diff --git a/apps/generate/templates.ts b/apps/generate/templates.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..57c8ddc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/generate/templates.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+const definitionTemplate = () => `
+import { arg, contextVariable } "@puredit/parser";
+import type { Projection } from "@puredit/projections/types";
+import { tsParser } from "./parser";
+`;
diff --git a/exp.js b/exp.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..87f4328
--- /dev/null
+++ b/exp.js
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+function process(input) {
+  let parts = [];
+  for (let from = 0, to = 0; to < input.length; to++) {
+    if (input[to] === "{") {
+      parts.push(input.slice(from, to));
+      from = to + 1;
+      while (from < input.length && input[from] !== "}") {
+        from += 1;
+      }
+      let variables = input
+        .slice(to + 1, from)
+        .split(",")
+        .map((name) => name.trim());
+      parts.push(variables);
+      to = from;
+      from += 1;
+    }
+  }
+  return parts;
+}
+
+console.log(
+  process(
+    "replace {target} in column {columnTarget, columnSource} with {replacement}"
+  )
+);