When you create a new project in WebStorm, you are given the option to create a new directory structure prepopulated with files: libraries, stylesheets, etc. for patterns like HTM5 boilerplate, Twitter boilerplate, etc.
How does one create one's own template for this? Is importing dummy projects the hack for it?
I suggest not using templates. I find it far more easy and maintainable to create "empty" projects (from existing projects, of course) in a git repo (bitbucket, github, ...), clone one, and start from there.
The .idea should be in the repo, but .idea/workspace.xml should be ignored, as per the documentation.
This gives you the opportunity to gradually refine your template, and share it easily with a team.
Use the LivePlugin plugin to create a project template:
<projectTemplate projectType="foo" templatePath="resources/bar.zip" category="true"/>
Use the Velocity Template Language (VTL) to create a file template:
File and code templates are written in the Velocity Template Language (VTL). So they may include:
Fixed text (markup, code, comments, etc.).
In a file based on a template, the fixed text is used literally, as-is.
File template variables.
When creating a file, the variables are replaced with their values. #parse directives to include other templates defined in the Includes tab on the File and Code Templates page of the Settings dialog box.
Other VTL constructs.
References
