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Source file src/pkg/text/template/doc.go

     1	// Copyright 2011 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
     2	// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
     3	// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
     4	
     5	/*
     6	Package template implements data-driven templates for generating textual output.
     7	
     8	To generate HTML output, see package html/template, which has the same interface
     9	as this package but automatically secures HTML output against certain attacks.
    10	
    11	Templates are executed by applying them to a data structure. Annotations in the
    12	template refer to elements of the data structure (typically a field of a struct
    13	or a key in a map) to control execution and derive values to be displayed.
    14	Execution of the template walks the structure and sets the cursor, represented
    15	by a period '.' and called "dot", to the value at the current location in the
    16	structure as execution proceeds.
    17	
    18	The input text for a template is UTF-8-encoded text in any format.
    19	"Actions"--data evaluations or control structures--are delimited by
    20	"{{" and "}}"; all text outside actions is copied to the output unchanged.
    21	Except for raw strings, actions may not span newlines, although comments can.
    22	
    23	Once parsed, a template may be executed safely in parallel, although if parallel
    24	executions share a Writer the output may be interleaved.
    25	
    26	Here is a trivial example that prints "17 items are made of wool".
    27	
    28		type Inventory struct {
    29			Material string
    30			Count    uint
    31		}
    32		sweaters := Inventory{"wool", 17}
    33		tmpl, err := template.New("test").Parse("{{.Count}} items are made of {{.Material}}")
    34		if err != nil { panic(err) }
    35		err = tmpl.Execute(os.Stdout, sweaters)
    36		if err != nil { panic(err) }
    37	
    38	More intricate examples appear below.
    39	
    40	Text and spaces
    41	
    42	By default, all text between actions is copied verbatim when the template is
    43	executed. For example, the string " items are made of " in the example above appears
    44	on standard output when the program is run.
    45	
    46	However, to aid in formatting template source code, if an action's left delimiter
    47	(by default "{{") is followed immediately by a minus sign and ASCII space character
    48	("{{- "), all trailing white space is trimmed from the immediately preceding text.
    49	Similarly, if the right delimiter ("}}") is preceded by a space and minus sign
    50	(" -}}"), all leading white space is trimmed from the immediately following text.
    51	In these trim markers, the ASCII space must be present; "{{-3}}" parses as an
    52	action containing the number -3.
    53	
    54	For instance, when executing the template whose source is
    55	
    56		"{{23 -}} < {{- 45}}"
    57	
    58	the generated output would be
    59	
    60		"23<45"
    61	
    62	For this trimming, the definition of white space characters is the same as in Go:
    63	space, horizontal tab, carriage return, and newline.
    64	
    65	Actions
    66	
    67	Here is the list of actions. "Arguments" and "pipelines" are evaluations of
    68	data, defined in detail in the corresponding sections that follow.
    69	
    70	*/
    71	//	{{/* a comment */}}
    72	//	{{- /* a comment with white space trimmed from preceding and following text */ -}}
    73	//		A comment; discarded. May contain newlines.
    74	//		Comments do not nest and must start and end at the
    75	//		delimiters, as shown here.
    76	/*
    77	
    78		{{pipeline}}
    79			The default textual representation (the same as would be
    80			printed by fmt.Print) of the value of the pipeline is copied
    81			to the output.
    82	
    83		{{if pipeline}} T1 {{end}}
    84			If the value of the pipeline is empty, no output is generated;
    85			otherwise, T1 is executed. The empty values are false, 0, any
    86			nil pointer or interface value, and any array, slice, map, or
    87			string of length zero.
    88			Dot is unaffected.
    89	
    90		{{if pipeline}} T1 {{else}} T0 {{end}}
    91			If the value of the pipeline is empty, T0 is executed;
    92			otherwise, T1 is executed. Dot is unaffected.
    93	
    94		{{if pipeline}} T1 {{else if pipeline}} T0 {{end}}
    95			To simplify the appearance of if-else chains, the else action
    96			of an if may include another if directly; the effect is exactly
    97			the same as writing
    98				{{if pipeline}} T1 {{else}}{{if pipeline}} T0 {{end}}{{end}}
    99	
   100		{{range pipeline}} T1 {{end}}
   101			The value of the pipeline must be an array, slice, map, or channel.
   102			If the value of the pipeline has length zero, nothing is output;
   103			otherwise, dot is set to the successive elements of the array,
   104			slice, or map and T1 is executed. If the value is a map and the
   105			keys are of basic type with a defined order ("comparable"), the
   106			elements will be visited in sorted key order.
