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TemplateMark is a markup language that extends Markdown to create dynamic, data-driven legal documents. It allows you to define templates with variables, conditionals, and logic that bind to structured data models.

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Overview

TemplateMark combines the simplicity of Markdown with powerful templating features to generate legal agreements and contracts. When you write a template in TemplateMark, you define placeholders and logic that get replaced with actual data at runtime.
TemplateMark is part of the Accord Project ecosystem and works seamlessly with Concerto data models and the Template Engine.

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Basic syntax

At its core, TemplateMark uses double curly braces {{}} to denote variables that will be replaced with data: 
Dear {{candidateName}},

We are pleased to offer you the position of **{{roleTitle}}** at **{{companyName}}**.
When this template is processed with data, the variables are replaced: 
{
  "$class": "[email protected]",
  "candidateName": "Ishan Gupta",
  "companyName": "Tech Innovators Inc.",
  "roleTitle": "Junior AI Engineer"
}
Result: 
Dear Ishan Gupta,

We are pleased to offer you the position of **Junior AI Engineer** at **Tech Innovators Inc.**.

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Variables and formatting

TemplateMark supports formatting variables using the as keyword:

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Date formatting

DATE: {{startDate as "DD MMMM YYYY"}}

Your employment will commence on {{startDate as "DD MMMM YYYY"}}.

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Number formatting

Your annual gross salary will be **{{doubleValue as "0,0"}} {{currencyCode}}**.
Formatting patterns follow standard conventions: "0,0.00" for numbers with thousands separators and decimals, "DD MMMM YYYY" for dates, etc.

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Conditional blocks

Use {{#if}} blocks to include content conditionally: 
{{#if probation}}
{{#clause probation}}
This offer includes a probation period of **{{months}} months**.
{{/clause}}
{{/if}}
This content only appears when the probation field exists in the data.

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Clause blocks

The {{#clause}} block is used to bind to nested objects in your data model: 
{{#clause address}}  
#### Address
{{line1}},  
{{city}}, {{state}},  
{{country}}  
{{/clause}}
Inside the clause block, you have direct access to the properties of the address object without needing to prefix them.
Clause blocks are essential for working with complex nested data structures in legal templates.

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List operations

TemplateMark provides special blocks for rendering lists:

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Ordered lists

{{#olist middleNames}}
- {{this}}
{{/olist}}

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Unordered lists

{{#ulist orderLines}}
- {{quantity}}x _{{sku}}_ @ £{{price as "0,0.00"}}
{{/ulist}}

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Join lists

Format lists with proper conjunctions: 
Your favorite colours are {{#join favoriteColors}}{{/join}}
With locale and style options: 
{{#join items locale="en" style="long"}}{{/join}}
{{#join items locale="en" type="disjunction"}}{{/join}}

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Optional content

Handle optional fields gracefully with the {{#optional}} block: 
{{#optional loyaltyStatus}}
You have loyalty status.
{{else}}
You do not have a loyalty status.
{{/optional}}

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Formulas with TypeScript

Embed TypeScript expressions directly in your templates using {{% %}} syntax: 
Your name has {{% return name.length %}} characters.

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Complex calculations

Your last order was placed {{createdAt as "D MMMM YYYY"}} 
({{% return now.diff(order.createdAt, 'day')%}} days ago).

Order total: {{% return '£' + order.orderLines.map(ol => ol.price * ol.quantity).reduce((sum, cur) => sum + cur).toFixed(2);%}}
Formulas must return a value and should be side-effect free. They execute in a sandboxed environment for security.

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Complete example

Here’s a full employment offer template demonstrating multiple TemplateMark features: 
DATE: {{startDate as "DD MMMM YYYY"}}

Dear {{candidateName}},

We are pleased to offer you the position of **{{roleTitle}}** at **{{companyName}}**.

Your employment with {{companyName}} will commence on {{startDate as "DD MMMM YYYY"}}.

{{#clause annualSalary}}
Your annual gross salary will be **{{doubleValue as "0,0"}} {{currencyCode}}**, payable in accordance with company policies.
{{/clause}}

{{#if probation}}
{{#clause probation}}
This offer includes a probation period of **{{months}} months**, during which your performance and suitability for the role will be evaluated.
{{/clause}}
{{/if}}

We are excited about the opportunity to work with you and look forward to your contribution to the team.

Sincerely,  
**Human Resources**  
{{companyName}}

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How TemplateMark works

The template processing pipeline involves several steps:
  1. Parse: The TemplateMarkTransformer converts the markdown template into a TemplateMark DOM structure
  2. Validate: The template is validated against the Concerto model to ensure all variables exist
  3. Generate: The TemplateMarkInterpreter merges the template with JSON data to produce CiceroMark
  4. Transform: CiceroMark is transformed to the desired output format (HTML, PDF, etc.)
See the template engine implementation in store.ts:79-108: 
const modelManager = new ModelManager({ strict: true });
modelManager.addCTOModel(model, undefined, true);
await modelManager.updateExternalModels();

const engine = new TemplateMarkInterpreter(modelManager, {});
const templateMarkTransformer = new TemplateMarkTransformer();
const templateMarkDom = templateMarkTransformer.fromMarkdownTemplate(
  { content: template },
  modelManager,
  "contract",
  { verbose: false }
);

const data = JSON.parse(dataString);
const ciceroMark = await engine.generate(templateMarkDom, data);
const result = await transform(
  ciceroMark.toJSON(),
  "ciceromark_parsed",
  ["html"],
  {},
  { verbose: false }
);

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Next steps

Concerto models

Learn how to define data models for your templates

Data binding

Understand how data binds to template variables

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