csscaffold

A simple bash script that creates a basic CSS file structure for Rails applications.

This is not a CSS framework. It's just a scaffold - a starting point that gives you some structure and organization so you can write your own CSS.

Installation

Copy the script to somewhere in your PATH:

cp csscaffold ~/.local/bin/
# or
sudo cp csscaffold /usr/local/bin/

Usage

Run from the root of a Rails application:

csscaffold

The script will:

1. Verify you're in a Rails application directory
2. Show you the files it will create
3. Warn about any existing files (which will NOT be overwritten)
4. Ask for confirmation before proceeding

Preview

Want to see what gets created before running it? Check out the examples/ folder to see all 11 CSS files with their full content.

Files Created

File	Purpose
_global.css	Global variables (spacing, text, borders, shadows, etc.)
colors.css	Color system and palette
base.css	Base element styles
buttons.css	Button styles
dialog.css	Modal/dialog styles
flash.css	Rails flash messages
inputs.css	Form inputs
layout.css	Page layout
nav.css	Navigation
reset.css	CSS reset
utilities.css	Utility classes

What You Get

• A reset.css with a modern CSS reset based on Fizzy's reset
• A colors.css template showing how to organize your color system
• @layer declarations for CSS cascade control
• Commented-out examples following fizzy's patterns
• A sensible file organization to build on

The rest is up to you.

Alternatives

csscaffold is intentionally minimal - it provides structure and a reset, but no pre-built components or utilities.

If you want something more comprehensive:

• css-zero - Pre-built CSS utilities and components for Rails, distributed as a gem. Good if you want a "no-build" CSS framework with conventions.

• Tailwind CSS - Utility-first CSS framework. Good if you want extensive utilities and don't mind the build step.

• Pico CSS - Classless CSS framework. Good if you want minimal pre-built styles for basic HTML elements.

• Water.css - Just add one <link> tag. Good if you want instant styling with zero setup.

csscaffold is for you if:

• You want structure without conventions
• You prefer writing your own CSS rather than using utilities
• You want a minimal reset and file organization to build on