wheels generate scaffold

Generate complete CRUD scaffolding for a resource including model, controller, views, tests, and migration.

Synopsis

wheels generate scaffold name
#can also be used as:
wheels g scaffold name

# With properties and options
wheels generate scaffold Product --properties="name:string,price:decimal"
wheels generate scaffold Comment --belongsTo=Product --api=true

Description

The wheels scaffold command generates a complete CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) implementation including model, controller, views, tests, and database migration. It's the fastest way to create a fully functional resource.

Parameter Syntax

CommandBox supports multiple parameter formats:

• Named parameters: name=value (e.g., name=Product, properties="name:string,price:decimal")
• Flag parameters: --flag equals flag=true (e.g., --api equals api=true)
• Flag with value: --flag=value equals flag=value (e.g., --properties="name:string")

Note: Flag syntax (--flag) avoids positional/named parameter conflicts and is recommended for boolean options.

Parameter Mixing Rules

CommandBox parameter processing has specific rules about mixing parameter types:

✅ ALLOWED:

• All positional: wheels generate scaffold Product
• All named: name=Product properties="name:string"
• Positional + flags: wheels generate scaffold Product --api --migrate

❌ NOT ALLOWED:

• Positional + named: wheels generate scaffold Product properties="name:string" (causes "positional and named parameters" error)

Arguments

| Argument | Description | Default | |----------|-------------|---------| | name | Resource name (singular) | Required |

Options

| Option | Description | Example | Default | |--------|-------------|---------|---------| | --properties | Model properties (format: name:type,name2:type2) | --properties="name:string,price:decimal" | | | --belongsTo | Parent model relationships (comma-separated) | --belongsTo=User,Category | | | --hasMany | Child model relationships (comma-separated) | --hasMany=orders,comments | | | --api | Generate API-only scaffold (no views) | --api=true or --api | false | | --tests | Generate test files | --tests=false | true | | --migrate | Run migrations after scaffolding | --migrate=true or --migrate | false | | --force | Overwrite existing files | --force=true or --force | false |

Examples

Basic scaffold

wheels generate scaffold Product

Scaffold with properties

wheels generate scaffold Product --properties="name:string,price:decimal,stock:integer"

Scaffold with associations

wheels scaffold Order --properties="total:decimal,status:string" \
  --belongsTo=User --hasMany=orderItems

API scaffold

wheels generate scaffold Product --api=true --properties="name:string,price:decimal"

Scaffold with auto-migration

wheels generate scaffold Category --properties="name:string" --migrate=true

Detailed Parameter Usage

Command Line Parameter Formats

Building on CommandBox's parameter syntax, CFWheels scaffold generation supports:

1. Positional Parameters (Basic)

wheels generate scaffold Product          # Resource name (required)
wheels g scaffold User                    # Short alias with resource name

2. Named Parameters with Flags (Recommended)

wheels generate scaffold Product --properties="name:string,price:decimal"
wheels generate scaffold Comment --belongsTo=Product --properties="content:text"
wheels generate scaffold User --hasMany=posts,comments --api=true

3. Positional + Flags (Valid)

wheels generate scaffold Order --properties="total:decimal" --belongsTo=User --migrate
wheels g scaffold Product --properties="name:string" --api --tests=false --force

Parameter Validation Rules

Resource Name (Required)

• Format: Singular noun (e.g., Product, User, Comment)
• Conventions: PascalCase recommended
• Examples: Product, OrderItem, UserProfile

Properties Parameter

• Format: --properties="name:type,name2:type2,name3:type3"
• Types: string, text, integer, decimal, boolean, date, datetime, time
• Separator: Comma (,) between properties
• Quotes: Always use quotes around the entire properties string

Association Parameters

• belongsTo: --belongsTo=Model1,Model2 (comma-separated parent models)
• hasMany: --hasMany=model1,model2 (comma-separated child models - lowercase plural)
• Format: Model names in PascalCase for belongsTo, camelCase plural for hasMany

