Template referral system

[rsproule]

We have a referral system for apps: https://echo.merit.systems/docs/money/referrals#referrals-beta

It would be cool that when you use an external template (depends on this issue: #611) we would auto register the template creator as a referrer on the new app.

We could do this all inside of echo-start

[ritik4ever]

Hii, I’d like to take this issue
I’ve worked on similar projects before and have relevant experience, so I should be able to handle this efficiently.

[ayush99336]

GM Hey there can I be assigned to this issue

[rsproule]

Hey @ritik4ever and @ayush99336, this one kinda depends on #611.

but if you have a strategy to impl let me know. Reach out in here if you want to discuss

[Cyber-Mitch]

since the dependent issue has been solved i can attempt now right? @rsproule

[Cyber-Mitch]

/attempt #612

[Cyber-Mitch]

So I'm done with the task, but before pushing i wanted to ask is i need to write test for this changes @rsproule

[Cyber-Mitch]

previous test are passing with the changes included though

[rsproule]

I should be able to take a look at this today. Can you explain ur strategy here?

[Cyber-Mitch]

I should be able to take a look at this today. Can you explain ur strategy here?

Yeah sure @rsproule

[Cyber-Mitch]

The strategy I used was to eliminate rigid assumptions and instead make the setup process adaptive to whatever template or framework the user chooses. I improved the handling of external GitHub repositories by normalizing template URLs, supporting non-standard repo formats, and adding clearer error handling for missing branches or commits. I also removed the hard-coded environment variable setup by introducing logic that detects the correct ECHO_APP_ID variable name based on the project’s structure, existing .env files, and the frontend framework being used, while automatically creating .env.local when needed. The strategy was to make the CLI self-configuring and resilient, so it can intelligently detect and adjust to different real-world project setups without requiring extra effort from the developer.

[Cyber-Mitch]

Hey @rsproule Can you please review?