   107	
   108		{{range pipeline}} T1 {{else}} T0 {{end}}
   109			The value of the pipeline must be an array, slice, map, or channel.
   110			If the value of the pipeline has length zero, dot is unaffected and
   111			T0 is executed; otherwise, dot is set to the successive elements
   112			of the array, slice, or map and T1 is executed.
   113	
   114		{{template "name"}}
   115			The template with the specified name is executed with nil data.
   116	
   117		{{template "name" pipeline}}
   118			The template with the specified name is executed with dot set
   119			to the value of the pipeline.
   120	
   121		{{block "name" pipeline}} T1 {{end}}
   122			A block is shorthand for defining a template
   123				{{define "name"}} T1 {{end}}
   124			and then executing it in place
   125				{{template "name" pipeline}}
   126			The typical use is to define a set of root templates that are
   127			then customized by redefining the block templates within.
   128	
   129		{{with pipeline}} T1 {{end}}
   130			If the value of the pipeline is empty, no output is generated;
   131			otherwise, dot is set to the value of the pipeline and T1 is
   132			executed.
   133	
   134		{{with pipeline}} T1 {{else}} T0 {{end}}
   135			If the value of the pipeline is empty, dot is unaffected and T0
   136			is executed; otherwise, dot is set to the value of the pipeline
   137			and T1 is executed.
   138	
   139	Arguments
   140	
   141	An argument is a simple value, denoted by one of the following.
   142	
   143		- A boolean, string, character, integer, floating-point, imaginary
   144		  or complex constant in Go syntax. These behave like Go's untyped
   145		  constants. Note that, as in Go, whether a large integer constant
   146		  overflows when assigned or passed to a function can depend on whether
   147		  the host machine's ints are 32 or 64 bits.
   148		- The keyword nil, representing an untyped Go nil.
   149		- The character '.' (period):
   150			.
   151		  The result is the value of dot.
   152		- A variable name, which is a (possibly empty) alphanumeric string
   153		  preceded by a dollar sign, such as
   154			$piOver2
   155		  or
   156			$
   157		  The result is the value of the variable.
   158		  Variables are described below.
   159		- The name of a field of the data, which must be a struct, preceded
   160		  by a period, such as
   161			.Field
   162		  The result is the value of the field. Field invocations may be
   163		  chained:
   164		    .Field1.Field2
   165		  Fields can also be evaluated on variables, including chaining:
   166		    $x.Field1.Field2
   167		- The name of a key of the data, which must be a map, preceded
   168		  by a period, such as
   169			.Key
   170		  The result is the map element value indexed by the key.
   171		  Key invocations may be chained and combined with fields to any
   172		  depth:
   173		    .Field1.Key1.Field2.Key2
   174		  Although the key must be an alphanumeric identifier, unlike with
   175		  field names they do not need to start with an upper case letter.
   176		  Keys can also be evaluated on variables, including chaining:
   177		    $x.key1.key2
   178		- The name of a niladic method of the data, preceded by a period,
   179		  such as
   180			.Method
   181		  The result is the value of invoking the method with dot as the
   182		  receiver, dot.Method(). Such a method must have one return value (of
   183		  any type) or two return values, the second of which is an error.
   184		  If it has two and the returned error is non-nil, execution terminates
   185		  and an error is returned to the caller as the value of Execute.
   186		  Method invocations may be chained and combined with fields and keys
   187		  to any depth:
   188		    .Field1.Key1.Method1.Field2.Key2.Method2
   189		  Methods can also be evaluated on variables, including chaining:
   190		    $x.Method1.Field
   191		- The name of a niladic function, such as
   192			fun
   193		  The result is the value of invoking the function, fun(). The return
   194		  types and values behave as in methods. Functions and function
   195		  names are described below.
   196		- A parenthesized instance of one the above, for grouping. The result
   197		  may be accessed by a field or map key invocation.
   198			print (.F1 arg1) (.F2 arg2)
   199			(.StructValuedMethod "arg").Field
   200	
   201	Arguments may evaluate to any type; if they are pointers the implementation
   202	automatically indirects to the base type when required.
   203	If an evaluation yields a function value, such as a function-valued
   204	field of a struct, the function is not invoked automatically, but it
   205	can be used as a truth value for an if action and the like. To invoke
   206	it, use the call function, defined below.
   207	
   208	Pipelines
   209	
   210	A pipeline is a possibly chained sequence of "commands". A command is a simple
   211	value (argument) or a function or method call, possibly with multiple arguments:
   212	
   213		Argument
   214			The result is the value of evaluating the argument.
   215		.Method [Argument...]
   216			The method can be alone or the last element of a chain but,
   217			unlike methods in the middle of a chain, it can take arguments.
