Conditionals Guide¶

Conditionals let you show or hide content in your document based on data values. They're perfect for creating flexible templates that adapt to different scenarios.

Basic Conditional Syntax¶

Simple If Statement¶

{{#if VariableName}}
  Content to show if true
{{/if}}

When content is shown: - Variable exists and is true - Variable exists and is not empty/zero/false

JSON:

{
  "IsVIP": true
}

Template:

Dear Customer,

{{#if IsVIP}}
Thank you for being a VIP member! You get 20% off today.
{{/if}}

Best regards

Output (when IsVIP is true):

Dear Customer,

Thank you for being a VIP member! You get 20% off today.

Best regards

If-Else Statement¶

{{#if Condition}}
  Content when true
{{#else}}
  Content when false
{{/if}}

JSON:

{
  "IsPremium": false
}

Template:

{{#if IsPremium}}
Welcome, Premium Member! Enjoy unlimited access.
{{#else}}
Upgrade to Premium to unlock all features.
{{/if}}

Output:

Upgrade to Premium to unlock all features.

If-ElseIf-Else Statement¶

Use {{#elseif}} to check multiple conditions in sequence:

{{#if Condition1}}
  Content for condition 1
{{#elseif Condition2}}
  Content for condition 2
{{#elseif Condition3}}
  Content for condition 3
{{#else}}
  Default content
{{/if}}

JSON:

{
  "Score": 75
}

Template:

{{#if Score >= 90}}
Grade: A - Excellent!
{{#elseif Score >= 80}}
Grade: B - Good
{{#elseif Score >= 70}}
Grade: C - Satisfactory
{{#elseif Score >= 60}}
Grade: D - Needs Improvement
{{#else}}
Grade: F - Please see instructor
{{/if}}

Output:

Grade: C - Satisfactory

How it works: - Conditions are evaluated in order, from top to bottom - The first condition that is true wins - its content is shown - All other branches are removed - The {{#else}} branch is optional and acts as a fallback - Important: {{#else}} must always be the last branch

Benefits over nested conditionals: - Cleaner, more readable templates - Easier to add/remove conditions - Less indentation and fewer closing tags

Comparison Operators¶

Equality (`=`)¶

Check if two values are equal:

JSON:

{
  "Status": "Active"
}

Template:

{{#if Status = "Active"}}
Your account is active and ready to use.
{{/if}}

{{#if Status = "Pending"}}
Your account is pending approval.
{{/if}}

Tips: - Use quotes around text values: Status = "Active" - Numbers don't need quotes: Age = 18 - Comparison is case-sensitive: "active" ≠ "Active"

Inequality (`!=`)¶

Check if two values are NOT equal:

JSON:

{
  "PaymentStatus": "Paid"
}

Template:

{{#if PaymentStatus != "Paid"}}
⚠️ Payment required - please submit payment to proceed.
{{/if}}

This message only shows when payment is NOT paid.

Greater Than (`>`)¶

JSON:

{
  "Age": 25,
  "Score": 95
}

Template:

{{#if Age > 18}}
You are eligible to vote.
{{/if}}

{{#if Score > 90}}
Excellent work! You earned an A grade.
{{/if}}

Less Than (`<`)¶

JSON:

{
  "Temperature": -5,
  "Stock": 3
}

Template:

{{#if Temperature < 0}}
⚠️ Freezing conditions - take precautions.
{{/if}}

{{#if Stock < 5}}
⚠️ Low stock alert - only {{Stock}} items remaining.
{{/if}}

Greater Than or Equal (`>=`)¶

JSON:

{
  "YearsExperience": 5,
  "MinimumOrder": 100,
  "OrderAmount": 100
}

Template:

{{#if YearsExperience >= 5}}
You qualify for the Senior Developer position.
{{/if}}

{{#if OrderAmount >= MinimumOrder}}
✓ Order qualifies for free shipping!
{{/if}}

Less Than or Equal (`<=`)¶

JSON:

{
  "ItemsInCart": 3,
  "DaysUntilExpiry": 7
}

Template:

{{#if ItemsInCart <= 5}}
Add more items to qualify for bulk discount!
{{/if}}

{{#if DaysUntilExpiry <= 7}}
⚠️ Your subscription expires soon - renew now!
{{/if}}

Logical Operators¶

AND Operator¶

Both conditions must be true:

{{#if Condition1 and Condition2}}
  Content
{{/if}}

JSON:

{
  "Age": 25,
  "HasLicense": true,
  "HasInsurance": true
}

Template:

{{#if Age >= 18 and HasLicense}}
You can rent a car.
{{/if}}

{{#if HasLicense and HasInsurance}}
You're approved for vehicle rental.
{{/if}}

OR Operator¶

At least one condition must be true:

{{#if Condition1 or Condition2}}
  Content
{{/if}}

JSON:

