Handlebars.js
is a popular templating engine that allows you to create dynamic templates for your web applications. When you use Handlebars, you often work with Abstract Syntax Trees (ASTs) to manipulate and process templates. But have you ever needed to convert an AST back into a template string? That's where the "hbs-ast-to-str" package comes in.
Introduction to hbs-ast-to-str
The hbs-ast-to-str package is a NodeJS library that lets you convert Handlebars ASTs back into template strings with optional modifications. It's a handy tool for those times when you need to reverse the process and generate a template string from an AST.
Installation
You can install hbs-ast-to-str
via npm
as well as yarn
:
npm install hbs-ast-to-str
yarn add hbs-ast-to-str
Basic Usage
Let's take a look at how you can use hbs-ast-to-str
in your projects.
Without Modifications
If you just want to convert an AST to a template string without any modifications, here's how you can do it:
const { convertAstToString } = require('hbs-ast-to-str');
const ast = /* Your Handlebars AST using Handlebars.parse(template_str) */;
const template = convertAstToString(ast);
With Modifications
In some cases, you may want to make specific modifications during the conversion process. You can achieve this with the "ModificationOptions" interface. Here's an example:
const { convertAstToString } = require('hbs-ast-to-str');
const ast = /* Your Handlebars AST using Handlebars.parse(template_str) */;
const options = {
helper: 'filter',
paramType: HbsNodeTypes.SubExpression,
paramPosition: 2,
modifiers: [(d) => `'${d}'`],
};
const template = convertAstToString(ast, options);
The ModificationOptions Interface
The heart of this package is the "ModificationOptions" interface, which defines a set of options for making modifications to specific nodes or elements in a Handlebars template. Let's delve into the properties of this interface:
helper
: An optional string that specifies the name of the helper function. This can be used to associate a modification with a particular helper.paramType
: An enumeration that represents the type of parameter you want to modify. You can useHbsNodeType
to specify the node type.paramPosition
: An integer that specifies the position of the parameter you want to modify. This is particularly useful when dealing with helper parameters.modifiers
: An array of functions that define the modifications to be applied. Each function in the array should implement the logic for the modification.
Here's an example of how you can use the "ModificationOptions" interface in TypeScript:
const options = {
helper: 'customHelper',
paramType: HbsNodeType.Block,
paramPosition: 2,
modifiers: [(parameterValue) => {
// Implement your modification logic here.
// Modify the 'parameterValue' as needed.
}],
};
Conclusion
The hbs-ast-to-str
package is a powerful tool for developers working with Handlebars templates. Whether you need to convert an AST back into a template string or make specific modifications during the process, this package has you covered. It simplifies the task of working with Handlebars ASTs and empowers you to create dynamic and flexible templates for your web applications.
To learn more and explore the details, refer to the spec file included with the package.
So, if you find yourself dealing with Handlebars ASTs in your projects, give
hbs-ast-to-str
a try and streamline your templating workflow.
Top comments (1)
Hop it helpes those working with handlebars.js