Boolean Parameters

• Short flags: --api, --migrate, --force (equals true)
• Explicit: --api=true, --tests=false, --migrate=true
• Default values: api=false, tests=true, migrate=false, force=false

Parameter Examples by Type

String Parameters (Properties)

# Basic properties
wheels generate scaffold Product --properties="name:string,description:text"

# Complex properties with various types
wheels generate scaffold Order --properties="total:decimal,status:string,orderDate:datetime,shipped:boolean"

# Properties with foreign keys (use belongsTo instead)
wheels generate scaffold Comment --properties="content:text,rating:integer" --belongsTo=Product,User

Association Parameters

# Single associations
wheels generate scaffold Post --belongsTo=User
wheels generate scaffold User --hasMany=posts

# Multiple associations
wheels generate scaffold Order --belongsTo=User,ShippingAddress --hasMany=orderItems,payments
wheels generate scaffold Product --hasMany=reviews,orderItems,images

Boolean Flag Parameters

# API-only scaffold (no views)
wheels generate scaffold Product --api --properties="name:string,price:decimal"

# Skip tests generation
wheels generate scaffold Comment --tests=false --belongsTo=Post

# Force overwrite existing files
wheels generate scaffold User --force --properties="name:string,email:string"

# Auto-run migrations
wheels generate scaffold Category --migrate --properties="name:string,slug:string"

Combined Parameter Examples

# Complete e-commerce product
wheels generate scaffold Product \
  --properties="name:string,description:text,price:decimal,inStock:boolean,sku:string" \
  --belongsTo=Category \
  --hasMany=orderItems,reviews \
  --migrate

# Blog post with API
wheels generate scaffold Post \
  --properties="title:string,content:text,published:boolean,publishedAt:datetime" \
  --belongsTo=User \
  --hasMany=comments \
  --api=true \
  --migrate

# User profile with relationships
wheels generate scaffold User \
  --properties="firstName:string,lastName:string,email:string,active:boolean" \
  --hasMany=posts,comments,orders \
  --tests=true \
  --migrate

Common Parameter Mistakes

❌ Wrong property format:

wheels generate scaffold Product properties=name:string,price:decimal  # Missing --
wheels generate scaffold Product --properties=name string price decimal  # Wrong separator

❌ Wrong association format:

wheels generate scaffold Comment belongs-to=Product  # Wrong parameter name
wheels generate scaffold Order --belongsTo=user      # Should be User (PascalCase)
wheels generate scaffold User --hasMany=Posts        # Should be posts (camelCase plural)

❌ Wrong boolean format:

wheels generate scaffold Product api=true            # Missing --
wheels generate scaffold Product --api true          # Should be --api=true or --api

❌ Mixing positional and named parameters:

wheels generate scaffold Product properties="name:string"     # Positional + named (ERROR)
wheels generate scaffold name=Product --api=true             # Named + flag (inconsistent)

✅ Correct formats:

wheels generate scaffold Product --properties="name:string,price:decimal"  # Positional + flags
wheels generate scaffold Comment --belongsTo=Product                       # Positional + flags
wheels generate scaffold User --hasMany=posts,comments                     # Positional + flags
wheels generate scaffold Product --api=true    # or just --api             # Positional + flags

# OR all named parameters:
wheels generate scaffold name=Product properties="name:string"             # All named

Advanced Parameter Usage

Complex Data Types

# Different column types
wheels generate scaffold Event --properties="name:string,description:text,eventDate:date,startTime:time,duration:integer,price:decimal,active:boolean"

# Text fields for large content
wheels generate scaffold Article --properties="title:string,summary:text,content:text,publishedAt:datetime"

# Decimal fields with precision
wheels generate scaffold Product --properties="price:decimal,weight:decimal,dimensions:string"

Multi-level Associations

# Blog system
wheels generate scaffold User --hasMany=posts,comments
wheels generate scaffold Post --belongsTo=User --hasMany=comments
wheels generate scaffold Comment --belongsTo=User,Post