{
  "IsVIP": false,
  "IsPremium": true,
  "Role": "Admin"
}

Template:

{{#if IsVIP or IsPremium}}
You have access to exclusive features.
{{/if}}

{{#if Role = "Admin" or Role = "Moderator"}}
You have moderation permissions.
{{/if}}

NOT Operator¶

Negates a condition:

{{#if not Condition}}
  Content
{{/if}}

JSON:

{
  "IsExpired": false,
  "IsBanned": false
}

Template:

{{#if not IsExpired}}
Your subscription is active.
{{/if}}

{{#if not IsBanned}}
Welcome back! Your account is in good standing.
{{/if}}

Combining Multiple Operators¶

JSON:

{
  "Age": 25,
  "Country": "USA",
  "HasPassport": true,
  "IsBanned": false
}

Template:

{{#if Age >= 18 and (Country = "USA" or HasPassport) and not IsBanned}}
You are eligible to travel internationally.
{{/if}}

Operator precedence: 1. Parentheses () 2. not 3. Comparison operators (=, !=, >, <, >=, <=) 4. and 5. or

Common Patterns¶

Boolean Flags¶

JSON:

{
  "ShowHeader": true,
  "ShowFooter": false,
  "EnableTracking": true
}

Template:

{{#if ShowHeader}}
=== HEADER SECTION ===
Company Name | Contact Info
{{/if}}

[Main content here]

{{#if ShowFooter}}
=== FOOTER SECTION ===
© 2024 Company Name
{{/if}}

Status Checks¶

JSON:

{
  "OrderStatus": "Shipped"
}

Template:

Order Status:

{{#if OrderStatus = "Pending"}}
⏳ Your order is being processed.
{{/if}}

{{#if OrderStatus = "Shipped"}}
📦 Your order has been shipped!
{{/if}}

{{#if OrderStatus = "Delivered"}}
✓ Your order was delivered.
{{/if}}

{{#if OrderStatus = "Cancelled"}}
❌ This order was cancelled.
{{/if}}

Tiered Messaging¶

Use {{#elseif}} for cleaner tiered content:

JSON:

{
  "Score": 85
}

Template:

Your Score: {{Score}}

{{#if Score >= 90}}
🏆 Outstanding! You achieved an A grade.
{{#elseif Score >= 80}}
👍 Great job! You achieved a B grade.
{{#elseif Score >= 70}}
✓ Good work! You achieved a C grade.
{{#else}}
📚 Keep studying! You can improve.
{{/if}}

Output:

Your Score: 85

👍 Great job! You achieved a B grade.

Tip: Use {{#elseif}} instead of nested {{#if}} blocks for cleaner, more maintainable templates.

Access Control¶

JSON:

{
  "UserRole": "Admin",
  "IsAuthenticated": true
}

Template:

{{#if IsAuthenticated}}
Welcome to the dashboard!

{{#if UserRole = "Admin"}}
[Admin Panel]
- User Management
- System Settings
- Reports
{{/if}}

{{#if UserRole = "Editor"}}
[Editor Panel]
- Edit Content
- Publish Articles
{{/if}}

{{#if UserRole = "Viewer"}}
[Viewer Panel]
- View Content Only
{{/if}}

{{#else}}
Please log in to access this page.
{{/if}}

Working with Numbers¶

Range Checks¶

JSON:

{
  "Age": 35,
  "Temperature": 72,
  "Price": 150
}

Template:

{{#if Age >= 18 and Age < 65}}
Adult pricing applies.
{{/if}}

{{#if Temperature >= 60 and Temperature <= 80}}
Perfect weather today!
{{/if}}

{{#if Price > 100 and Price <= 200}}
Mid-range product pricing.
{{/if}}

Inventory Checks¶

JSON:

{
  "StockLevel": 5,
  "ReorderPoint": 10
}

Template:

{{#if StockLevel = 0}}
❌ OUT OF STOCK
{{#else}}
  {{#if StockLevel < ReorderPoint}}
  ⚠️ LOW STOCK: {{StockLevel}} remaining
  {{#else}}
  ✓ In Stock: {{StockLevel}} available
  {{/if}}
{{/if}}

Discount Qualification¶

JSON:

{
  "OrderTotal": 150,
  "IsFirstOrder": false,
  "LoyaltyPoints": 500
}

Template:

{{#if OrderTotal >= 100 or IsFirstOrder or LoyaltyPoints >= 1000}}
🎉 You qualify for a discount!

{{#if OrderTotal >= 100}}
  - Free shipping on orders over $100
{{/if}}

{{#if IsFirstOrder}}
  - 15% off first order discount
{{/if}}

{{#if LoyaltyPoints >= 1000}}
  - Loyalty member discount available
{{/if}}
{{/if}}

Working with Text¶

Text Comparison¶

Remember: text comparisons are case-sensitive!

