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.length property

Tom Santiago
Updated

The .length property returns the number of characters in a string or the number of elements in an array. Access it via dot-notation on any field (field.length) and use it as an argument inside other helpers such as #compare.

Syntax

{{field.length}}

Or as an argument inside another helper:

{{#compare field.length operator value}} expr {{else}} expr {{/compare}}

Examples

Validate a state code length

{{#compare state.length "===" 2}}{{uppercase state}}{{else}}Bad state value{{/compare}}

When state is "ill" (3 characters):

Input:

{ "state": "ill" }

Output: Bad state value

When state is "il" (2 characters):

Input:

{ "state": "il" }

Output: IL

The #compare helper checks whether state.length equals 2. If it does, {{uppercase state}} renders the value in capitals. If not, the fallback text renders.

Validate a phone number length

{{#compare phone.length "===" 10}}{{phone}}{{else}}0000000000{{/compare}}

Input:

{ "phone": "123456789" }

Output: 0000000000

"123456789" has 9 characters, not 10, so the {{else}} branch renders.

Usage notes

  • .length is accessed via dot-notation directly on a field, not as a standalone helper or @ variable.
  • For strings, .length counts characters. For arrays, .length counts elements.
  • .length returns 0 for empty strings and empty arrays.
  • Use .length as an argument inside #compare to validate field lengths before processing.