diff --git a/.github/workflows/package.yml b/.github/workflows/package.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..08bcf97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/package.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+name: conda packaging and deployment
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+  push:
+    branches: [qa, main]
+    tags: ['v*']
+
+jobs:
+  linux:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash -l {0}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+      - uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v2
+        with:
+          auto-update-conda: true
+          channels: conda-forge,defaults
+          mamba-version: "*"
+          environment-file: environment.yml
+          cache-environment-key: ${{ runner.os }}-env-${{ hashFiles('**/environment.yml') }}
+          cache-downloads-key: ${{ runner.os }}-downloads-${{ hashFiles('**/environment.yml') }}
+      - name: install additional dependencies
+        run: |
+          echo "installing additional dependencies from environment_development.yml"
+      - name: build conda package
+        run: |
+          # set up environment
+          cd conda.recipe
+          echo "versioningit $(versioningit ../)"
+          # build the package
+          VERSION=$(versioningit ../) conda mambabuild --channel conda-forge --output-folder . .
+          conda verify noarch/mypackagename*.tar.bz2
+      - name: upload conda package to anaconda
+        shell: bash -l {0}
+        if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v')
+        env:
+          ANACONDA_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.ANACONDA_TOKEN }}
+          IS_RC: ${{ contains(github.ref, 'rc') }}
+        run: |
+          # label is main or rc depending on the tag-name
+          CONDA_LABEL="main"
+          if [ "${IS_RC}" = "true" ]; then CONDA_LABEL="rc"; fi
+          echo pushing ${{ github.ref }} with label $CONDA_LABEL
+          anaconda upload --label $CONDA_LABEL conda.recipe/noarch/mypackagename*.tar.bz2
diff --git a/.github/workflows/unittest.yml b/.github/workflows/unittest.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..edbd240
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/unittest.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+name: unit-test
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+  pull_request:
+  push:
+    branches: [next, qa, main]
+    tags: ['v*']
+
+jobs:
+  linux:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash -l {0}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+      - uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v2
+        with:
+          auto-update-conda: true
+          channels: conda-forge,defaults
+          mamba-version: "*"
+          environment-file: environment.yml
+          cache-environment-key: ${{ runner.os }}-env-${{ hashFiles('**/environment.yml') }}
+          cache-downloads-key: ${{ runner.os }}-downloads-${{ hashFiles('**/environment.yml') }}
+      - name: install additional dependencies
+        run: |
+          echo "installing additional dependencies if cannot be installed from conda"
+      - name: run unit tests
+        run: |
+          echo "running unit tests"
+          python -m pytest --cov=src --cov-report=xml --cov-report=term-missing tests/
+      - name: upload coverage to codecov
+        uses: codecov/codecov-action@v1
+      - name: build conda package
+        run: |
+          # test that the conda package builds
+          cd conda.recipe
+          echo "versioningit $(versioningit ../)"
+          # conda channels could have been defined in the conda-incubator, but you can copy/paste the lines
+          # below to build the conda package in your local machine
+          CHANNELS="--channel mantid/label/main --channel conda-forge"
+          VERSION=$(versioningit ../) conda mambabuild $CHANNELS --output-folder . .
+          conda verify noarch/mypackagename*.tar.bz2
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..68bc17f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+# Byte-compiled / optimized / DLL files
+__pycache__/
+*.py[cod]
+*$py.class
+
+# C extensions
+*.so
+
+# Distribution / packaging
+.Python
+build/
+develop-eggs/
+dist/
+downloads/
+eggs/
+.eggs/
+lib/
+lib64/
+parts/
+sdist/
+var/
+wheels/
+share/python-wheels/
+*.egg-info/
+.installed.cfg
+*.egg
+MANIFEST
+
+# PyInstaller
+#  Usually these files are written by a python script from a template
+#  before PyInstaller builds the exe, so as to inject date/other infos into it.
+*.manifest
+*.spec
+
+# Installer logs
+pip-log.txt
+pip-delete-this-directory.txt
+
+# Unit test / coverage reports
+htmlcov/
+.tox/
+.nox/
+.coverage
+.coverage.*
+.cache
+nosetests.xml
+coverage.xml
+*.cover
+*.py,cover
+.hypothesis/
+.pytest_cache/
+cover/
+
+# Translations
+*.mo
+*.pot
+
+# Django stuff:
+*.log
+local_settings.py
+db.sqlite3
+db.sqlite3-journal
+
+# Flask stuff:
+instance/
+.webassets-cache
+
+# Scrapy stuff:
+.scrapy
+
+# Sphinx documentation
+docs/_build/
+
+# PyBuilder
+.pybuilder/
+target/
+
+# Jupyter Notebook
+.ipynb_checkpoints
+
+# IPython
+profile_default/
+ipython_config.py
+
+# pyenv
+#   For a library or package, you might want to ignore these files since the code is
+#   intended to run in multiple environments; otherwise, check them in:
+# .python-version
+
+# pipenv
+#   According to pypa/pipenv#598, it is recommended to include Pipfile.lock in version control.