# E-commerce system
wheels generate scaffold Category --hasMany=products
wheels generate scaffold Product --belongsTo=Category --hasMany=orderItems,reviews
wheels generate scaffold Order --belongsTo=User --hasMany=orderItems
wheels generate scaffold OrderItem --belongsTo=Order,Product

API-First Development

# API-only resources
wheels generate scaffold ApiUser --api --properties="name:string,email:string,apiKey:string"
wheels generate scaffold ApiToken --api --belongsTo=ApiUser --properties="token:string,expiresAt:datetime"

# Mobile app backend
wheels generate scaffold MobileUser --api --properties="deviceId:string,pushToken:string"
wheels generate scaffold Notification --api --belongsTo=MobileUser --properties="message:text,sent:boolean"

Parameter Processing Details

Command Line Processing

1. Resource Name: First positional argument, converted to proper case variants
2. Properties: Parsed into individual property definitions with types
3. Associations: Split by comma and processed into relationship configurations
4. Boolean Flags: Converted to boolean values for scaffold options
5. Validation: Checked for required parameters and valid formats

Internal Parameter Handling

1. reconstructArgs(): Processes CommandBox parameter format
2. validateScaffold(): Validates resource name and checks for conflicts
3. generateScaffold(): Coordinates generation of all components
4. Template Processing: Applies parameters to code generation templates
5. File Creation: Creates model, controller, views, tests, and migration

What Gets Generated

Standard Scaffold

1. Model (/models/Product.cfc)

   • Properties and validations
   • Associations
   • Business logic

2. Controller (/controllers/Products.cfc)

   • All CRUD actions
   • Flash messages
   • Error handling

3. Views (/views/products/)

   • index.cfm - List all records
   • show.cfm - Display single record
   • new.cfm - New record form
   • edit.cfm - Edit record form
   • _form.cfm - Shared form partial

4. Migration (/app/migrator/migrations/[timestamp]_create_products.cfc)

   • Create table
   • Add indexes
   • Define columns

5. Tests (if enabled)

   • Model tests
   • Controller tests
   • Integration tests

API Scaffold

1. Model - Same as standard
2. API Controller - JSON responses only
3. Migration - Same as standard
4. API Tests - JSON response tests
5. No Views - API doesn't need views

Generated Files Example

For wheels scaffold Product --properties="name:string,price:decimal,stock:integer":

Model: /models/Product.cfc

component extends="Model" {

    function init() {
        // Properties
        property(name="name", label="Product Name");
        property(name="price", label="Price");
        property(name="stock", label="Stock Quantity");
        
        // Validations
        validatesPresenceOf("name,price,stock");
        validatesUniquenessOf("name");
        validatesNumericalityOf("price", greaterThan=0);
        validatesNumericalityOf("stock", onlyInteger=true, greaterThanOrEqualTo=0);
    }

}

Controller: /controllers/Products.cfc

component extends="Controller" {

    function init() {
        // Filters
    }

    function index() {
        products = model("Product").findAll(order="name");
    }

    function show() {
        product = model("Product").findByKey(params.key);
        if (!IsObject(product)) {
            flashInsert(error="Product not found.");
            redirectTo(action="index");
        }
    }

    function new() {
        product = model("Product").new();
    }

    function create() {
        product = model("Product").new(params.product);
        if (product.save()) {
            flashInsert(success="Product was created successfully.");
            redirectTo(action="index");
        } else {
            flashInsert(error="There was an error creating the product.");
            renderView(action="new");
        }
    }

    function edit() {
        product = model("Product").findByKey(params.key);
        if (!IsObject(product)) {
            flashInsert(error="Product not found.");
            redirectTo(action="index");
        }
    }

    function update() {
        product = model("Product").findByKey(params.key);
        if (IsObject(product) && product.update(params.product)) {
            flashInsert(success="Product was updated successfully.");
            redirectTo(action="index");
        } else {
            flashInsert(error="There was an error updating the product.");
            renderView(action="edit");
        }
    }

    function delete() {
        product = model("Product").findByKey(params.key);
        if (IsObject(product) && product.delete()) {
            flashInsert(success="Product was deleted successfully.");
        } else {
            flashInsert(error="Product could not be deleted.");
        }
        redirectTo(action="index");
    }

