Gitea `1.11.0` and above includes template repositories, and one feature implemented with them is auto-expansion of specific variables within your template files.
To tell Gitea which files to expand, you must include a `template` file inside the `.gitea` directory of the template repository.
Gitea uses [gobwas/glob](https://github.com/gobwas/glob) for its glob syntax. It closely resembles a traditional `.gitignore`, however there may be slight differences.
### Example `.gitea/template` file
All paths are relative to the base of the repository
```gitignore
# All .go files, anywhere in the repository
**.go
# All text files in the text directory
text/*.txt
# A specific file
a/b/c/d.json
# Batch files in both upper or lower case can be matched
**.[bB][aA][tT]
```
**NOTE:** The `template` file will be removed from the `.gitea` directory when a repository is generated from the template.
### Variable Expansion
In any file matched by the above globs, certain variables will be expanded.
All variables must be of the form `$VAR` or `${VAR}`. To escape an expansion, use a double `$$`, such as `$$VAR` or `$${VAR}`