JSON:

{
  "Category": "Electronics",
  "Priority": "high"
}

Template:

{{#if Category = "Electronics"}}
Shipping: 2-3 business days
{{/if}}

{{#if Category = "electronics"}}
This won't match - wrong case!
{{/if}}

{{#if Priority = "high"}}
⚠️ HIGH PRIORITY ORDER
{{/if}}

Multiple Text Options¶

JSON:

{
  "PaymentMethod": "Credit Card"
}

Template:

{{#if PaymentMethod = "Credit Card" or PaymentMethod = "Debit Card"}}
Card payment processing fee: $2.50
{{/if}}

{{#if PaymentMethod = "PayPal" or PaymentMethod = "Venmo"}}
Online payment processing fee: 3%
{{/if}}

{{#if PaymentMethod = "Cash" or PaymentMethod = "Check"}}
No processing fees!
{{/if}}

Nested Conditionals¶

You can nest conditionals inside each other:

JSON:

{
  "IsLoggedIn": true,
  "UserType": "Premium",
  "HasActiveSubscription": true
}

Template:

{{#if IsLoggedIn}}
  Welcome!

  {{#if UserType = "Premium"}}
    {{#if HasActiveSubscription}}
      [Premium Content Unlocked]
      Access to all features!
    {{#else}}
      [Subscription Expired]
      Please renew your subscription.
    {{/if}}
  {{#else}}
    [Free Account]
    Upgrade to Premium for more features.
  {{/if}}
{{#else}}
  Please log in.
{{/if}}

Best Practice: Limit nesting to 2-3 levels deep to keep templates readable.

Conditionals with Loops¶

You can use conditionals inside loops:

JSON:

{
  "Products": [
    { "Name": "Widget", "Price": 10, "InStock": true },
    { "Name": "Gadget", "Price": 25, "InStock": false },
    { "Name": "Doohickey", "Price": 15, "InStock": true }
  ]
}

Template:

Product List:

{{#foreach Products}}
- {{Name}}: ${{Price}}
  {{#if InStock}}
  ✓ Available
  {{#else}}
  ❌ Out of Stock
  {{/if}}
{{/foreach}}

Output:

Product List:

- Widget: $10
  ✓ Available
- Gadget: $25
  ❌ Out of Stock
- Doohickey: $15
  ✓ Available

Loop Variables in Conditionals¶

Use loop-specific variables in conditionals:

JSON:

{
  "Items": ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry", "Date"]
}

Template:

{{#foreach Items}}
{{#if @first}}*** First item: {{.}} ***{{/if}}
{{#if not @first and not @last}}- {{.}}{{/if}}
{{#if @last}}*** Last item: {{.}} ***{{/if}}
{{/foreach}}

Output:

*** First item: Apple ***
- Banana
- Cherry
*** Last item: Date ***

Common Use Cases¶

Personalized Greetings¶

JSON:

{
  "CustomerName": "Alice",
  "LastPurchaseDate": "2024-01-10",
  "DaysSinceLastPurchase": 45
}

Template:

Dear {{CustomerName}},

{{#if DaysSinceLastPurchase < 30}}
Great to see you again so soon!
{{#else}}
We've missed you! It's been a while since your last visit.
{{/if}}

{{#if DaysSinceLastPurchase > 60}}
Here's a 15% discount to welcome you back!
{{/if}}

Terms and Conditions¶

JSON:

{
  "IncludeWarranty": true,
  "IncludeInsurance": false,
  "IncludeExtendedSupport": true
}

Template:

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

{{#if IncludeWarranty}}
1. Warranty Coverage
   This product includes a 2-year manufacturer warranty...
{{/if}}

{{#if IncludeInsurance}}
2. Insurance Policy
   Additional insurance coverage provides...
{{/if}}

{{#if IncludeExtendedSupport}}
3. Extended Support
   24/7 customer support is included for...
{{/if}}

Regional Content¶

JSON:

{
  "Country": "USA",
  "Language": "English"
}

Template:

{{#if Country = "USA"}}
Customer Service: 1-800-555-0123
Business Hours: 9 AM - 5 PM EST
{{/if}}

{{#if Country = "UK"}}
Customer Service: 0800 123 4567
Business Hours: 9 AM - 5 PM GMT
{{/if}}

{{#if Country = "Germany"}}
Kundenservice: 0800 123 4567
Geschäftszeiten: 9:00 - 17:00 Uhr MEZ
{{/if}}

Troubleshooting¶

Conditional Not Working¶

Check these common issues:

