<template> : The Template Element for Repeating Content

The <template> element is a powerful data-binding component that generates repeating content by iterating over collections. It enables dynamic content generation, data context scoping, and complex data transformations in PDF documents.

The template element is synonymous with using the handlebars {{#each collection }} helper, as this provides a greater visibility and standardisation. However, there are some advanced options within the template component that can give greater flexibility without calculations.

On this page

Usage
- template vs #each
Supported Attributes
Data Context and Binding
Notes
Examples
See Also

Usage

The <template> element creates repeating content that:

Iterates over arrays, lists, and enumerable collections
Creates a new data context for each item
Supports nested templates for hierarchical data
Can filter and paginate data with start, step, and max count
Works with XML, JSON, and .NET object data sources
Supports conditional rendering through data binding
Allows inline content definition via data-content attribute

<template data-bind="{{model.items}}">
    <div class="item">
        <h3>{{.title}}</h3>
        <p>{{.description}}</p>
    </div>
</template>

template vs #each

The engine supports both the xml compliant and valid <template> element, along with the handlebars {{#each }} notation. And they each offer looping over collections of data.

Pro’s of #each

Simple syntax
Clear formatting within the template on most editors

Con’s of #each

Not valid XML template content.
Cannot specify start or step values
Can cause the parsing to fail completely if the inner content is not valid xml

Pro’s of

Maintains the validity of the xml file.
Offers support for data-step, data-start and data-count
Supports data-content for dynamic templates

Con’s of

Less visible in the editor as not highlighted.
More complex, and non-standard syntax to remember, or look up.

Supported Attributes

Data Binding Attributes

Attribute	Type	Description
`data-bind`	expression	Required. Binds to a collection to iterate over. Each item becomes the data context for the template content.
`data-bind-start`	integer	Zero-based index of the first item to generate. Default is 0.
`data-bind-step`	integer	Step increment for iteration. Use 2 to show every other item, 3 for every third, etc. Default is 1.
`data-bind-max`	integer	Maximum number of items to generate. Useful for pagination or limiting output. Default is unlimited.
`data-content`	string	Inline HTML content to use as the template. Overrides child elements.

Styling and Performance Attributes

Attribute	Type	Description
`data-cache-styles`	boolean	When true, caches styles for better performance with large datasets. Default is false.
`data-style-identifier`	string	Unique identifier for style caching across the document.

Standard HTML Attributes

Attribute	Type	Description
`hidden`	string	Controls visibility. Set to “hidden” to prevent template rendering.

Data Context and Binding

Current Item Reference

Within a template, use {{.}} to reference the current item, or {{.propertyName}} to access properties:

<template data-bind="{{model.users}}">
    <div>
        <strong>{{.name}}</strong> - {{.email}}
    </div>
</template>

Parent Context Access

Access parent context using path notation:

<template data-bind="{{model.orders}}">
    <div>
        Order {{.orderNumber}} for customer {{model.customerName}}
    </div>
</template>

Index and Count

The template automatically provides context about iteration:

<template data-bind="{{model.items}}">
    <div>Item {{$index + 1}} of {{$count}}: {{.name}}</div>
</template>

Notes

Template Content

The template element itself doesn’t render - only its content is generated for each iteration. The content can be:

Child Elements: Standard HTML elements as children
Inline Content: Using data-content attribute with HTML string
Mixed Content: Text and elements combined

Data Types Supported

The data-bind attribute accepts:

.NET Collections: List<T>, Array, IEnumerable<T>
JSON Arrays: When using JSON data sources
XML NodeSets: When using XPath expressions
Data Tables: Rows from database results
Custom Enumerables: Any type implementing IEnumerable

Performance Optimization

For large datasets (100+ items):

Enable data-cache-styles="true" to reuse style calculations
Set data-style-identifier for consistent style caching
Use data-bind-max to limit items per page
Minimize complex expressions in binding

Nested Templates

Templates can be nested to handle hierarchical data. Each nested template creates its own data context.

Empty Collections

If the bound collection is empty or null, the template generates no output without error.

