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Version: 7.0.0

Legacy Template Syntax

The legacy template syntax ${ property } in selectors is kept for backward compatibility but is deprecated and will be removed in a future major version. Use the modern {{ property }} syntax instead. See Templating in selectors for the modern form.

It keeps working without changes while boundaries/legacy-templates is enabled (its default, planned to change to false in the next major version).

With legacy syntax you can also use ${ target.* } as an alias for {{ to.* }}, and access captured values directly:

  • ${ from.capturedProperty }
  • ${ to.capturedProperty }
  • ${ target.capturedProperty }

Migrate these to the captured namespace, for example {{ from.element.captured.capturedProperty }} and {{ to.element.captured.capturedProperty }}. See the message templating section of the Policies documentation for more on the two syntaxes.

caution

When boundaries/legacy-templates is enabled (its default), captured values are also injected at the top level of the template data. If a captured value has the same name as a runtime property (for example path, category, or origin), it overwrites that template variable and can cause surprising results. To avoid this, set boundaries/legacy-templates to false and access captured values only through the captured namespace (for example {{ from.element.captured.path }}).

Why migrate?​

The new template syntax is more powerful and flexible, and it is the only form that will be supported in future major versions. The modern syntax has several advantages over the legacy form:

  • Compatibility with other templating systems — The {{ property }} syntax is widely used in other tools and frameworks, making it easier to read and understand.
  • All description properties are reachable — The modern syntax allows access to all properties of the from and to entities, including file, element, and module sub-selectors.

Migration guide​

For step-by-step migration instructions and examples, see the v6 to v7 migration guide. If you are migrating from an earlier version, the v5 to v6 migration guide.

See Also​

  • Classification — To read all properties of the from and to entities, including file, element, and module sub-selectors.
  • Selectors — How templates are used in selectors, with examples of the modern {{ property }} syntax.
  • Settings — configure boundaries/legacy-templates.
  • v6 to v7 Migration Guide — full migration instructions.