+#   However, in case of collaboration, if having platform-specific dependencies or dependencies
+#   having no cross-platform support, pipenv may install dependencies that don't work, or not
+#   install all needed dependencies.
+#Pipfile.lock
+
+# poetry
+#   Similar to Pipfile.lock, it is generally recommended to include poetry.lock in version control.
+#   This is especially recommended for binary packages to ensure reproducibility, and is more
+#   commonly ignored for libraries.
+#   https://python-poetry.org/docs/basic-usage/#commit-your-poetrylock-file-to-version-control
+#poetry.lock
+
+# pdm
+#   Similar to Pipfile.lock, it is generally recommended to include pdm.lock in version control.
+#pdm.lock
+#   pdm stores project-wide configurations in .pdm.toml, but it is recommended to not include it
+#   in version control.
+#   https://pdm.fming.dev/#use-with-ide
+.pdm.toml
+
+# PEP 582; used by e.g. github.com/David-OConnor/pyflow and github.com/pdm-project/pdm
+__pypackages__/
+
+# Celery stuff
+celerybeat-schedule
+celerybeat.pid
+
+# SageMath parsed files
+*.sage.py
+
+# Environments
+.env
+.venv
+env/
+venv/
+ENV/
+env.bak/
+venv.bak/
+
+# Spyder project settings
+.spyderproject
+.spyproject
+
+# Rope project settings
+.ropeproject
+
+# mkdocs documentation
+/site
+
+# mypy
+.mypy_cache/
+.dmypy.json
+dmypy.json
+
+# Pyre type checker
+.pyre/
+
+# pytype static type analyzer
+.pytype/
+
+# Cython debug symbols
+cython_debug/
+
+# PyCharm
+#  JetBrains specific template is maintained in a separate JetBrains.gitignore that can
+#  be found at https://github.com/github/gitignore/blob/main/Global/JetBrains.gitignore
+#  and can be added to the global gitignore or merged into this file.  For a more nuclear
+#  option (not recommended) you can uncomment the following to ignore the entire idea folder.
+#.idea/
diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..01b9e75
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+repos:
+- repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/pre-commit-hooks
+  rev: v4.5.0
+  hooks:
+    - id: check-added-large-files
+      args: [--maxkb=8192]
+    - id: check-merge-conflict
+    - id: check-yaml
+      args: [--allow-multiple-documents]
+      exclude: "conda.recipe/meta.yaml"
+    - id: end-of-file-fixer
+      exclude: "tests/cis_tests/.*"
+    - id: trailing-whitespace
+      exclude: "tests/cis_tests/.*"
+- repo: https://github.com/astral-sh/ruff-pre-commit
+  rev: v0.2.2
+  hooks:
+    - id: ruff
+      args: [--fix, --exit-non-zero-on-fix]
+      exclude: "tests/cis_tests/.*"
+    - id: ruff-format
+      exclude: "tests/cis_tests/.*"
diff --git a/.readthedocs.yaml b/.readthedocs.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6862e41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.readthedocs.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+version: 2
+
+build:
+  os: ubuntu-20.04
+  tools:
+    python: "mambaforge-4.10"
+
+sphinx:
+  builder: html
+  configuration: docs/conf.py
+  fail_on_warning: true
+
+conda:
+  environment: environment.yml
diff --git a/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md b/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1f821f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+# Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct
+
+## Our Pledge
+
+We as members, contributors, and leaders pledge to make participation in our
+community a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body
+size, visible or invisible disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender
+identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status,
+nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual identity
+and orientation.
+
+We pledge to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming,
+diverse, inclusive, and healthy community.