Syntax errors:
✅ {{#if Status = "Active"}}
✅ {{#elseif Status = "Pending"}}
❌ {{if Status = "Active"}} (missing #)
❌ {{elseif Status = "Pending"}} (missing #)
❌ {{#if Status = "Active" (missing closing }})
Missing closing tag:
✅ {{#if ...}}...{{/if}}
❌ {{#if ...}}...{{#endif}} (wrong closing tag)
Case sensitivity:
✅ {{#if Status = "Active"}} with JSON: "Status": "Active"
❌ {{#if Status = "active"}} with JSON: "Status": "Active"}
Wrong operator:
✅ {{#if Age = 18}} (checking equality)
❌ {{#if Age == 18}} (wrong operator, use single =)
Quotes around text:
✅ {{#if Name = "Alice"}}
❌ {{#if Name = Alice}} (missing quotes)
Comparing wrong types:
✅ {{#if Age > 18}} with JSON: "Age": 25 (number)
⚠️ {{#if Age > 18}} with JSON: "Age": "25" (string - may not work as expected)

Content Always Shows/Never Shows¶

Debug steps:

Print the variable value to see what you're working with:

Status value: {{Status}}
{{#if Status = "Active"}}Content{{/if}}

Check JSON structure:

{
  "Status": "Active"    ← Should match exactly
}

Simplify the condition: Start with a simple boolean:
```
{{#if IsActive}}Content{{/if}}
```

Nested Conditionals Not Working¶

Make sure each {{#if}} has a matching {{/if}}:

❌ Wrong:

{{#if A}}
  {{#if B}}
    Content
  {{/if}}
  ← Missing {{/if}} for A!

✅ Correct:

{{#if A}}
  {{#if B}}
    Content
  {{/if}}
{{/if}}

ElseIf Not Working¶

Common mistakes:

Wrong order - else before elseif:

❌ Wrong:
{{#if A}}
  Content A
{{#else}}
  Default
{{#elseif B}}     ← Error! elseif cannot come after else
  Content B
{{/if}}

✅ Correct:
{{#if A}}
  Content A
{{#elseif B}}
  Content B
{{#else}}          ← else must be last
  Default
{{/if}}

Missing # in elseif:
✅ {{#elseif Condition}}
❌ {{elseif Condition}} (missing #)
Wrong syntax variants:
✅ {{#elseif Condition}}
❌ {{else if Condition}} (wrong - no space)
❌ {{#else if Condition}} (wrong syntax)
❌ {{#elif Condition}} (elif is not supported)

Best Practices¶

Keep conditions simple - Break complex logic into multiple simpler conditions
Use meaningful variable names - IsEligibleForDiscount is better than Flag1
Test edge cases - What happens when values are null, zero, empty, etc.?
Add comments in Word - Use Word comments to document complex conditional logic
Use else clauses - Provide feedback for both true and false cases when appropriate
Use elseif for multiple conditions - Prefer {{#elseif}} over deeply nested {{#if}} blocks
Keep else last - The {{#else}} branch must always be the final branch before {{/if}}
Limit nesting - Deep nesting is hard to read; with {{#elseif}}, you often don't need nesting at all

Next Steps¶

Loops Guide - Repeat content for arrays and lists
Boolean Expressions - Advanced boolean expression techniques
Placeholders Guide - Using variables in your templates
Template Syntax Reference - Complete syntax guide
Examples Gallery - Real-world examples

Format Specifiers - Display boolean values as Yes/No, checkboxes, etc.
Best Practices - Tips for maintainable templates
JSON Basics - Understanding your data structure

Conditionals Guide¶

Basic Conditional Syntax¶

Simple If Statement¶

If-Else Statement¶

If-ElseIf-Else Statement¶

Comparison Operators¶

Equality (=)¶

Inequality (!=)¶

Greater Than (>)¶

Less Than (<)¶

Greater Than or Equal (>=)¶

Less Than or Equal (<=)¶

Logical Operators¶

AND Operator¶

OR Operator¶

NOT Operator¶

Combining Multiple Operators¶

Common Patterns¶

Boolean Flags¶

Status Checks¶

Tiered Messaging¶

Access Control¶

Working with Numbers¶

Range Checks¶

Inventory Checks¶

Discount Qualification¶

Working with Text¶

Text Comparison¶

Multiple Text Options¶

Nested Conditionals¶

Conditionals with Loops¶

Loop Variables in Conditionals¶

Common Use Cases¶

Personalized Greetings¶

Terms and Conditions¶

Regional Content¶

Troubleshooting¶

Conditional Not Working¶

Content Always Shows/Never Shows¶

Nested Conditionals Not Working¶

ElseIf Not Working¶

Best Practices¶

Next Steps¶

Related Topics¶

Equality (`=`)¶

Inequality (`!=`)¶

Greater Than (`>`)¶

Less Than (`<`)¶

Greater Than or Equal (`>=`)¶

Less Than or Equal (`<=`)¶