rseng-project-scaffoldinglisted

# Project scaffolding from templates Starting from a maintained community template gives a research software project the whole quality baseline - packaging, tests, CI, linting, citation files, docs - in one step, encoded the way its community actually practices it. The skill here is threefold: pick the right generator, generate (or retrofit) honestly, and keep the project in sync as the template evolves. ## Choosing a generator - Copier: templates are versioned; `copier update` can replay template improvements into an already-generated project later. Prefer it when the template supports it - staying current is the hard part of template use, and Copier is built for it. - cookiecutter: widest ecosystem of templates; generation is one-shot (no built-in update path), so treat the result as a starting point you own from day one. Prefer a template maintained by a research software community over a generic one: it will encode citation files, FAIR practices and research-specific CI that generic templates omit. ## The NLeSC python-template (reference implementation) The Netherlands eScience Center's Copier template (https://github.com/NLeSC/python-template, Apache-2.0, actively maintained) is a strong default for research Python packages: ```bash pipx install copier copier copy https://github.com/nlesc/python-template.git path/to/project copier update # later: pull template improvements ``` - Three profiles: Minimum (essentials), Recommended (curat