+
+## Our Standards
+
+Examples of behavior that contributes to a positive environment for our
+community include:
+
+* Demonstrating empathy and kindness toward other people
+* Being respectful of differing opinions, viewpoints, and experiences
+* Giving and gracefully accepting constructive feedback
+* Accepting responsibility and apologizing to those affected by our mistakes,
+  and learning from the experience
+* Focusing on what is best not just for us as individuals, but for the
+  overall community
+
+Examples of unacceptable behavior include:
+
+* The use of sexualized language or imagery, and sexual attention or
+  advances of any kind
+* Trolling, insulting or derogatory comments, and personal or political attacks
+* Public or private harassment
+* Publishing others' private information, such as a physical or email
+  address, without their explicit permission
+* Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a
+  professional setting
+
+## Enforcement Responsibilities
+
+Community leaders are responsible for clarifying and enforcing our standards of
+acceptable behavior and will take appropriate and fair corrective action in
+response to any behavior that they deem inappropriate, threatening, offensive,
+or harmful.
+
+Community leaders have the right and responsibility to remove, edit, or reject
+comments, commits, code, wiki edits, issues, and other contributions that are
+not aligned to this Code of Conduct, and will communicate reasons for moderation
+decisions when appropriate.
+
+## Scope
+
+This Code of Conduct applies within all community spaces, and also applies when
+an individual is officially representing the community in public spaces.
+Examples of representing our community include using an official e-mail address,
+posting via an official social media account, or acting as an appointed
+representative at an online or offline event.
+
+## Enforcement
+
+Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior may be
+reported to the community leaders responsible for enforcement at
+petersonpf@ornl.gov, zhangc@ornl.gov, bilheuxjm@ornl.gov.
+All complaints will be reviewed and investigated promptly and fairly.
+
+All community leaders are obligated to respect the privacy and security of the
+reporter of any incident.
+
+## Enforcement Guidelines
+
+Community leaders will follow these Community Impact Guidelines in determining
+the consequences for any action they deem in violation of this Code of Conduct:
+
+### 1. Correction
+
+**Community Impact**: Use of inappropriate language or other behavior deemed
+unprofessional or unwelcome in the community.
+
+**Consequence**: A private, written warning from community leaders, providing
+clarity around the nature of the violation and an explanation of why the
+behavior was inappropriate. A public apology may be requested.
+
+### 2. Warning
+
+**Community Impact**: A violation through a single incident or series
+of actions.
+
+**Consequence**: A warning with consequences for continued behavior. No
+interaction with the people involved, including unsolicited interaction with
+those enforcing the Code of Conduct, for a specified period of time. This
+includes avoiding interactions in community spaces as well as external channels
+like social media. Violating these terms may lead to a temporary or
+permanent ban.
+
+### 3. Temporary Ban
+
+**Community Impact**: A serious violation of community standards, including
+sustained inappropriate behavior.
+
+**Consequence**: A temporary ban from any sort of interaction or public
+communication with the community for a specified period of time. No public or
+private interaction with the people involved, including unsolicited interaction
+with those enforcing the Code of Conduct, is allowed during this period.
+Violating these terms may lead to a permanent ban.
+
+### 4. Permanent Ban
+
+**Community Impact**: Demonstrating a pattern of violation of community
+standards, including sustained inappropriate behavior,  harassment of an
+individual, or aggression toward or disparagement of classes of individuals.
+
+**Consequence**: A permanent ban from any sort of public interaction within
+the community.
+
+## Attribution
+
+This Code of Conduct is adapted from the [Contributor Covenant][homepage],
+version 2.0, available at
+https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/2/0/code_of_conduct.html.
+
+Community Impact Guidelines were inspired by [Mozilla's code of conduct
+enforcement ladder](https://github.com/mozilla/diversity).
+
+[homepage]: https://www.contributor-covenant.org
+
+For answers to common questions about this code of conduct, see the FAQ at
+https://www.contributor-covenant.org/faq. Translations are available at
+https://www.contributor-covenant.org/translations.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0697b77
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+# python_project_template
+This repository is a template repository for Python projects under neutrons.
+After you create a new repository using this repo as template, please follow the following steps to adjust it for the new project.
+
+## Codebase Adjustments
+
+1. Adjust the branch protection rules for the new repo. By default, we should protect the `main` (stable), `qa` (release candidate), and `next` (development) branches.
+
+    1.1 Go to the `Settings` tab of the new repo.
+
+    1.2 Click on `Branches` on the left side.
+
+    1.3 Click on `Add rule` button.
+
+    1.4 Follow the instructions from Github.
+
+
+2. Change the License if MIT license is not suitable for you project. For more information about licenses, please
+refer to [Choose an open source license](https://choosealicense.com/).