   218			The result is the value of calling the method with the
   219			arguments:
   220				dot.Method(Argument1, etc.)
   221		functionName [Argument...]
   222			The result is the value of calling the function associated
   223			with the name:
   224				function(Argument1, etc.)
   225			Functions and function names are described below.
   226	
   227	A pipeline may be "chained" by separating a sequence of commands with pipeline
   228	characters '|'. In a chained pipeline, the result of each command is
   229	passed as the last argument of the following command. The output of the final
   230	command in the pipeline is the value of the pipeline.
   231	
   232	The output of a command will be either one value or two values, the second of
   233	which has type error. If that second value is present and evaluates to
   234	non-nil, execution terminates and the error is returned to the caller of
   235	Execute.
   236	
   237	Variables
   238	
   239	A pipeline inside an action may initialize a variable to capture the result.
   240	The initialization has syntax
   241	
   242		$variable := pipeline
   243	
   244	where $variable is the name of the variable. An action that declares a
   245	variable produces no output.
   246	
   247	Variables previously declared can also be assigned, using the syntax
   248	
   249		$variable = pipeline
   250	
   251	If a "range" action initializes a variable, the variable is set to the
   252	successive elements of the iteration. Also, a "range" may declare two
   253	variables, separated by a comma:
   254	
   255		range $index, $element := pipeline
   256	
   257	in which case $index and $element are set to the successive values of the
   258	array/slice index or map key and element, respectively. Note that if there is
   259	only one variable, it is assigned the element; this is opposite to the
   260	convention in Go range clauses.
   261	
   262	A variable's scope extends to the "end" action of the control structure ("if",
   263	"with", or "range") in which it is declared, or to the end of the template if
   264	there is no such control structure. A template invocation does not inherit
   265	variables from the point of its invocation.
   266	
   267	When execution begins, $ is set to the data argument passed to Execute, that is,
   268	to the starting value of dot.
   269	
   270	Examples
   271	
   272	Here are some example one-line templates demonstrating pipelines and variables.
   273	All produce the quoted word "output":
   274	
   275		{{"\"output\""}}
   276			A string constant.
   277		{{`"output"`}}
   278			A raw string constant.
   279		{{printf "%q" "output"}}
   280			A function call.
   281		{{"output" | printf "%q"}}
   282			A function call whose final argument comes from the previous
   283			command.
   284		{{printf "%q" (print "out" "put")}}
   285			A parenthesized argument.
   286		{{"put" | printf "%s%s" "out" | printf "%q"}}
   287			A more elaborate call.
   288		{{"output" | printf "%s" | printf "%q"}}
   289			A longer chain.
   290		{{with "output"}}{{printf "%q" .}}{{end}}
   291			A with action using dot.
   292		{{with $x := "output" | printf "%q"}}{{$x}}{{end}}
   293			A with action that creates and uses a variable.
   294		{{with $x := "output"}}{{printf "%q" $x}}{{end}}
   295			A with action that uses the variable in another action.
   296		{{with $x := "output"}}{{$x | printf "%q"}}{{end}}
   297			The same, but pipelined.
   298	
   299	Functions
   300	
   301	During execution functions are found in two function maps: first in the
   302	template, then in the global function map. By default, no functions are defined
   303	in the template but the Funcs method can be used to add them.
   304	
   305	Predefined global functions are named as follows.
   306	
   307		and
   308			Returns the boolean AND of its arguments by returning the
   309			first empty argument or the last argument, that is,
   310			"and x y" behaves as "if x then y else x". All the
   311			arguments are evaluated.
   312		call
   313			Returns the result of calling the first argument, which
   314			must be a function, with the remaining arguments as parameters.
   315			Thus "call .X.Y 1 2" is, in Go notation, dot.X.Y(1, 2) where
   316			Y is a func-valued field, map entry, or the like.
   317			The first argument must be the result of an evaluation
   318			that yields a value of function type (as distinct from
   319			a predefined function such as print). The function must
   320			return either one or two result values, the second of which
   321			is of type error. If the arguments don't match the function
   322			or the returned error value is non-nil, execution stops.
   323		html
   324			Returns the escaped HTML equivalent of the textual
   325			representation of its arguments. This function is unavailable
   326			in html/template, with a few exceptions.
   327		index
   328			Returns the result of indexing its first argument by the
   329			following arguments. Thus "index x 1 2 3" is, in Go syntax,
   330			x[1][2][3]. Each indexed item must be a map, slice, or array.
   331		slice
   332			slice returns the result of slicing its first argument by the
   333			remaining arguments. Thus "slice x 1 2" is, in Go syntax, x[1:2],
   334			while "slice x" is x[:], "slice x 1" is x[1:], and "slice x 1 2 3"
   335			is x[1:2:3]. The first argument must be a string, slice, or array.