}

View: /views/products/index.cfm

<h1>Products</h1>

#flashMessages()#

<p>#linkTo(text="New Product", action="new", class="btn btn-primary")#</p>

<table class="table">
    <thead>
        <tr>
            <th>Name</th>
            <th>Price</th>
            <th>Stock</th>
            <th>Actions</th>
        </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
        <cfloop query="products">
            <tr>
                <td>#encodeForHtml(products.name)#</td>
                <td>#dollarFormat(products.price)#</td>
                <td>#products.stock#</td>
                <td>
                    #linkTo(text="Show", action="show", key=products.id)#
                    #linkTo(text="Edit", action="edit", key=products.id)#
                    #linkTo(text="Delete", action="delete", key=products.id, 
                            method="delete", confirm="Are you sure?")#
                </td>
            </tr>
        </cfloop>
    </tbody>
</table>

Form Partial: /views/products/_form.cfm

#errorMessagesFor("product")#

#textField(objectName="product", property="name", label="Product Name")#
#textField(objectName="product", property="price", label="Price")#
#textField(objectName="product", property="stock", label="Stock Quantity")#

Migration: /app/migrator/migrations/[timestamp]_create_products.cfc

component extends="wheels.migrator.Migration" {

    function up() {
        transaction {
            t = createTable("products");
            t.string("name");
            t.decimal(columnNames="price", precision=10, scale=2);
            t.integer("stock");
            t.timestamps();
            t.create();
            
            addIndex(table="products", columnNames="name", unique=true);
        }
    }

    function down() {
        transaction {
            dropTable("products");
        }
    }

}

Routes Configuration

Add to /config/routes.cfm:

<cfset resources("products")>

This creates all RESTful routes:

• GET /products - index
• GET /products/new - new
• POST /products - create
• GET /products/[key] - show
• GET /products/[key]/edit - edit
• PUT/PATCH /products/[key] - update
• DELETE /products/[key] - delete

Post-Scaffold Steps

1. Run migration (if not using --migrate):

   wheels dbmigrate latest
   

2. Add routes to /config/routes.cfm:

   <cfset resources("products")>
   

3. Restart application:

   wheels reload
   

4. Test the scaffold:

   • Visit /products to see the index
   • Create, edit, and delete records
   • Run generated tests

Customization

Adding Search

In controller's index():

function index() {
    if (StructKeyExists(params, "search")) {
        products = model("Product").findAll(
            where="name LIKE :search",
            params={search: "%#params.search#%"}
        );
    } else {
        products = model("Product").findAll();
    }
}

Adding Pagination

function index() {
    products = model("Product").findAll(
        page=params.page ?: 1,
        perPage=20,
        order="createdAt DESC"
    );
}

Adding Filters

function init() {
    filters(through="authenticate", except="index,show");
}

Template Customization

The scaffold command uses templates to generate code. You can customize these templates to match your project's coding standards and markup preferences.

Template Override System

The CLI uses a template override system that allows you to customize the generated code:

1. CLI Templates - Default templates are located in the CLI module at /cli/templates/
2. App Templates - Custom templates in your application at /app/snippets/ override the CLI templates

This means you can modify the generated code structure by creating your own templates in the /app/snippets/ directory.

