Templateini

Templateini refers to a family of lightweight templating tools designed to generate INI-style configuration files from templates. The concept combines the simplicity of INI syntax with basic templating features such as placeholder substitution and optional logic. There is no single canonical implementation; multiple projects in different languages adopt the same naming approach or syntax variations, all targeting the same goal of producing valid INI files from structured data.

Most templateini implementations treat an INI skeleton as a static template augmented with placeholders and simple control structures. Placeholders are commonly denoted by markers such as {{VAR}} and are replaced with corresponding values from a data source, which may be a JSON, YAML, or TOML file, or an in-memory data object. The templates usually support sections and key-value pairs typical of INI files, and may offer optional features such as role-based sections, loops over lists, and simple conditional blocks. To minimize security risks, rendering is typically designed to be data-driven rather than executing arbitrary code, with escaping rules applied to avoid injecting unwanted content.

Usage typically involves supplying a template file and a data file, then invoking a renderer to produce the final INI output, either to stdout or a target file. Some implementations provide a library API for integration into applications, while others offer a command-line interface suitable for automated build or deployment pipelines. Templateini can complement configuration management workflows by enabling reusable templates that adapt to different environments without hardcoding values.

See also: INI file format, templating languages, Jinja or Mustache in templating contexts.