HeaderCommenter

A modern, optimized GUI desktop application for managing standardized C++ file headers with template-based variable substitution.

Originally designed for DigiPen students but now features extensive customization options making it suitable for any C++ project requiring consistent header formatting.

✨ Features

Core Functionality

• File Tree - Hierarchical directory view
• Template-Based Headers - Customizable .fmt template files with variable substitution
• Live Template Matching - Real-time detection of existing headers with template validation
• Interactive Editing - Click-to-edit highlighted fields in matched templates
• Multi-line Description Support - Automatic text wrapping based on template width

Advanced Capabilities

• Template Editor - Built-in editor with live variable detection and syntax highlighting
• Metadata Management - Visual editor for custom variables with type support (Custom, Date, File Name, etc.)
• Auto-save Configuration - Persistent settings with automatic state restoration
• Multi-Monitor Support - Intelligent window positioning across multiple displays
• Performance Optimized - Cached template loading, compiled regex patterns, efficient file I/O

File Support

• Extensions: .h, .hpp, .c, .cpp, .inl
• Smart Text Wrapping: Automatic description wrapping based on template line length
• Header Validation: Template matching with support for multiline content

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

1. Download the latest release executable
2. Launch HeaderCommenter_<version>.exe
3. Configure your template file (Settings → Template File)
4. Set up metadata variables (Metadata Editor)

Basic Usage

1. Open Directory: File → Open Directory or Ctrl+O
2. Select File: Double click any C++ file in the tree view
3. Edit Headers: Click highlighted template fields to edit
4. Insert Headers: Use "Insert Header" for files without headers
5. Update Metadata: Use "Update All Metadata" to refresh existing headers

📝 Template System

Template Format

Templates use ${VARIABLE} syntax for variable substitution. The included digipen-gam300.fmt provides a DigiPen-compatible format:

/**
@file    ${FILENAME}
@author  ${EMAIL}
@date    ${CURRENTDATE}

${DESCRIPTION}

Copyright (C) ${CURRENTYEAR} DigiPen Institute of Technology.
Reproduction or disclosure of this file or its contents without the prior
written consent of DigiPen Institute of Technology is prohibited.
*/

Custom Variables

Create custom variables in the Metadata Editor:

• Custom Text: Static text values
• File Name: Dynamic file name insertion
• Date/Year: Auto-generated date values

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Global

• Ctrl+O - Open directory
• Ctrl+Q - Quit application

Template Editor

• Ctrl+S - Save template (auto-refreshes variables)
• Escape - Close editor

Edit Popups

• Enter - Save changes (single-line fields)
• Ctrl+Enter - Save changes (multiline descriptions)
• Escape - Cancel editing

🔧 Building from Source

Requirements

• Python 3.6+
• Standard library modules (tkinter, configparser, re, os, etc.)

Build Process

# Clone repository
git clone <repository-url>
cd HeaderCommenter

# Run directly
python src/editor.py

# Build executable (Windows)
./build.bat

📄 License

Licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE file for details.