Templates

Templates allow you to generate dynamic content by combining static text with data from your scripts. Iris supports three types of templates: Scriban templates for general rendering, email templates for notifications, and articles for dashboard content.

Scriban Templates

Scriban templates are the foundation for dynamic content generation. They use a simple, powerful syntax to merge data with template text.

What Is Scriban?

Scriban is a fast, lightweight templating language. It allows you to:

  • Insert variable values into text
  • Use conditionals (if/else)
  • Loop over collections
  • Format data (dates, numbers)
  • Apply filters and transformations

Creating a Scriban Template

  1. Navigate to Administration > Scripting > Templates
  2. Click + Create Template
  3. Configure:
    • Name: Unique template name
    • Description: What the template generates
    • Category: Organization category (e.g., “Email”, “Report”)
    • Template Content: Your Scriban template
    • Is Active: Enable/disable
  4. Click Save

Basic Scriban Syntax

Variable Output:

Hello, {{ name }}!

Conditionals:

{{ if is_active }}
  Status: Active
{{ else }}
  Status: Inactive
{{ end }}

Loops:

{{ for org in organizations }}
  - {{ org.name }} ({{ org.id }})
{{ end }}

Filters:

{{ name | upcase }}           <!-- JOHN SMITH -->
{{ created_at | date.to_string "%Y-%m-%d" }}  <!-- 2024-01-15 -->
{{ amount | math.round 2 }}   <!-- 99.99 -->

Using Templates in Scripts

Use RenderTemplate() to render a template with data:

var data = {
  name: "John Smith",
  organization: org.name,
  date: Now()
}

var html = RenderTemplate("WelcomeEmail", data)

# Use the rendered content
SendEmail(
  "john@example.com",
  "Welcome to " + org.name,
  html,
  null,
  "welcome"
)

Template Examples

Simple Greeting:

Hello {{ name }},

Welcome to {{ organization_name }}!

Best regards,
The Team

With Conditionals:

Hello {{ name }},

{{ if is_new_user }}
Welcome! Here are some tips to get started:
- Complete your profile
- Review the documentation
- Contact support if you need help
{{ else }}
Welcome back! Here's what's new since your last visit:
{{ for item in updates }}
- {{ item.title }}
{{ end }}
{{ end }}

Best regards,
The Team

Data Table:

Organization Report
Generated: {{ generated_at | date.to_string "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M" }}

| Name | Status | Children |
|------|--------|----------|
{{ for org in organizations }}
| {{ org.name }} | {{ if org.is_active }}Active{{ else }}Inactive{{ end }} | {{ org.child_count }} |
{{ end }}

Total: {{ organizations | array.size }} organizations

Email Templates

Email templates combine Scriban rendering with the SendEmail() function to send formatted notifications.

SendEmail Function 

SendEmail(to, subject, htmlBody, textBody, tag)

Parameters:

  • to: Recipient email address
  • subject: Email subject line
  • htmlBody: HTML content (can be rendered from template)
  • textBody: Plain text alternative (optional, can be null)
  • tag: Email tag for tracking (optional)

Creating an Email Template

Template (name: “WelcomeEmail”):

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <style>
    body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; }
    .header { background: #2196F3; color: white; padding: 20px; }
    .content { padding: 20px; }
    .footer { background: #f5f5f5; padding: 10px; font-size: 12px; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <div class="header">
    <h1>Welcome to {{ organization_name }}</h1>
  </div>
  <div class="content">
    <p>Hello {{ first_name }},</p>
    <p>Your account has been created successfully.</p>
    {{ if has_temporary_password }}
    <p><strong>Temporary Password:</strong> {{ temp_password }}</p>
    <p>Please change this password after your first login.</p>
    {{ end }}
    <p>
      <a href="{{ login_url }}">Click here to log in</a>
    </p>
  </div>
  <div class="footer">
    <p>{{ organization_name }} | {{ support_email }}</p>
  </div>
</body>
</html>

Script using the template:

AfterPersonCreated:
  var templateData = {
    first_name: Data.person.firstName,
    organization_name: "Acme Corporation",
    has_temporary_password: true,
    temp_password: "TempPass123!",
    login_url: "https://acme.iriscloud.app/login",
    support_email: "support@acme.com"
  }

  var htmlBody = RenderTemplate("WelcomeEmail", templateData)

  var textBody = "Hello " + Data.person.firstName + ", your account is ready. Log in at: https://acme.iriscloud.app/login"

  SendEmail(
    Data.person.emailAddress,
    "Welcome to Acme Corporation",
    htmlBody,
    textBody,
    "welcome"
  )

  Log("Information", "Welcome email sent to: " + Data.person.emailAddress)

Email Best Practices

1. Always Include Plain Text Alternative:

var htmlBody = RenderTemplate("NotificationHTML", data)
var textBody = RenderTemplate("NotificationText", data)

SendEmail(to, subject, htmlBody, textBody, tag)

2. Use Inline Styles: Email clients have limited CSS support. Use inline styles:

<p style="color: #333; font-size: 14px;">Content here</p>

3. Test Thoroughly: Test your emails in multiple clients (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail) before sending to users.

