Handlebars Helpers

ADL templates are written in Handlebars. On top of the standard Handlebars syntax, ADL registers a set of helper functions that make working with metadata easier: comparing strings, looking up extension properties, branching on classifications, generating stable identifiers, and so on.

These helpers can be used inside any template. For the concepts, see Templates & Code Generation.

Lookups

• exists: check whether a named extension property exists on a Data Object.
• lookupExtension: read the value of an extension property.
• lookupConnection: read a property of a named connection.
• targetDataItemExists: check whether a Data Item exists on the target Data Object.

Classifications and lists

• hasClassification: branch on whether a classification with a given name is present.
• hasClassificationGroup: branch on whether any classification in a given group is present.
• hasStringValue: branch on whether a value exists in a list of strings.
• {{*filter}}: filter a list before iterating it in an each block.
• {{*order}}: sort a list before iterating it in an each block.

Identifiers

• createDeterministicGuid: create a GUID derived from input values, stable across generation runs.
• createGuid: create a new random GUID.

Strings

• stringCompare: compare two strings.
• stringDiff: branch when two strings differ.
• stringReplace: replace substrings.
• stringUpper: convert to uppercase.
• stringLower: convert to lowercase.
• stringWrap: wrap a string with a given prefix and suffix.
• substring: take the part of a string after a delimiter, for example to strip prefixes like HUB_.
• replicate: repeat a string N times.
• space: emit N spaces, useful for indentation.

Dates and test data

• now: the current timestamp.
• randomDate: a random date within a range.
• randomNumber: a random number within a range.
• randomString: a random string.

Where these come from

The helpers are registered by ADL’s generation engine when templates are rendered, both in the app and during automated generation runs.