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Handlebars syntax

Tom Santiago
  • Updated

Functional implementation heavily relies on proper use of handlebars curly braces.

Typographical Conventions

Item Description 
{{ }}

Handlebars double-braces will URL encode characters that are able to be URL encoded. The double-braces themselves do not display in output (escaped).

For example, you could use double-braces for an HTTP URI. This would automatically perform the URL encoding for any escaped characters (such as <, > , or space). For handlebars used in Postgres DB queries, this would escape the characters specific to the Postgres DB:

https://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.2/sql-syntax-lexical.html#:~:text=PostgreSQL%20also%20accepts%20%22escape%22%20string,e.g.%2C%20E'foo'
 
{{{ }}}
 Handlebars triple-braces does not perform any encoding, and preserves the characters as entered in the sample data. Use triple-braces if your field values have already been URL encoded.  
{{{{ }}}}
 Handlebars raw block. 
{{name}}
 Handlebars expression. 
{{first.name}}
 Dot-notation for nested objects. 
\{{escaped}}
 Using a backslash as a leading character before an expression
prints the entire {{expression}} to output (with braces).		 
Template
 The handlebars expressions and/or helpers chained in a block or
sequence.		 
Context
 JavaScript Object Notation (JSON ) files are referred to as "Context" when using Handlebars. These are the files that you upload in integrator.io or sample data used to render outputs for testing for your JSON files. 
Output
 Shows the formatted output. 
[customer name]
 Use square brackets to reference field names or values that contain spaces.

Code that appears between the curly braces {{field}} are known as “expressions” in Handlebars. Handlebars expressions may be used for:

  • Mapping Export and Import application fields;
  • Performing dynamic arithmetic calculations on the values being exported;
  • Performing dynamic encoding and decoding of data during integration.

Handlebars expressions use dot-notation to access object properties. The expression in the following example is set to look up the value in the “title” field name within the “library” object or parent property.

Template Context Output 
{{library.title}}
 
{
    "library": {
        "album": "The Sound",
        "title": "Danube Incident",
        "artist": "Lalo Schifrin"
    }
}
 
Danube Incident

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Comments

4 comments

Date Votes
  • David Gollom Channel Partner
    Answer Pro
    Great Answer
    Celigo University Level 2: Seasoned
    Engaged

    Hey There!  Above in the triple braces description you say "Handlebars triple-braces remove URL encoding from characters that already have URL encoding applied. Triple-braces will also display in the output (unescaped)." I don't think that's true.  Or I don't understand it. I don't see the braces in the output. 

    Thanks!! 

    0
  • Tom Santiago Senior Technical Writer Community moderator
    Engaged
    Top Contributor
    Celigo University Level 4: Legendary

    Hi David Gollom, I did some experimenting and will update the article to be a little more clear about how this works. Double curly-braces would convert special characters to their URL encoded counterparts:

    While triple-braces would preserve the current state of the text as it appears in the record:

    Please let me know if that clears up the confusion.

    0
  • David Gollom Channel Partner
    Answer Pro
    Great Answer
    Celigo University Level 2: Seasoned
    Engaged

    Hi Tom!

    That make sense. I realize my comment may not have been very clear.  

    This is the sentence that I didn't understand -  "Triple-braces will also display in the output (unescaped)."

     

    0
  • Tom Santiago Senior Technical Writer Community moderator
    Engaged
    Top Contributor
    Celigo University Level 4: Legendary

    David Gollom, you're right. I'm removing that statement. 

    0

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