Move from the online generator¶

If you previously used the Transpiler Mate online metadata generator, you can keep the same authoring model and remove the manual transfer step.

Use an existing generated file¶

Open the .cwl file that contains the generator output.
Run CWL: Edit Metadata.
Confirm that the existing software, license, help, publisher, people, roles, and keyword values appear in the form.
Continue editing. Changes now go straight to the file.

There is no import operation: the CWL document is the editor's input and output.

Replace the browser workflow¶

Online generator	VS Code extension
Open a separate web page	Open the form beside the active `.cwl` file
Populate an empty form or load an example	Load current metadata from the file automatically
Inspect the Generated YAML pane	Inspect the real document or its diff
Copy a metadata snippet	Changes are already in the document
Download a minimal CWL file	Continue with the existing CWL file
Return to the generator for later changes	Reopen the form on any development iteration

Keep the same metadata capabilities¶

The extension retains the generator's metadata fields and supporting data:

Schema.org SoftwareApplication identity and description;
Semantic Versioning input;
SPDX license selection;
help links;
ROR-assisted organizations and affiliations;
authors and contributors with CRediT roles;
operating-system choices;
free-text, Earth Observation, and GCMD Science keywords.

The visual theme, standalone output preview, validation summary, example loader, copy action, and download action are not reproduced as separate controls. Their workflow responsibilities are handled by VS Code, the active document, and source control. See Relationship to Transpiler Mate for the precise parity boundary.

Continue with publication outputs¶

The extension does not replace Transpiler Mate's conversion and publication commands. After editing the annotated CWL, use Transpiler Mate to produce formats such as CodeMeta, DataCite, or OGC API Records.