Examples

Basic Iteration

<!-- Model: { products: [{name: "Widget", price: 19.99}, {name: "Gadget", price: 29.99}] } -->
<template data-bind="{{model.products}}">
    <div style="margin-bottom: 10pt;">
        <strong>{{.name}}</strong>: ${{.price}}
    </div>
</template>

<!-- Output: -->
<!-- Widget: $19.99 -->
<!-- Gadget: $29.99 -->

Table Row Generation

<table style="width: 100%;">
    <thead>
        <tr>
            <th>ID</th>
            <th>Name</th>
            <th>Status</th>
        </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
        <template data-bind="{{model.records}}">
            <tr>
                <td>{{.id}}</td>
                <td>{{.name}}</td>
                <td>{{.status}}</td>
            </tr>
        </template>
    </tbody>
</table>

Nested Templates for Hierarchical Data

<!-- Model: { departments: [{name: "Sales", employees: [{name: "John"}, {name: "Jane"}]}] } -->
<template data-bind="{{model.departments}}">
    <div style="margin-bottom: 20pt; padding: 10pt; border: 1pt solid #ccc;">
        <h2>{{.name}} Department</h2>
        <ul>
            <template data-bind="{{.employees}}">
                <li>{{.name}}</li>
            </template>
        </ul>
    </div>
</template>

<!-- Output: -->
<!-- Sales Department -->
<!--   - John -->
<!--   - Jane -->

Pagination with Start and Max

<!-- Show items 10-19 (page 2 of 10 items per page) -->
<template data-bind="{{model.allItems}}"
          data-bind-start="10"
          data-bind-max="10">
    <div class="item">{{.title}}</div>
</template>

Step Iteration (Every Other Item)

<!-- Show only odd-indexed items -->
<template data-bind="{{model.items}}"
          data-bind-start="0"
          data-bind-step="2">
    <div>{{.name}}</div>
</template>

<!-- Show only even-indexed items -->
<template data-bind="{{model.items}}"
          data-bind-start="1"
          data-bind-step="2">
    <div>{{.name}}</div>
</template>

Conditional Rendering with Expressions

<template data-bind="{{model.items}}">
    <div hidden="{{.isHidden ? 'hidden' : ''}}">
        {{.content}}
    </div>
</template>

Complex Nested Template with Totals

<!-- Invoice with line items -->
<div class="invoice">
    <h1>Invoice #{{model.invoiceNumber}}</h1>
    <p>Customer: {{model.customerName}}</p>

    <table style="width: 100%; margin: 20pt 0;">
        <thead>
            <tr style="background-color: #f0f0f0;">
                <th>Description</th>
                <th style="text-align: right;">Qty</th>
                <th style="text-align: right;">Price</th>
                <th style="text-align: right;">Total</th>
            </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
            <template data-bind="{{model.lineItems}}">
                <tr>
                    <td>{{.description}}</td>
                    <td style="text-align: right;">{{.quantity}}</td>
                    <td style="text-align: right;">${{.unitPrice}}</td>
                    <td style="text-align: right;">${{.total}}</td>
                </tr>
            </template>
        </tbody>
        <tfoot>
            <tr style="font-weight: bold; border-top: 2pt solid black;">
                <td colspan="3" style="text-align: right;">Total:</td>
                <td style="text-align: right;">${{model.totalAmount}}</td>
            </tr>
        </tfoot>
    </table>
</div>

Multi-Level Nested Categories

<!-- Model: categories with subcategories and products -->
<template data-bind="{{model.categories}}">
    <div style="margin-bottom: 30pt;">
        <h2 style="color: #336699; border-bottom: 2pt solid #336699;">
            {{.categoryName}}
        </h2>

        <template data-bind="{{.subcategories}}">
            <div style="margin: 15pt 0 15pt 20pt;">
                <h3 style="color: #666;">{{.name}}</h3>

                <template data-bind="{{.products}}">
                    <div style="margin: 5pt 0 5pt 20pt; padding: 5pt; border-left: 3pt solid #ccc;">
                        <strong>{{.productName}}</strong> - ${{.price}}
                        <br/>
                        <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #666;">{{.description}}</span>
                    </div>
                </template>
            </div>
        </template>
    </div>
</template>

Inline Content Template

<!-- Using data-content for dynamic template generation -->
<template data-bind="{{model.widgets}}"
          data-content="<div style='padding: 10pt;'><strong>{{.title}}</strong><br/>{{.description}}</div>">
</template>

Styled Cards with Alternating Colors

<style>
    .card {
        padding: 15pt;
        margin-bottom: 10pt;
        border-radius: 5pt;
    }
    .card:nth-child(odd) {
        background-color: #f9f9f9;
    }
    .card:nth-child(even) {
        background-color: #e9e9e9;
    }
</style>

<template data-bind="{{model.articles}}">
    <div class="card">
        <h3 style="margin: 0 0 5pt 0;">{{.title}}</h3>
        <p style="margin: 0; color: #666;">{{.summary}}</p>
        <div style="margin-top: 5pt; font-size: 9pt; color: #999;">
            By {{.author}} on {{.date}}
        </div>
    </div>
</template>

