Generated vs Core Code

The Golden Rule

The most important thing to understand is that generated code is your code—edit it freely. Once files are generated into your project, you own them and can customize them however you need. Just remember not to regenerate unless you're willing to lose your changes.

Comparison

Generated Code Location

layers/[layer]/
  ├── components/
  │   └── [collection]/
  │       ├── List.vue       # Generated
  │       ├── Form.vue       # Generated
  │       └── Table.vue      # Generated
  │
  ├── composables/
  │   └── use[Collection].ts # Generated
  │
  ├── server/
  │   ├── api/teams/[id]/    # Generated API endpoints
  │   │   ├── index.get.ts   # GET all / by IDs
  │   │   ├── index.post.ts  # CREATE
  │   │   ├── [id].patch.ts  # UPDATE
  │   │   └── [id].delete.ts # DELETE
  │   └── database/
  │       ├── schema.ts      # Drizzle schema
  │       └── queries.ts     # Database query functions
  │
  └── types/
      └── [collection].ts    # Generated

What Generated APIs Provide

The generated API endpoints provide a working CRUD implementation:

Common Customizations

The generated APIs are starting points. Common modifications include:

• Pagination - Add page and limit query params (Pagination Guide)
• Filtering - Add date ranges, status filters, search
• Sorting - Add sortBy and sortDirection params
• Validation - Add Zod schemas for stricter input validation
• Permissions - Add role-based access checks

Core Library Components

The core library provides:

• useCrouton() - Modal management
• useCollectionQuery() - Data fetching
• useCollectionMutation() - Data mutations
• CroutonList - List component
• CroutonButton - Submit button
• Toast notifications
• Cache invalidation

The Rails Scaffold Approach

Nuxt Crouton works like Rails scaffolding:

# Rails
rails generate scaffold Post title:string body:text

# Nuxt Crouton
npx crouton-generate blog posts --fields-file post-schema.json

Both:

1. Generate starting code
2. You own it immediately
3. Customize as needed
4. Core framework stays stable

When to Regenerate

Regenerate when you're starting a new collection, want to update to the latest template, need to add a new field structure, or haven't made customizations yet. Don't regenerate if you've customized the generated files, added custom logic to forms, or modified validation—unless you use --force and accept losing your changes.

Best Practices

Customize the generated code freely since it's yours. Use version control to track your changes and add comments to document your customizations. When you update the core library, test your customizations to make sure everything still works. And always keep backups before regenerating with --force.

Related Topics

• Collections & Layers
• Customizing Generated Code
• Generator Commands