+
+
+3. Update the environment dependency file `environment.yml`, which contain both runtime and development dependencies.
+For more information about conda environment file, please refer to [Conda environment file](https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/tasks/manage-environments.html#creating-an-environment-file-manually).
+
+    3.1 Specify environment 'name' field to match package name
+
+    3.2 We strongly recommended using a single `environment.yml` file to manage all the dependencies,
+including the runtime and development dependencies.
+
+    3.3 Please add comments to the `environment.yml` file to explain the dependencies.
+
+    3.4 Please prune the dependencies to the minimum when possible,
+we would like the solver to figure out the dependency tree for us.
+
+
+4. Adjust pre-commit configuration file, `.pre-commit-config.yaml` to enable/disable the hooks you need.
+For more information about pre-commit, please refer to [pre-commit](https://pre-commit.com/).
+
+
+5. Having code coverage, `codecov.yaml` is **strongly recommended**,
+please refer to [Code coverage](https://coverage.readthedocs.io/en/coverage-5.5/) for more information.
+
+
+6. Adjust the demo Github action yaml files for CI/CD. For more information about Github action,
+please refer to [Github action](https://docs.github.com/en/actions).
+
+    6.1 Specify package name at: .github/workflows/package.yml#L34
+
+    6.2 Specify package name at: .github/workflows/package.yml#L46
+
+
+7. Adjust the conda recipe, `conda-recipe/meta.yaml` to provide the meta information for the conda package.
+For more information about conda recipe, please refer to [Conda build](https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda-build/en/latest/).
+
+    7.1 Specify package name at: conda.recipe/meta.yaml#L15
+
+    7.2 Update license family, if necessary: conda.recipe/meta.yaml#L42
+
+
+8. Adjust `pyproject.toml` to match your project. For more information about `pyproject.toml`,
+please refer to [pyproject.toml](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0518/).
+
+    8.1 Specify package name at: pyproject.toml#L2
+
+    8.2 Specify package description at: pyproject.toml#L3
+
+    8.3 Specify package name at: pyproject.toml#L39
+
+    8.4 Specify any terminal entry points (terminal commands) at : pyproject.toml#48.
+In the example, invoking `packagename-cli` in a terminal is equivalent to running the python script
+`from packagenamepy.packagename.import main; main()"
+
+    8.5 Projects will use a  single `pyproject.toml` file to manage all the project metadata,
+including the project name, version, author, license, etc.
+
+    8.6 Python has moved away from `setup.cfg`/`setup.py`, and we would like to follow the trend for our new projects.
+
+
+10. Specify package name at  src/packagenamepy
+
+
+11. Specify package name at: src/packagenamepy/packagename.py
+
+12. If a GUI isn't used, delete the MVP structure at src/packagenamepy:
+    11.1: mainwindow.py
+    11.2: home/
+    11.3: help/
+
+
+11. Clear the content of this file and add your own README.md as the project README file.
+We recommend putting badges of the project status at the top of the README file.
+For more information about badges, please refer to [shields.io](https://shields.io/).
+
+## Repository Adjustments
+
+### Add an access token to anaconda
+
+Here we assume your intent is to upload the conda package to the [anaconda.org/neutrons](https://anaconda.org/neutrons) organization.
+An administrator of _anaconda.org/neutrons_ must create an access token for your repository in the [access settings](https://anaconda.org/neutrons/settings/access).
+
+After created, the token must be stored in a _repository secret_:
+1. Navigate to the main page of the repository on GitHub.com.
+2. Click on the "Settings" tab.
+3. In the left sidebar, navigate to the "Security" section and select "Secrets and variables" followed by "Actions".
+4. Click on the "New repository secret" button.
+5. Enter `ANACONDA_TOKEN` for the secret name
+6. Paste the Anaconda access token
+7. Click on the "Add secret" button
+8. Test the setup by creating a release candidate tag,
+which will result in a package built and uploaded to https://anaconda.org/neutrons/mypackagename
diff --git a/codecov.yaml b/codecov.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1a88f41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/codecov.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# Configuration file for codecov reporting code coverage
+
+# Percentage drop allowed
+coverage:
+  status:
+    project:
+      default:
+        # base on last build, but allow drop of upto this percent
+        threshold: 0.5%
diff --git a/conda.recipe/meta.yaml b/conda.recipe/meta.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bb624f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/conda.recipe/meta.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+# load information from pyproject.toml
+{% set pyproject = load_file_data('pyproject.toml') %}
+{% set project = pyproject.get('project', {}) %}
+{% set license = project.get('license').get('text') %}
+{% set description = project.get('description') %}
+{% set project_url = pyproject.get('project', {}).get('urls') %}
+{% set url = project_url.get('homepage') %}
+# this will get the version set by environment variable
+{% set version = environ.get('VERSION') %}
+{% set version_number = version.split('+')[0] %}
+# change the build number by hand if you want to rebuild the package
+{% set build_number = 0 %}
+
+package:
+  name: mypackagename
+  version: {{ version_number }}
+
+source:
+  path: ..
