/
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│ └── TransferTokens.cdc
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└── tests/
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└── MyToken.test.cdc

The generate command is an essential tool for accelerating Flow development by providing standardized, well-structured boilerplate code for all common Cadence components.

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