Recent changes
Wednesday November 04 2026
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Switch and case Updated Markdown page
Choosing between several outputs with switch and case: matching a value, matching one of several values with in, the default case, why conditions belong in if, and when if or an override is the better tool.
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Template compilation and cache Updated Markdown page
How templates become PHP and which caches hold them: TemplateCompile, compiled templates in var/<site>/cache/template/compiled, DevelopmentMode for checking file times, the template, template-override and template-block…
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Template debugging Updated Markdown page
Tools for finding template problems: the debug output and its template list, template warnings with file and line, dump and attribute to look into variables, the debug functions, the template syntax checker, and the…
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The template editor Updated Markdown page
Working with templates and overrides in the administration: Design > Template Editor (visual/templatelist), creating an override with conditions, the order list and drag and drop, editing a template file in the browser…
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Template path comments Updated Markdown page
Seeing in the page source which template wrote which markup: switching on ShowTemplatePathComments, reading the START and STOP comments and the override source in brackets, the Exp debug bar toggle, and why it must stay…
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Template style guide Updated Markdown page
House style for Exponential templates: a header comment, prefixed variables and undef, wash at output, i18n contexts, fetch once with limits, small parts, no inline CSS or JavaScript, semantic and accessible markup, and…
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Templates overview Updated Markdown page
A map of Exponential's template language (TPL) for designers: what templates are, the kinds of templates a design has, the building blocks of the language (variables, functions, operators, fetches), how templates find…
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TPL syntax basics Updated Markdown page
The rules of the template language in one page: tags in braces, variables with $, values (strings, numbers, arrays, hashes, booleans), operators with pipe or call syntax, functions with parameters, comments, whitespace…
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Translating template strings Updated Markdown page
How texts in templates reach translators and back: contexts and sources in i18n calls, translation.ts files in the theme extension, TranslationExtensions, the untranslated and English catalogues, checking coverage…
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URL operators Updated Markdown page
Building links and asset URLs that work under every siteaccess and installation path: ezurl for site links, ezroot for root paths, ezdesign and ezimage for design files, the quote parameter (double, single, no) and full…
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User and login templates Updated Markdown page
Styling the sign-in, registration, password and profile pages of the user module: the templates in user/, the field names the module reads, autocomplete and accessibility, the signed-in state in the pagelayout, and…
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Variables and def Updated Markdown page
Creating, changing and removing template variables with def, set and undef; scopes (current, root, global) for passing values up; default for optional parameters; and the naming habits that avoid clashes between…
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View modes Updated Markdown page
The view modes content is shown in (full, line, embed, embed-inline and others), where each is used, the node/view and content/view templates behind them, which modes are view-cached, how the URL chooses one, and how…
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Wash and escaping Updated Markdown page
Why and how every printed value is escaped with wash: the xhtml, email, javascript and pdf modes, what does not need wash (rich text output, URL operators), escaping in attributes, JSON for scripts, and the mistakes…
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While and do loops Updated Markdown page
The while and do loop functions of the template language, their syntax with sequence, delimiter, break, continue and skip, and why foreach is almost always the better choice.
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Accessibility basics for themes Updated Markdown page
The accessibility foundations every Exponential design needs: language and direction on html, landmarks and headings, a skip link, visible focus, contrast, alt text, forms, motion, zoom, and how the project tests (axe…
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Accessible forms Updated Markdown page
Forms a design draws (search, sign-in, feedback and information collection, user registration, edit pages): labels tied to fields, the ids the datatype edit templates give fields, required marks, error summaries and…
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Admin designs overview Updated Markdown page
The administration designs (admin, admin2, admin3, admin4, admin4l, editor, adminui), how they stack, what admin4 adds (tokens, components, dark mode) and the rules every template change in an admin design must follow.
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The admin styling rules test Updated Markdown page
What tests/tests/design/AdminStylingRulesTest.php checks in every administration design (no inline CSS, tokens only, dark values, focus outlines, stacking layers, identical component copies), how to run it, and how to…
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admin4 components Updated Markdown page
The shared .a4-* component classes of the administration (page scope, cards, buttons, toolbar, filter bar, forms, tables, tags and badges, notices, folding, steps, icons, utilities), with a small example, and why to use…