--- a/autobot/template.py	Tue Jan 11 10:55:52 2011 -0800
+++ b/autobot/template.py	Tue Jan 11 12:43:08 2011 -0800
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 """
 
 import os
+import string
 import sys
 from makeitso.cli import MakeItSoCLI
 from makeitso.template import assemble
@@ -105,8 +106,7 @@
     """
     name = 'autobot-project'
     templates = [os.path.join('projects', 'project.template')]
-    vars = [Variable('project', 'name of the project'),
-            Variable('description'),
+    vars = [Variable('description'),
             Variable('repo', 'repository location of the project')]
 
 # CLI front end class
@@ -140,17 +140,48 @@
         # call the parent
         return MakeItSoCLI.parse(self, args, parser, options)
 
+
 class ProjectTemplateCLI(MakeItSoCLI):
+    """CLI front end for project template"""
+    
     def __init__(self):
+        self.usage = '%prog [options] project <output>'
         MakeItSoCLI.__init__(self, ProjectTemplate)
+        
     def parse(self, args=None, parser=None, options=None):
-        if not args:
-            # deploy to the correct place
+
+        # parse the arguments
+        parser = self.parser()
+        options, args = parser.parse_args(args=args)
+
+        if not(args):
+            parser.print_usage()
+            parser.exit()
+
+        # deploy to the correct place
+        if len(args) not in (1,2):
+            parser.error("Please provide a single project")
+        project = args[0].lower()
+                
+        # ensure the argument is a python path
+        assert set(project).issubset(string.letters)
+
+        # get the variables
+        variables = self.get_variables(options)
+        variables['project'] = project
+
+        # get the output or use the location in the source
+        if len(args) == 2:
+            output = args[1]
+        else:
             here = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
-            args = [os.path.join(here, 'projects')]
-            print args[0]
-            
+            projectdir = os.path.join(here, 'projects', project)
+            if os.path.exists(projectdir):
+                assert os.path.isdir(projectdir)
+            output = os.path.join(projectdir, '__init__.py')
+            assert not os.path.exists(output), "Project '%s' already exists" % project
 
+        return variables, output
 
 ### console_script front-ends
 
@@ -168,6 +199,7 @@
 
 def create_project(args=sys.argv[1:]):
     cli = ProjectTemplateCLI()
+    cli(*args)
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     create_master()