Template formatter

Register reusable Smart String templates and apply them by name.

The Template formatter stores named templates so you can reuse a piece of formatting across many Smart Strings. When the formatting needs to change, you edit the template in one place. Apply it explicitly with the name t.

flowchart TD
    full["{value:t(templateName)}"]

    full --> p1["value"]
    full --> p2["t"]
    full --> p3["templateName"]

    p1 --> d1["Any value"]
    p2 --> d2["Formatter name: t"]
    p3 --> d3["Name of a registered<br/>template"]

    classDef code   fill:#F5F5F5,stroke:#BDBDBD,color:#111;
    classDef orange fill:none,stroke:none,color:#F37021;
    classDef green  fill:none,stroke:none,color:#67BC6B;
    classDef pink   fill:none,stroke:none,color:#EB417A;

    class full code;
    class p1,d1 orange;
    class p2,d2 green;
    class p3,d3 pink;

    linkStyle default stroke:#2196F3,stroke-width:1.5px;

Template names are matched using the formatter’s case sensitivity setting. By default, matching is case-insensitive.

Register the templates you create and add them to the formatter so they can be used. The Template formatter can’t auto-detect, so you must always apply it by name. Applying an unregistered template name throws a FormatException. Refer to Configure Smart Strings for more information on adding to the formatter.

The following example shows how to register templates on the formatter and then add the formatter to a SmartFormatter:

var templates = new TemplateFormatter();
templates.Register("fullName", "{name} {surname}");
templates.Register("initials", "{name:substr(0,1)} {surname:substr(0,1)}");
templates.Register("highlight", "<color=red>{}</color>");

Smart.Default.AddExtensions(templates);

Pass the template name as a formatter option, {0:t(fullName)}, or as the format part, {0:t:fullName}. Both are equivalent.

To reference the current value in scope inside a template, use an empty placeholder {}, as in the highlight template in the table below.

Templates can be nested: a template can apply another template, for example {:t:FIRST} {:t:last}.

Additional resources

• Sub String formatter
• Create a custom formatter
• Smart Strings