+
+build:
+  noarch: python
+  number: {{ build_number }}
+  string: py{{py}}
+  script: {{ PYTHON }} -m pip install . --no-deps --ignore-installed -vvv
+
+requirements:
+  host:
+    - python
+    - versioningit
+
+  build:
+    - setuptools
+    - versioningit
+
+  run:
+    - python
+
+about:
+  home: {{ url }}
+  license: {{ license }}
+  license_family: MIT
+  license_file: ../LICENSE
+  summary: {{ description }}
diff --git a/docs/conf.py b/docs/conf.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..203bf5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/conf.py
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+# Configuration file for the Sphinx documentation builder.
+#
+# For the full list of built-in configuration values, see the documentation:
+# https://www.sphinx-doc.org/en/master/usage/configuration.html
+import os
+import sys
+import versioningit
+
+sys.path.insert(0, os.path.abspath("../src"))
+
+# -- Project information -----------------------------------------------------
+# https://www.sphinx-doc.org/en/master/usage/configuration.html#project-information
+
+project = "Project Name"
+copyright = "Copyright 2024"
+author = "Author Name"
+
+# The short X.Y version
+# NOTE: need to specify the location of the pyproject.toml file instead of the
+#       location of the source tree
+version = versioningit.get_version("..")
+# The full version, including alpha/beta/rc tags
+release = ".".join(version.split(".")[:-1])
+
+# -- General configuration ---------------------------------------------------
+# https://www.sphinx-doc.org/en/master/usage/configuration.html#general-configuration
+
+extensions = [
+    "sphinx.ext.autodoc",
+    "sphinx.ext.autosummary",
+    "sphinx.ext.doctest",
+    "sphinx.ext.todo",
+    "sphinx.ext.coverage",
+    "sphinx.ext.mathjax",
+    "sphinx.ext.ifconfig",
+    "sphinx.ext.viewcode",
+    "sphinx.ext.githubpages",
+    "sphinx.ext.intersphinx",
+    "sphinx.ext.napoleon",
+]
+templates_path = ["_templates"]
+
+# The suffix(es) of source filenames.
+# You can specify multiple suffix as a list of string:
+#
+source_suffix = [".rst", ".md"]
+
+# The master toctree document.
+master_doc = "index"
+
+# List of patterns, relative to source directory, that match files and
+# directories to ignore when looking for source files.
+# This pattern also affects html_static_path and html_extra_path.
+exclude_patterns = ["_build", "Thumbs.db", ".DS_Store"]
+
+
+# -- Options for HTML output -------------------------------------------------
+
+# The theme to use for HTML and HTML Help pages.  See the documentation for
+# a list of builtin themes.
+#
+html_theme = "alabaster"  # "sphinx_rtd_theme", please add corresponding package to environment.yml if you want to use it
+autosummary_generate = True
+
+# Napoleon settings
+napoleon_google_docstring = False
+napoleon_numpy_docstring = True
+
+html_static_path = ["_static"]
+
+# If true, `todo` and `todoList` produce output, else they produce nothing.