4. Include Unsubscribe Information:

<p style="font-size: 10px;">
  You're receiving this because you have an account at {{ organization_name }}.
</p>

Articles

Articles are content items displayed on the dashboard. Use them for announcements, news, and important information.

Creating Articles

Use CreateArticle() in your scripts:

CreateArticle(category, subject, description)

Parameters:

  • category: Article category (e.g., “Company News”, “System Updates”)
  • subject: Article title
  • description: Article body content (can be HTML)

Example: System Announcement 

# Scheduled script for weekly system update announcements

CreateArticle(
  "System Updates",
  "Weekly Maintenance - " + Now().format("MMMM d, yyyy"),
  "<p>Scheduled maintenance will occur this weekend.</p>" +
  "<ul>" +
  "<li>Saturday 2:00 AM - 4:00 AM: Database optimization</li>" +
  "<li>System may be briefly unavailable</li>" +
  "</ul>" +
  "<p>Contact support if you have questions.</p>"
)

Log("Information", "Weekly maintenance article created")

Example: Dynamic News Article 

AfterOrganizationCreated:
  # Create welcome article when new organization joins
  CreateArticle(
    "Company News",
    "Welcome " + Data.organization.name + "!",
    "<p>We're excited to announce that <strong>" + Data.organization.name + "</strong> " +
    "has joined our platform.</p>" +
    "<p>Please join us in welcoming them to the community!</p>"
  )

Article Categories

Common categories to organize your articles:

Category Use For
Company News Organization announcements, new partnerships
System Updates Maintenance notices, feature releases
Tips & Tricks User guidance, best practices
Policy Updates Compliance, terms changes

Rendering Articles with Templates

For complex article content, use Scriban templates:

Template (name: “WelcomeArticle”):

<div class="welcome-article">
  <p>We're excited to welcome <strong>{{ org_name }}</strong> to our platform!</p>

  {{ if description }}
  <p><em>{{ description }}</em></p>
  {{ end }}

  <h3>Quick Facts</h3>
  <ul>
    <li>Industry: {{ industry }}</li>
    <li>Location: {{ location }}</li>
    <li>Size: {{ employee_count }} employees</li>
  </ul>

  <p>Please join us in welcoming them to the community!</p>
</div>

Script:

AfterOrganizationCreated:
  # Get facet data
  var industryFacet = GetOrganizationFacetInstance(
    Data.organization.id,
    GetFacetDefinitionByName("Industry")
  )

  var locationFacet = GetOrganizationFacetInstance(
    Data.organization.id,
    GetFacetDefinitionByName("Location")
  )

  var templateData = {
    org_name: Data.organization.name,
    description: Data.organization.description,
    industry: industryFacet != null ? industryFacet.values[0] : "Not specified",
    location: locationFacet != null ? locationFacet.values[0] : "Not specified",
    employee_count: "Growing"
  }

  var content = RenderTemplate("WelcomeArticle", templateData)

  CreateArticle(
    "Company News",
    "Welcome " + Data.organization.name,
    content
  )

Template Management

Organizing Templates

Use categories to organize your templates:

  • Email: Email notification templates
  • Report: Report and document templates
  • Article: Dashboard article templates
  • Integration: Templates for external systems

Versioning Templates

Templates are stored in the database and can be updated at any time. Consider:

  1. Test Changes: Test template changes in a development environment first
  2. Backup: Keep copies of working templates before making changes
  3. Document: Include comments in your templates explaining their purpose

Deactivating Templates

Deactivate templates that are no longer needed:

  1. Navigate to the template
  2. Set Is Active to false
  3. Scripts calling the template will fail gracefully

🛈 Deactivated templates are preserved but won’t be used. Delete templates only when you’re certain they’re no longer referenced.

Scriban Reference

Variables 

{{ variable_name }}
{{ object.property }}
{{ array[0] }}

Conditionals 

{{ if condition }}
  content
{{ else if other_condition }}
  other content
{{ else }}
  default content
{{ end }}

Loops 

{{ for item in collection }}
  {{ item.property }}
{{ end }}

{{ for item in collection limit:5 }}
  First 5 items only
{{ end }}

Built-in Filters

Filter Example Result
upcase {{ "hello" | upcase }} HELLO
downcase {{ "HELLO" | downcase }} hello
capitalize {{ "hello world" | capitalize }} Hello world
size {{ items | array.size }} 5
first {{ items | array.first }} First item
last {{ items | array.last }} Last item
date.to_string {{ date | date.to_string "%Y-%m-%d" }} 2024-01-15
math.round {{ 3.14159 | math.round 2 }} 3.14

Comments 

{{# This is a comment and won't appear in output #}}

Whitespace Control 

{{~ variable ~}}   <!-- Trims whitespace on both sides -->
{{- variable -}}   <!-- Removes newlines on both sides -->

Next Steps

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