Copy License

Copies software licenses into your project. Optionally, it also adds the short variant of the license into your main file.

Usage

Create license in directory

./cp-license.py [license short name] [destination directory] [author] [date]

Consult the help menu for all options and more information:
./cp-license.py h

Add license into your file

./cp-license pre [license short name] [author] [date] [language] [source file]

More information about the prepend-mode:
./cp-license.py h pre

Examples

Add a license to your project:
./cp-license.py mit ~/foo/bar/my_project_dir

Some licenses have a "author" & "year" placeholder. You can populate them directly:
./cp-license.py mit ~/foo/bar/my_project_dir Peter 2025

You can omit the date 2025 and it will use the current year.

Add a short variant of the license into your main file:
./cp-license.py pre gpl3 Peter 2025 c src/main.c

If you replace 2025 with 0, it will use the current year.

You can also omit the author and date:
./cp-license.py pre gpl3 c src/main.c

Notes on pre, prepend

• it will always create a backup of your file, before writing into it.
• if a backup exists, it does not overwrite the backup
• if a shebang #! and/or editor mode -*- exists, it will append the license text below it

Add a new license

Please consult cp-license.py and look for the docstring # How to add a new license.

Add a new language comment token

Consult cp-license.py and look for # How to add a new language comment token