How It Works

When generating code, the CLI looks for templates in this order:

1. First checks /app/snippets/[template-name]
2. Falls back to /cli/templates/[template-name] if not found in app

Customizing Templates

To customize scaffold output:

1. Copy the template you want to customize from /cli/templates/ to /app/snippets/
2. Modify the template to match your project's needs
3. Run scaffold - it will use your custom template

Example for customizing the form template:

# Create the crud directory in your app
mkdir -p app/snippets/crud

# Copy the form template
cp /path/to/wheels/cli/templates/crud/_form.txt app/snippets/crud/

# Edit the template to match your markup
# The CLI will now use your custom template

Available Templates

Templates used by scaffold command:

• crud/index.txt - Index/list view
• crud/show.txt - Show single record view
• crud/new.txt - New record form view
• crud/edit.txt - Edit record form view
• crud/_form.txt - Form partial shared by new/edit
• ModelContent.txt - Model file structure
• ControllerContent.txt - Controller file structure

Template Placeholders

Templates use placeholders that get replaced during generation:

• |ObjectNameSingular| - Lowercase singular name (e.g., "product")
• |ObjectNamePlural| - Lowercase plural name (e.g., "products")
• |ObjectNameSingularC| - Capitalized singular name (e.g., "Product")
• |ObjectNamePluralC| - Capitalized plural name (e.g., "Products")
• |FormFields| - Generated form fields based on properties
• <!--- CLI-Appends-Here ---> - Marker for future CLI additions

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

1. Parameter Syntax Errors

Issue: "Missing argument", "positional and named parameters", or parameter parsing errors

❌ Incorrect:

wheels generate scaffold Product properties=name:string,price:decimal  # Missing --
wheels generate scaffold Comment belongs-to=Product                    # Wrong parameter name
wheels generate scaffold User api=true                                 # Missing --
wheels generate scaffold Product properties="name:string"              # Positional + named (ERROR)

✅ Correct:

wheels generate scaffold Product --properties="name:string,price:decimal"  # Positional + flags
wheels generate scaffold Comment --belongsTo=Product                      # Positional + flags
wheels generate scaffold User --api=true                                  # Positional + flags
wheels generate scaffold name=Product properties="name:string"            # All named

Solution:

• Use --flag=value format with proper parameter names and quotes for complex values
• Never mix positional and named parameters - use either all named (name=value) or positional with flags (Product --flag)

2. Association Parameter Issues

Issue: Relationships not generated correctly

❌ Common Mistakes:

wheels generate scaffold Comment --belongsTo=product    # Lowercase, should be Product
wheels generate scaffold User --hasMany=Posts           # Should be posts (lowercase plural)
wheels generate scaffold Order --belongsTo=user,User    # Inconsistent case

✅ Correct Usage:

wheels generate scaffold Comment --belongsTo=Product    # PascalCase for belongsTo
wheels generate scaffold User --hasMany=posts           # camelCase plural for hasMany
wheels generate scaffold Order --belongsTo=User         # Consistent PascalCase

3. Properties Format Issues

Issue: Properties not parsed or generated incorrectly

❌ Problematic:

# Missing quotes around properties
wheels generate scaffold Product --properties=name:string,price:decimal

# Wrong separator
wheels generate scaffold Product --properties="name string, price decimal"

# Invalid property types
wheels generate scaffold Product --properties="name:varchar,price:money"

✅ Solutions:

# Always quote properties
wheels generate scaffold Product --properties="name:string,price:decimal"

# Use colon separator and comma between properties
wheels generate scaffold Product --properties="name:string,price:decimal,stock:integer"

# Use valid CFWheels property types
wheels generate scaffold Product --properties="name:string,price:decimal,description:text,active:boolean"

4. File Generation Issues

Issue: Files not created or partially generated

Possible Causes:

• Insufficient permissions in target directories
• Existing files blocking generation (use --force)
• Invalid resource names
• Template processing errors

Solutions:

# Check directory permissions
ls -la app/models app/controllers app/views

# Force overwrite existing files
wheels generate scaffold Product --force --properties="name:string"

# Use valid resource names (singular, PascalCase)
wheels generate scaffold ProductCategory  # ✅ Good
wheels generate scaffold product-item     # ❌ Invalid characters

5. Migration Issues

Issue: Migrations not created or contain errors

Common Problems:

• Properties with invalid SQL types
• Association foreign keys missing
• Migration syntax errors

Solutions:

# Check generated migration file
ls app/migrator/migrations/*create*

# Use valid property types that map to SQL
wheels generate scaffold Product --properties="name:string,price:decimal,inStock:boolean"

