#level/intermediate

Templates are pieces of (markdown) text that contain placeholders (named directives) that are replaced once instantiated. Templates are written in SilverBullet’s Template Language.

Like everything else, templates are kept in your space. They’re effectively regular Pages, and are tagged with the template tag.

However, templates do not appear in the Page Picker. Instead, they appear in the Meta Picker. They are not offered as auto complete suggestions when creating regular page links, only when doing so in the context of e.g. a Live Queries and Live Templates.

In SilverBullet templates serve a few purposes:

  1. Live uses, where page content is dynamically updated based on templates:



Video walkthrough

If you prefer to watch rather than read, here’s an overview of SilverBullet’s template system and what it can do.

url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiM1RM0DCgo



Definition

Templates are regular pages tagged with the #template tag. Note that when tagged inline (by putting #template at the beginning of the page), that tag will be removed when the template is instantiated.

Tagging a page with a template does a few things:

  1. It will make the page appear when completing template names, e.g. in render clauses in Live Queries, or after the page key in  Live Templates.
  2. The template page no longer appears in the Page Picker, instead you now navigate to it using the Meta Picker.
  3. It can register your templates to be used as Snippets, Page Templates or Live Template Widgets.


Templates are written in Template Language

Frontmatter

Frontmatter has special meaning in templates. The following attributes are used:

  • tags: should always be set to template
  • displayName (optional): defines an alternative name to use when e.g. showing the meta picker for Page Templates, or when template completing a render clause in Live Templates.
  • description (optional): may appear in various UIs to give more information about the template.
  • frontmatter (optional): defines Frontmatter to be added/used in the rendered template. This can either be specified as a string or as an object.
  • hooks (optional): hook the template into various parts of the system, look at Page Templates, Snippets and Live Template Widgets for details.


An example:

    
---
tags: template
hooks.newPage.suggestedName: "Meetings/{{today}}"
frontmatter:
   dateCreated: "{{today}}"
---
# {{today}}
* |^|