   336		js
   337			Returns the escaped JavaScript equivalent of the textual
   338			representation of its arguments.
   339		len
   340			Returns the integer length of its argument.
   341		not
   342			Returns the boolean negation of its single argument.
   343		or
   344			Returns the boolean OR of its arguments by returning the
   345			first non-empty argument or the last argument, that is,
   346			"or x y" behaves as "if x then x else y". All the
   347			arguments are evaluated.
   348		print
   349			An alias for fmt.Sprint
   350		printf
   351			An alias for fmt.Sprintf
   352		println
   353			An alias for fmt.Sprintln
   354		urlquery
   355			Returns the escaped value of the textual representation of
   356			its arguments in a form suitable for embedding in a URL query.
   357			This function is unavailable in html/template, with a few
   358			exceptions.
   359	
   360	The boolean functions take any zero value to be false and a non-zero
   361	value to be true.
   362	
   363	There is also a set of binary comparison operators defined as
   364	functions:
   365	
   366		eq
   367			Returns the boolean truth of arg1 == arg2
   368		ne
   369			Returns the boolean truth of arg1 != arg2
   370		lt
   371			Returns the boolean truth of arg1 < arg2
   372		le
   373			Returns the boolean truth of arg1 <= arg2
   374		gt
   375			Returns the boolean truth of arg1 > arg2
   376		ge
   377			Returns the boolean truth of arg1 >= arg2
   378	
   379	For simpler multi-way equality tests, eq (only) accepts two or more
   380	arguments and compares the second and subsequent to the first,
   381	returning in effect
   382	
   383		arg1==arg2 || arg1==arg3 || arg1==arg4 ...
   384	
   385	(Unlike with || in Go, however, eq is a function call and all the
   386	arguments will be evaluated.)
   387	
   388	The comparison functions work on basic types only (or named basic
   389	types, such as "type Celsius float32"). They implement the Go rules
   390	for comparison of values, except that size and exact type are
   391	ignored, so any integer value, signed or unsigned, may be compared
   392	with any other integer value. (The arithmetic value is compared,
   393	not the bit pattern, so all negative integers are less than all
   394	unsigned integers.) However, as usual, one may not compare an int
   395	with a float32 and so on.
   396	
   397	Associated templates
   398	
   399	Each template is named by a string specified when it is created. Also, each
   400	template is associated with zero or more other templates that it may invoke by
   401	name; such associations are transitive and form a name space of templates.
   402	
   403	A template may use a template invocation to instantiate another associated
   404	template; see the explanation of the "template" action above. The name must be
   405	that of a template associated with the template that contains the invocation.
   406	
   407	Nested template definitions
   408	
   409	When parsing a template, another template may be defined and associated with the
   410	template being parsed. Template definitions must appear at the top level of the
   411	template, much like global variables in a Go program.
   412	
   413	The syntax of such definitions is to surround each template declaration with a
   414	"define" and "end" action.
   415	
   416	The define action names the template being created by providing a string
   417	constant. Here is a simple example:
   418	
   419		`{{define "T1"}}ONE{{end}}
   420		{{define "T2"}}TWO{{end}}
   421		{{define "T3"}}{{template "T1"}} {{template "T2"}}{{end}}
   422		{{template "T3"}}`
   423	
   424	This defines two templates, T1 and T2, and a third T3 that invokes the other two
   425	when it is executed. Finally it invokes T3. If executed this template will
   426	produce the text
   427	
   428		ONE TWO
   429	
   430	By construction, a template may reside in only one association. If it's
   431	necessary to have a template addressable from multiple associations, the
   432	template definition must be parsed multiple times to create distinct *Template
   433	values, or must be copied with the Clone or AddParseTree method.
   434	
   435	Parse may be called multiple times to assemble the various associated templates;
   436	see the ParseFiles and ParseGlob functions and methods for simple ways to parse
   437	related templates stored in files.
   438	
   439	A template may be executed directly or through ExecuteTemplate, which executes
   440	an associated template identified by name. To invoke our example above, we
   441	might write,
   442	
   443		err := tmpl.Execute(os.Stdout, "no data needed")
   444		if err != nil {
   445			log.Fatalf("execution failed: %s", err)
   446		}
   447	
   448	or to invoke a particular template explicitly by name,
   449	
   450		err := tmpl.ExecuteTemplate(os.Stdout, "T2", "no data needed")
   451		if err != nil {
   452			log.Fatalf("execution failed: %s", err)
   453		}
   454	
   455	*/
   456	package template
   457	

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