# For associations, foreign keys are auto-generated
wheels generate scaffold Comment --belongsTo=Product  # Creates productId foreign key

6. Route Integration Issues

Issue: Generated routes not working

Problem: Routes not added to routes.cfm or placed incorrectly

Solution:

<!-- Check routes.cfm for resources route -->
<cfscript>
mapper()
    .resources("products")    // Added by scaffold
    // CLI-Appends-Here
    .wildcard()
    .root(to="home##index")
.end();
</cfscript>

Validation and Testing

Pre-Generation Checklist

Before generating scaffolds:

# 1. Verify Wheels app directory
ls config/routes.cfm app/models app/controllers app/views

# 2. Check for naming conflicts
ls app/models/Product.cfc      # Should not exist (or use --force)
ls app/controllers/Products.cfc

# 3. Plan your associations
# Know which models depend on others

Post-Generation Validation

After scaffolding:

# 1. Check all files were created
ls app/models/Product.cfc
ls app/controllers/Products.cfc
ls app/views/products/
ls app/migrator/migrations/*products*

# 2. Run migrations
wheels dbmigrate up

# 3. Test the scaffold
# Start server and visit /products
server start

Testing Generated Code

# 1. Run generated tests
wheels test

# 2. Manual testing
# Visit each CRUD action:
# GET    /products        (index)
# GET    /products/new    (new)
# POST   /products        (create)
# GET    /products/1      (show)
# GET    /products/1/edit (edit)
# PUT    /products/1      (update)
# DELETE /products/1      (delete)

Error Reference

Common Error Messages

"Cannot scaffold '[name]':"

• Cause: Resource name validation failed or conflicts exist
• Solution: Use singular, valid identifier name and check for existing files

"Scaffolding failed!"

• Cause: Template processing or file creation error
• Solution: Check file permissions and template syntax

"Missing argument name"

• Cause: Parameter syntax error in command
• Solution: Use proper --flag=value format

Best Practices for Avoiding Issues

1. Parameter Planning

# Plan your scaffold before running
# 1. Resource name (singular, PascalCase)
# 2. Properties (all needed fields)
# 3. Associations (belongsTo and hasMany)
# 4. Options (api, migrate, tests)

# Example planning:
# Product: name:string, price:decimal, description:text, active:boolean
# Belongs to Category, has many OrderItems and Reviews
wheels generate scaffold Product \
  --properties="name:string,price:decimal,description:text,active:boolean" \
  --belongsTo=Category \
  --hasMany=orderItems,reviews \
  --migrate

2. Incremental Development

# Start simple, add complexity
# 1. Basic scaffold first
wheels generate scaffold Product --properties="name:string"

# 2. Add associations later if needed
# (modify generated files manually or re-scaffold with --force)

3. Template Customization

# Customize templates before scaffolding
# 1. Copy templates to app/snippets/
mkdir -p app/snippets/crud
cp /path/to/cli/templates/crud/* app/snippets/crud/

# 2. Modify templates to match project style
# 3. Run scaffold - uses custom templates

Best Practices

1. Properties: Define all needed properties upfront
2. Associations: Include relationships in initial scaffold
3. Validation: Add custom validations after generation
4. Testing: Always generate and run tests
5. Routes: Use RESTful resources when possible
6. Security: Add authentication/authorization
7. Templates: Customize templates in /app/snippets/ to match your project standards
8. Planning: Design your data model before scaffolding
9. Incremental: Start simple, add complexity gradually

Comparison with Individual Generators

Scaffold generates everything at once:

# Scaffold does all of this:
wheels generate model product properties="name:string,price:decimal"
wheels generate controller products --rest
wheels generate view products index,show,new,edit,_form
wheels generate test model product
wheels generate test controller products
wheels dbmigrate create table products

See Also

• wheels generate model - Generate models
• wheels generate controller - Generate controllers
• wheels generate resource - Generate REST resources
• wheels dbmigrate latest - Run migrations