lodash.template

What is lodash.template?

The lodash.template package is a part of the Lodash library which provides utility functions for common programming tasks using the functional programming paradigm. It is specifically designed for creating compiled templates which can be used to interpolate values into strings.

What are lodash.template's main functionalities?

Template Compilation

Compiles templates into functions that can be used to interpolate values. The 'template' function takes a string and returns a compiled template function.

const _ = require('lodash.template');
const compiled = _.template('hello <%= user %>!');
console.log(compiled({ 'user': 'fred' }));
// => 'hello fred!'

HTML Escaping

Supports HTML escaping. The '<%-' sequence in the template string is used to escape values that are interpolated, preventing XSS attacks.

const _ = require('lodash.template');
const compiled = _.template('<b><%- value %></b>');
console.log(compiled({ 'value': '<script>' }));
// => '<b>&lt;script&gt;</b>'

Use of JavaScript Expressions

Allows the use of JavaScript expressions inside templates. This enables iteration and conditional logic within the template string.

const _ = require('lodash.template');
const compiled = _.template('<% _.forEach(users, function(user) { %><li><%- user %></li><% }); %>');
console.log(compiled({ 'users': ['fred', 'barney'] }));
// => '<li>fred</li><li>barney</li>'

Custom Delimiters

Supports custom delimiters. Users can define their own delimiters for interpolation, evaluation, and escaping.

const _ = require('lodash.template');
const compiled = _.template('hello ${ user }!', { 'interpolate': /\${([\s\S]+?)}/g });
console.log(compiled({ 'user': 'pebbles' }));
// => 'hello pebbles!'

Other packages similar to lodash.template

handlebars

Handlebars is a popular templating engine that is more feature-rich than lodash.template. It supports helpers, partials, and complex expressions, making it suitable for more complex templating tasks.

mustache

Mustache is a logic-less templating syntax that can be used for HTML, config files, source code, etc. It is simpler than lodash.template and does not allow for logic within the templates, focusing on simple tag replacement.

ejs

EJS, or Embedded JavaScript templates, is a templating engine that allows developers to generate HTML markup with plain JavaScript. It offers similar functionality to lodash.template but with different syntax and additional features like partials and layouts.

pug

Formerly known as Jade, Pug is a high-performance template engine heavily influenced by Haml and implemented with JavaScript for Node.js and browsers. It offers a robust feature set including includes, inheritance, and mixins, which are not present in lodash.template.

README

lodash.template v3.3.0

The modern build of lodash’s _.template exported as a Node.js/io.js module.

Installation

Using npm:

$ {sudo -H} npm i -g npm
$ npm i --save lodash.template

In Node.js/io.js:

var template = require('lodash.template');

See the documentation or package source for more details.