Markers

swiftspawn only ever edits four files after new. Every edit happens between two specific marker comments. Anything outside the markers is yours, forever.

The contract

Each managed file contains a pair of // MARK: - comments:

// MARK: - Cases (auto-generated)
// (CLI writes here)
// MARK: - End auto-generated

When a generator needs to add a route, register a service, or wire a screen, it:

1. Reads the file.
2. Locates the matching pair of markers.
3. Replaces only the text between them.
4. Writes the file back.

Code outside the markers is read but never modified. You can rename functions, add comments, reorder properties, or rewrite anything else; the CLI doesn’t care.

If the markers aren’t found (legacy projects, hand-written files, or markers accidentally deleted), the generator does not edit the file. It prints the snippet you would need to paste in instead, so nothing gets corrupted.

The four files

Infrastructure/Routing/Route.swift

Holds the navigation enum.

Infrastructure/Routing/Route.swift

enum Route: Hashable {
    // MARK: - Cases (auto-generated)
    case home
    case movieList
    case movieDetail
    // MARK: - End auto-generated

    // your hand-written cases (with parameters, etc.) go here
    case settings(tab: SettingsTab)
}

Cases inside the marker region are kept sorted alphabetically. Cases you write outside are untouched.

Affected by:

• generate screen <Name> (unless --no-route)
• generate route <name>
• recipe crud <Resource>
• generate feature --screens <names>

Exit code if markers are missing: 7 (routeMarkersMissing).

App/RootView.swift

The root NavigationStack switches on Route to choose a view.

App/RootView.swift

struct RootView: View {
    @State private var router = Router()
    var body: some View {
        NavigationStack(path: $router.path) {
            HelloView()
                .navigationDestination(for: Route.self) { route in
                    switch route {
                    // MARK: - Routes (auto-generated)
                    case .home: HomeView()
                    case .movieList: MovieListView()
                    case .movieDetail: MovieDetailView()
                    // MARK: - End auto-generated

                    // hand-written destinations (with parameters) go here
                    case .settings(let tab): SettingsView(tab: tab)
                    }
                }
        }
    }
}

Affected by the same commands as Route.swift.

App/DIContainer.swift

A Factory Container extension where service factories live.

App/DIContainer.swift

extension Container {
    // MARK: - Service Factories (auto-generated)
    var movieService: Factory<MovieService> { self { MovieServiceImpl() } }
    var userService: Factory<UserService> { self { UserServiceImpl() } }
    // MARK: - End auto-generated

    // your hand-tuned factories (with .singleton scope, custom args, etc.) go here
    var analytics: Factory<Analytics> { self { Analytics(env: .production) }.singleton }
}

Affected by:

• generate service <Name>
• generate screen <Name> --uses <services>
• recipe crud <Resource>
• generate feature --service <name>

Package.swift

The SPM manifest. Dependencies for OpenAPI clients are added here.

Package.swift

let package = Package(
    name: "MyApp",
    dependencies: [
        // MARK: - Dependencies (auto-generated)
        .package(url: "https://github.com/hmlongco/Factory.git", from: "2.4.0"),
        .package(url: "https://github.com/apple/swift-openapi-generator.git", from: "1.0.0"),
        // MARK: - End auto-generated
    ],
    // ...
)

Affected by:

• generate api

Exit code if markers are missing: 16 (packageMarkersMissing).

Restoring missing markers

If you accidentally delete a marker pair, the affected generators will start printing snippets instead of editing. To restore:

1. Open the file.
2. Add the marker pair back at the right location (see the four examples above).
3. Re-run the generator.

There’s no swiftspawn fix-markers today; manual restoration is the workflow.

Why markers and not full-file regeneration

Some scaffolders regenerate entire files from templates whenever you add something. That’s fast for greenfield projects but loses any custom code the moment you write some. The marker contract is a deliberate trade: the CLI stays in its lane, and your code stays yours.

See also

• Architecture
• Project layout
• Exit codes