+todo_include_todos = True
diff --git a/environment.yml b/environment.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..248292d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/environment.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+name: mypythonapp
+channels:
+  - conda-forge
+dependencies:
+  # -- Runtime dependencies
+  # base: list all base dependencies here
+  - python>=3.8  # please specify the mimimum version of python here
+  - versioningit
+  # compute: list all compute dependencies here
+  - numpy
+  - pandas
+  # plot: list all plot dependencies here, if applicable
+  - matplotlib
+  # jupyter: list all jupyter dependencies here, if applicable
+  - jupyterlab
+  - ipympl
+  # -- Development dependencies
+  # utils:
+  - pre-commit
+  # pacakge building:
+  - libmamba
+  - libarchive
+  - anaconda-client
+  - boa
+  - conda-build < 4  # conda-build 24.x has a bug, missing update_index from conda_build.index
+  - conda-verify
+  - python-build
+  # test: list all test dependencies here
+  - pytest
+  - pytest-cov
+  - pytest-xdist
+  # --------------------------------------------------
+  # add additional sections such as Qt, etc. if needed
+  # --------------------------------------------------
+  # if pakcages are not available on conda, list them here
+  - pip
+  - pip:
+    - bm3d-streak-removal # example
+    - pytest-playwright
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a192ea1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+[project]
+name = "examplepyapp"
+description = "Example Python repo for neutrons"
+dynamic = ["version"]
+requires-python = ">=3.10"
+dependencies = [
+  # list all runtime dependencies here
+]
+license = { text = "MIT" }
+
+[project.urls]
+homepage = "https://github.com/neutrons/python_project_template/"  # if no homepage, use repo url
+
+[build-system]
+requires = [
+  "setuptools >= 40.6.0",
+  "wheel",
+  "toml",
+  "versioningit"
+]
+build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
+
+[tool.black]
+line-length = 119
+
+[tool.versioningit.vcs]
+method = "git"
+default-tag = "0.0.1"
+
+[tool.versioningit.next-version]
+method = "minor"
+
+[tool.versioningit.format]
+distance = "{next_version}.dev{distance}"
+dirty = "{version}+d{build_date:%Y%m%d}"
+distance-dirty = "{next_version}.dev{distance}+d{build_date:%Y%m%d%H%M}"
+
+[tool.versioningit.write]
+file = "src/packagenamepy/_version.py"
+
+[tool.setuptools.packages.find]
+where = ["src"]
+exclude = ["tests*", "scripts*", "docs*", "notebooks*"]
+
+[tool.setuptools.package-data]
+"*" = ["*.yml","*.yaml","*.ini"]
+
+[project.scripts]
+packagename-cli = "packagenamepy.packagename:main"
+
+[project.gui-scripts]
+packagenamepy = "packagenamepy.packagename:gui"
+
+[tool.pytest.ini_options]
+pythonpath = [
+  ".", "src", "scripts"
+]
+testpaths = ["tests"]
+python_files = ["test*.py"]
+norecursedirs = [".git", "tmp*", "_tmp*", "__pycache__", "*dataset*", "*data_set*"]
+markers = [
+    "mymarker: example markers goes here"
+]
+
+[tool.pylint]
+max-line-length = 120
+disable = ["too-many-locals",
+           "too-many-statements",
+           "too-many-instance-attributes",
+           "too-many-arguments",
+           "duplicate-code"
+]
+
+# Add additional 3rd party tool configuration here as needed
diff --git a/src/packagenamepy/__init__.py b/src/packagenamepy/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..88d1a76
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/packagenamepy/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+"""
+Contains the entry point for the application
+"""
+
+try:
+    from ._version import __version__  # noqa: F401
+except ImportError:
+    __version__ = "unknown"
+
+
+def PackageName():  # pylint: disable=invalid-name
+    """This is needed for backward compatibility because mantid workbench does "from shiver import Shiver" """
+    from .packagenamepy import PackageName as packagename  # pylint: disable=import-outside-toplevel
+
+    return packagename()
diff --git a/src/packagenamepy/configuration.py b/src/packagenamepy/configuration.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a0baf5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/packagenamepy/configuration.py
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+"""Module to load the the settings from SHOME/.packagename/configuration.ini file
+
+Will fall back to a default"""
+import os
+import shutil
+
+from configparser import ConfigParser
+from pathlib import Path
+from mantid.kernel import Logger
+
+logger = Logger("PACKAGENAME")
+
+# configuration settings file path
+CONFIG_PATH_FILE = os.path.join(Path.home(), ".packagename", "configuration.ini")
+
+
+class Configuration:
+    """Load and validate Configuration Data"""
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        """initialization of configuration mechanism"""
+        # capture the current state
+        self.valid = False
+
+        # locate the template configuration file
+        project_directory = Path(__file__).resolve().parent
+        self.template_file_path = os.path.join(
+            project_directory, "configuration_template.ini"
+        )
+
+        # retrieve the file path of the file
+        self.config_file_path = CONFIG_PATH_FILE
+        logger.information(f"{self.config_file_path} will be used")
+
+        # if template conf file path exists
+        if os.path.exists(self.template_file_path):
+            # file does not exist create it from template
+            if not os.path.exists(self.config_file_path):
+                # if directory structure does not exist create it
+                if not os.path.exists(os.path.dirname(self.config_file_path)):
+                    os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(self.config_file_path))
+                shutil.copy2(self.template_file_path, self.config_file_path)
+
+            self.config = ConfigParser(allow_no_value=True, comment_prefixes="/")
+            # parse the file
+            try:
+                self.config.read(self.config_file_path)
+                # validate the file has the all the latest variables
+                self.validate()
+            except ValueError as err:
+                logger.error(str(err))
+                logger.error(f"Problem with the file: {self.config_file_path}")
+        else:
+            logger.error(
+                f"Template configuration file: {self.template_file_path} is missing!"
