Backstage Weekly 58 - Scaffolder custom functions and links in your templates

Hi y’all! Recently, I’ve noticed a general uptick in the Scaffolder’s usage both at Roadie and other adopters. This week, I highlight two new contributions to the Scaffolder: the ability to define custom functions for your templates and adding links to them. Both of these will prove handy for everyone using software templates!

Define custom functions for your templates

Defining custom functions for your Scaffolder template can be useful to bring dynamic values into it, for example, to randomize the name of a PR. Roadie’s kissmikijr, recent contribution enabled you to define these by configuring nunjuck’s globals.

Check out the original PR for an example, this feature will be released shortly as part of @backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend!

Using managed Backstage lets you focus on building value for your team instead of learning internals and upgrading your instance. Try out Roadie Backstage for free.

Add links to your templates

Simplify your user’s experience by referencing a template’s documentation directly on the Scaffolder. Thanks to MiniMarker, you’ll be able to set up links for your templates. This feature also comes with a spoiler of the upcoming Scaffolder UI restructuring initiative.

Talk to you next week!

Jorge L