cutekit/README.md

<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<p align="center">
    <img src="logo.png" width="200" height="200">
</p>
<h1 align="center">CuteKit</h1>
<p align="center">
    The *magical* build system and package manager
</p>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>

## Introduction

**CuteKit** is a suite of tools and utilities for compiling, cross-compiling, linking, and packaging project written in low-level languages such as C, C++ or, Rust. Anything from a simple library to an operating system can be built using CuteKit.

- ✨ It uses **JSON**: Cutekit uses JSON instead of introducing a whole new programming language for describing the project. And also has macros for more advanced use cases (see [Jexpr](doc/spec/jexpr.md)).
- ✨ It's a **package manager**: Cutekit package manager is based on **Git**, nothing is centralized.
- ✨ It's **extendible**: Cutekit can be [extended](./doc/extends.md) by writing custom Python plugins.
- ✨ It's **easy**: the [**templates**](./doc/templates.md) help the user quick-start a project.
- ✨ It's **portable**: Cutekit works on Linux, Windows, and MacOS.

## CuteKit in the wild

- [SkiftOS](https://github.com/skift-org/skift) : A hobbyist operating system written in C++.
- [WKHtmlToPdf](https://github.com/odoo/wkhtmltopdf) : [Odoo](https://github.com/odoo/odoo)'s fork of wkhtmltopdf which is a command line tools to render HTML into PDF and various image formats using the Qt WebKit rendering engine.

## Installation

To install Cutekit, you may use your favourite package manager if it is available. Or you can install it manually by following the instructions below.


### By using pip

```bash
$ git clone https://github.com/cute-engineering/cutekit

$ cd cutekit

# If you want to use the latest version of Cutekit, you can switch to the dev branch.
# $ git switch dev

$ pip install --user -e .
```

### By using Nix

```bash
$ git clone https://github.com/cute-engineering/cutekit

$ cd cutekit

# If you want to use the latest version of Cutekit, you can switch to the dev branch.
# $ git switch dev

$ nix shell ./meta/nix
```

Or you can also use Cutekit in your flakes. For example:

```nix
{
  description = "Hello cutekit";
  inputs = {
    # If you want to use the latest version of Cutekit, you can specify the dev branch.
    # cutekit.url = "github:cute-engineering/cutekit/dev?dir=meta/nix";
    cutekit.url = "github:cute-engineering/cutekit?dir=meta/nix";
    nixpkgs.url = "nixpkgs/nixos-23.11";
  };

  outputs = {self, nixpkgs, cutekit, ... }:
    let
      pkgs = nixpkgs.legacyPackages.x86_64-linux;
      ck = cutekit.defaultPackage.x86_64-linux;
    in {
      devShells.x86_64-linux.default = pkgs.mkShell {
        packages = with pkgs; [
          ck
        ];
      };
    };
}
```


## Quick-start

- If you directly want to start using Cutekit for a new project, you can just run `$ ck I host` and it will create a new project in the host directory (you can rename it later).

- If you want to use Cutekit for writing operating systems, you can create a new [limine](https://github.com/limine-bootloader/limine/)-based project by running `$ ck I limine-barebone`.

## Example

If you want to see how it works you can read the [doc/cutekit.md](doc/cutekit.md) file.

## License

<a href="https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT">
  <img align="right" height="96" alt="MIT License" src="doc/mit.svg" />
</a>

Cutekit is licensed under the **MIT License**.

The full text of the license can be accessed via [this link](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT) and is also included in the [license.md](license.md) file of this software package.