+            )
+
+    def validate(self):
+        """validates that the fields exist at the config_file_path and writes any missing fields/data
+        using the template configuration file: configuration_template.ini as a guide"""
+        template_config = ConfigParser(allow_no_value=True, comment_prefixes="/")
+        template_config.read(self.template_file_path)
+        for section in template_config.sections():
+            # if section is missing
+            if section not in self.config.sections():
+                # copy the whole section
+                self.config.add_section(section)
+
+            for item in template_config.items(section):
+                field, _ = item
+                if field not in self.config[section]:
+                    # copy the field
+                    self.config[section][field] = template_config[section][field]
+        with open(self.config_file_path, "w", encoding="utf8") as config_file:
+            self.config.write(config_file)
+        self.valid = True
+
+    def is_valid(self):
+        """returns the configuration state"""
+        return self.valid
+
+
+def get_data(section, name=None):
+    """retrieves the configuration data for a variable with name"""
+    # default file path location
+    config_file_path = CONFIG_PATH_FILE
+    if os.path.exists(config_file_path):
+        config = ConfigParser()
+        # parse the file
+        config.read(config_file_path)
+        try:
+            if name:
+                value = config[section][name]
+                # in case of boolean string value cast it to bool
+                if value in ("True", "False"):
+                    return value == "True"
+                # in case of None
+                if value == "None":
+                    return None
+                return value
+            return config[section]
+        except KeyError as err:
+            # requested section/field do not exist
+            logger.error(str(err))
+            return None
+    return None
diff --git a/src/packagenamepy/configuration_template.ini b/src/packagenamepy/configuration_template.ini
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c8ea100
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/packagenamepy/configuration_template.ini
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+[global.other]
+help_url = https://github.com/neutrons/python_project_template/blob/main/README.md
diff --git a/src/packagenamepy/help/help_model.py b/src/packagenamepy/help/help_model.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ecc555
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/packagenamepy/help/help_model.py
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+""" single help module """
+import webbrowser
+from packagenamepy.configuration import get_data
+
+
+def help_function(context):
+    """
+    open a browser with the appropriate help page
+    """
+    help_url = get_data("global.other", "help_url")
+    if context:
+        webbrowser.open(help_url)
diff --git a/src/packagenamepy/home/home_model.py b/src/packagenamepy/home/home_model.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e40810e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/packagenamepy/home/home_model.py
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+"""Model for the Main tab"""
+
+
+from mantid.kernel import Logger
+
+
+logger = Logger("PACKAGENAME")
+
+
+class HomeModel:  # pylint: disable=too-many-public-methods
+    """Main model"""
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        return
diff --git a/src/packagenamepy/home/home_presenter.py b/src/packagenamepy/home/home_presenter.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b55b34
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/packagenamepy/home/home_presenter.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+"""Presenter for the Main tab"""
+
+
+class HomePresenter:  # pylint: disable=too-many-public-methods
+    """Main presenter"""
+
+    def __init__(self, view, model):
+        self._view = view
+        self._model = model
+
+    @property
+    def view(self):
+        """Return the view for this presenter"""
+        return self._view
+
+    @property
+    def model(self):
+        """Return the model for this presenter"""
+        return self._model
diff --git a/src/packagenamepy/home/home_view.py b/src/packagenamepy/home/home_view.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a710d34
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/packagenamepy/home/home_view.py
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+"""PyQt widget for the main tab"""
+from qtpy.QtWidgets import QWidget, QHBoxLayout
+
+
+class Home(QWidget):  # pylint: disable=too-many-public-methods
+    """Main widget"""
+
+    def __init__(self, parent=None):
+        super().__init__(parent)
+
+        layout = QHBoxLayout()
+        self.setLayout(layout)
diff --git a/src/packagenamepy/mainwindow.py b/src/packagenamepy/mainwindow.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..351bd73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/packagenamepy/mainwindow.py