Directory Listing with File Types

<template data-bind="{{model.files}}">
    <div style="padding: 8pt; border-bottom: 1pt solid #ddd;">
        <div style="display: inline-block; width: 40%;">
            <img src="{{.iconUrl}}" style="width: 16pt; height: 16pt; vertical-align: middle;"/>
            <span style="margin-left: 5pt;">{{.filename}}</span>
        </div>
        <div style="display: inline-block; width: 30%;">
            {{.fileType}}
        </div>
        <div style="display: inline-block; width: 30%; text-align: right;">
            {{.fileSize}}
        </div>
    </div>
</template>

Chart Data Labels

<!-- Generating labels for a bar chart -->
<div style="position: relative; height: 300pt;">
    <template data-bind="{{model.chartData}}">
        <div style="position: absolute;
                    left: {{$index * 50}}pt;
                    bottom: 0;
                    width: 40pt;
                    height: {{.value * 2}}pt;
                    background-color: #336699;">
        </div>
        <div style="position: absolute;
                    left: {{$index * 50}}pt;
                    bottom: -20pt;
                    width: 40pt;
                    text-align: center;
                    font-size: 8pt;">
            {{.label}}
        </div>
    </template>
</div>

Timeline with Date Grouping

<template data-bind="{{model.events}}">
    <div style="margin-bottom: 15pt; padding-left: 20pt; border-left: 2pt solid #336699;">
        <div style="font-weight: bold; color: #336699; margin-bottom: 5pt;">
            {{.date}}
        </div>
        <template data-bind="{{.items}}">
            <div style="margin-bottom: 8pt; padding-left: 15pt;">
                <div style="font-weight: bold;">{{.time}} - {{.title}}</div>
                <div style="color: #666; font-size: 9pt;">{{.description}}</div>
            </div>
        </template>
    </div>
</template>

Performance-Optimized Large Dataset

<!-- Efficient rendering of 1000+ items -->
<template data-bind="{{model.largeDataset}}"
          data-cache-styles="true"
          data-style-identifier="large-list-item">
    <div class="list-item">
        {{.name}} - {{.value}}
    </div>
</template>

Conditional Sections

<!-- Only render template if collection has items -->
<div style="border: 1pt solid #ccc; padding: 10pt;">
    <h3>Available Products</h3>
    <template data-bind="{{model.products}}">
        <div class="product">
            {{.name}} - ${{.price}}
        </div>
    </template>
    <div hidden="{{model.products.length > 0 ? 'hidden' : ''}}">
        <em>No products available.</em>
    </div>
</div>

Master-Detail Report

<template data-bind="{{model.customers}}">
    <div style="page-break-before: always; padding: 20pt;">
        <!-- Customer Header -->
        <div style="background-color: #336699; color: white; padding: 10pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;">
            <h1 style="margin: 0;">{{.companyName}}</h1>
            <div>Contact: {{.contactName}} | Phone: {{.phone}}</div>
        </div>

        <!-- Customer Orders -->
        <h2>Orders</h2>
        <table style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 20pt;">
            <thead>
                <tr style="background-color: #f0f0f0;">
                    <th>Order Date</th>
                    <th>Order #</th>
                    <th style="text-align: right;">Amount</th>
                </tr>
            </thead>
            <tbody>
                <template data-bind="{{.orders}}">
                    <tr>
                        <td>{{.orderDate}}</td>
                        <td>{{.orderNumber}}</td>
                        <td style="text-align: right;">${{.amount}}</td>
                    </tr>
                </template>
            </tbody>
        </table>

        <!-- Order Details -->
        <h2>Order Details</h2>
        <template data-bind="{{.orders}}">
            <div style="margin-bottom: 20pt; padding: 10pt; border: 1pt solid #ddd;">
                <h3>Order {{.orderNumber}} - {{.orderDate}}</h3>
                <table style="width: 100%;">
                    <thead>
                        <tr>
                            <th>Product</th>
                            <th style="text-align: right;">Qty</th>
                            <th style="text-align: right;">Price</th>
                            <th style="text-align: right;">Total</th>
                        </tr>
                    </thead>
                    <tbody>
                        <template data-bind="{{.items}}">
                            <tr>
                                <td>{{.productName}}</td>
                                <td style="text-align: right;">{{.quantity}}</td>
                                <td style="text-align: right;">${{.unitPrice}}</td>
                                <td style="text-align: right;">${{.lineTotal}}</td>
                            </tr>
                        </template>
                    </tbody>
                    <tfoot>
                        <tr style="font-weight: bold;">
                            <td colspan="3" style="text-align: right;">Order Total:</td>
                            <td style="text-align: right;">${{.amount}}</td>
                        </tr>
                    </tfoot>
                </table>
            </div>
        </template>
    </div>
</template>