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+"""
+Main Qt window
+"""
+
+from qtpy.QtWidgets import QHBoxLayout, QVBoxLayout, QWidget, QTabWidget, QPushButton
+
+from packagenamepy.home.home_view import Home
+from packagenamepy.home.home_model import HomeModel
+from packagenamepy.home.home_presenter import HomePresenter
+
+from packagenamepy.help.help_model import help_function
+
+
+class MainWindow(QWidget):
+    """Main widget"""
+
+    def __init__(self, parent=None):
+        super().__init__(parent)
+
+        ### Create tabs here ###
+
+        ### Main tab
+        self.tabs = QTabWidget()
+        home = Home(self)
+        home_model = HomeModel()
+        self.home_presenter = HomePresenter(home, home_model)
+        self.tabs.addTab(home, "Home")
+
+        ### Set tab layout
+        layout = QVBoxLayout()
+        layout.addWidget(self.tabs)
+
+        ### Create bottom interface here ###
+
+        # Help button
+        help_button = QPushButton("Help")
+        help_button.clicked.connect(self.handle_help)
+
+        # Set bottom interface layout
+        hor_layout = QHBoxLayout()
+        hor_layout.addWidget(help_button)
+
+        layout.addLayout(hor_layout)
+
+        self.setLayout(layout)
+
+        # register child widgets to make testing easier
+        self.home = home
+
+    def handle_help(self):
+        """
+        get current tab type and open the corresponding help page
+        """
+        open_tab = self.tabs.currentWidget()
+        if isinstance(open_tab, Home):
+            context = "home"
+        else:
+            context = ""
+        help_function(context=context)
diff --git a/src/packagenamepy/packagename.py b/src/packagenamepy/packagename.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d30dde6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/packagenamepy/packagename.py
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+"""
+Main Qt application
+"""
+
+import sys
+from qtpy.QtWidgets import QApplication, QMainWindow
+
+from mantid.kernel import Logger
+from mantidqt.gui_helper import set_matplotlib_backend
+
+# make sure matplotlib is correctly set before we import shiver
+set_matplotlib_backend()
+
+# make sure the algorithms have been loaded so they are available to the AlgorithmManager
+import mantid.simpleapi  # noqa: F401, E402 pylint: disable=unused-import, wrong-import-position
+
+from packagenamepy.configuration import Configuration  # noqa: E402 pylint: disable=wrong-import-position
+from packagenamepy.version import __version__  # noqa: E402 pylint: disable=wrong-import-position
+from packagenamepy.mainwindow import MainWindow  # noqa: E402 pylint: disable=wrong-import-position
+
+logger = Logger("PACKAGENAME")
+
+
+class PackageName(QMainWindow):
+    """Main Package window"""
+
+    __instance = None
+
+    def __new__(cls):
+        if PackageName.__instance is None:
+            PackageName.__instance = QMainWindow.__new__(cls)  # pylint: disable=no-value-for-parameter
+        return PackageName.__instance
+
+    def __init__(self, parent=None):
+        super().__init__(parent)
+        logger.information(f"PackageName version: {__version__}")
+        config = Configuration()
+
+        if not config.is_valid():
+            msg = (
+                "Error with configuration settings!",
+                f"Check and update your file: {config.config_file_path}",
+                "with the latest settings found here:",
+                f"{config.template_file_path} and start the application again.",
+            )
+
+            print(" ".join(msg))
+            sys.exit(-1)
+        self.setWindowTitle(f"PACKAGENAME - {__version__}")
+        self.main_window = MainWindow(self)
+        self.setCentralWidget(self.main_window)
+
+
+def gui():
+    """
+    Main entry point for Qt application
+    """
+    input_flags = sys.argv[1::]
+    if "--v" in input_flags or "--version" in input_flags:
+        print(__version__)
+        sys.exit()
+    else:
+        app = QApplication(sys.argv)
+        window = PackageName()
+        window.show()
+        sys.exit(app.exec_())
diff --git a/src/packagenamepy/version.py b/src/packagenamepy/version.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6f674ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/packagenamepy/version.py
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+"""Module to load the version created by versioningit
+
+Will fall back to a default packagename  is not installed"""
+
+try:
+    from ._version import __version__
+except ModuleNotFoundError:
+    __version__ = "0.0.1"
diff --git a/tests/test_version.py b/tests/test_version.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5b09eca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_version.py
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+from packagenamepy import __version__
+
+
+def test_version():
+    assert __version__ == "unknown"