FeaturesTemplatesAdvanced Template Features - Lokus Documentation

Advanced Template Features

Lokus templates support advanced features that enable powerful dynamic content generation. With 90+ built-in functions, you can create sophisticated templates for any workflow.

Table of Contents

Conditionals

Display content conditionally based on variables or logic.

Basic If Statement

{{#if priority == 'High'}}
⚠️ This is a high priority item!
{{/if}}

If/Else

{{#if status == 'completed'}}
✅ Task completed
{{else}}
⏳ Task in progress
{{/if}}

If/Else If/Else

{{#if priority == 'Critical'}}
🚨 CRITICAL - Immediate action required
{{else if priority == 'High'}}
⚠️ High priority
{{else if priority == 'Medium'}}
📌 Medium priority
{{else}}
📋 Low priority
{{/if}}

Comparison Operators

All standard comparison operators are supported:

OperatorDescriptionExample
==Equals{{#if status == 'done'}}
!=Not equals{{#if count != 0}}
>Greater than{{#if age > 18}}
>=Greater than or equal{{#if score >= 90}}
<Less than{{#if temp < 32}}
<=Less than or equal{{#if grade <= 59}}

Logical Operators

Combine conditions with AND (&&) and OR (||):

{{#if priority == 'High' && urgent == true}}
⚠️ High priority AND urgent
{{/if}}
 
{{#if status == 'done' || status == 'archived'}}
This item is complete or archived
{{/if}}

Nested Conditionals

{{#if category == 'Work'}}
  Work-related task
  {{#if priority == 'High'}}
    High priority work item - act now!
  {{else}}
    Standard work item
  {{/if}}
{{else}}
  Personal task
{{/if}}

Real-World Example

# {{#if type == 'Bug'}}🐛{{else if type == 'Feature'}}✨{{else}}📝{{/if}} {{title}}
 
**Priority:** {{priority}}
{{#if priority == 'Critical'}}
⚠️ **URGENT** - This issue requires immediate attention
{{/if}}
 
**Status:** {{status}}
{{#if status == 'Open'}}
🔴 Open - Needs assignment
{{else if status == 'In Progress'}}
🟡 In Progress - Currently being worked on
{{else if status == 'Review'}}
🔵 In Review - Awaiting approval
{{else}}
✅ Closed
{{/if}}

Loops

Iterate over arrays to generate repeated content with dynamic values.

Basic Loop

{{#each items}}
- {{this}}
{{/each}}

Loop with Index

{{#each tasks}}
{{@index + 1}}. {{this.title}}
{{/each}}

Output:

1. First task
2. Second task
3. Third task

Special Loop Variables

Access special variables inside loops:

VariableTypeDescription
{{@index}}NumberCurrent index (0-based)
{{@first}}Booleantrue on first iteration
{{@last}}Booleantrue on last iteration
{{@length}}NumberTotal number of items
{{@key}}StringCurrent key (for objects)
{{this}}AnyCurrent item value

Using Special Variables

{{#each attendees}}
{{@index + 1}}. {{this.name}}{{#if @first}} (Organizer){{/if}}{{#if @last}} (Last to arrive){{/if}}
{{/each}}
 
Total attendees: {{attendees.length}}

Nested Loops

{{#each categories}}
## {{this.name}}
 
{{#each this.items}}
- {{this.title}} ({{this.status}})
{{/each}}
 
{{/each}}

Loop with Conditionals

{{#each tasks}}
{{#if this.completed}}
- [x] {{this.title}} ✅
{{else}}
- [ ] {{this.title}}
{{/if}}
{{/each}}

Real-World Example

# Meeting Notes
 
## Attendees
 
{{#each attendees}}
{{@index + 1}}. **{{this.name}}**{{#if this.role}} - {{this.role}}{{/if}}{{#if @first}} (Meeting Lead){{/if}}
{{/each}}
 
## Action Items
 
{{#each actionItems}}
### {{@index + 1}}. {{this.title}}
- **Owner:** {{this.owner}}
- **Due:** {{this.due}}
- **Priority:** {{this.priority}}
{{#if this.priority == 'High'}}
⚠️ High priority - needs immediate attention
{{/if}}
 
{{/each}}
 
---
**Total action items:** {{actionItems.length}}

Filters

Filters transform values using the pipe (|) operator. Chain multiple filters for complex transformations.

String Filters

Transform text:

{{name | upper}}                    → JOHN DOE
{{name | lower}}                    → john doe
{{name | capitalize}}               → John doe
{{name | title}}                    → John Doe
{{text | truncate(50)}}             → Truncated to 50 characters...
{{text | trim}}                     → Removes whitespace
{{url | slug}}                      → converts-to-url-slug
{{text | replace('old', 'new')}}    → Replaces all occurrences
{{text | reverse}}                  → txet sesrever

Array Filters

Manipulate arrays:

{{items | join(', ')}}              → item1, item2, item3
{{items | first}}                   → First item
{{items | last}}                    → Last item
{{items | length}}                  → 5
{{items | sort}}                    → Alphabetically sorted
{{items | unique}}                  → Remove duplicates
{{items | reverse}}                 → Reverse order

Number Filters

Format numbers:

{{price | round}}                   → 42
{{price | floor}}                   → 41
{{price | ceil}}                    → 42
{{number | abs}}                    → Absolute value
{{amount | format}}                 → 1,234,567
{{price | toFixed(2)}}              → 42.00

Date Filters

Format dates:

{{date | dateFormat('yyyy-MM-dd')}}         → 2025-11-06
{{date | dateFormat('MMMM do, yyyy')}}      → November 6th, 2025
{{date | timeAgo}}                          → 3 days ago
{{date | fromNow}}                          → in 5 days
{{date | relative}}                         → about 2 hours ago

Utility Filters

Helper functions:

{{value | default('N/A')}}          → Shows 'N/A' if value is empty
{{obj | json}}                      → Converts to JSON string
{{value | typeOf}}                  → 'string', 'number', 'array', etc.
{{value | isEmpty}}                 → true/false

Filter Chaining

Combine multiple filters:

{{name | trim | upper | truncate(20)}}
→ JOHN SMITH JOHNSON...
 
{{date | dateFormat('yyyy-MM-dd') | default('No date')}}
→ 2025-11-06 (or 'No date' if empty)
 
{{items | sort | unique | join(', ')}}
→ Sorted, unique, comma-separated list

Real-World Example

# {{title | trim | title}}
 
**Author:** {{author | capitalize}}
**Published:** {{date | dateFormat('MMMM do, yyyy')}}
**Reading time:** {{content | length / 200 | round}} minutes
 
## Summary
 
{{summary | trim | truncate(200)}}
 
## Tags
 
{{tags | sort | unique | join(', ') | lower}}
 
---
*Slug: {{title | slug}}*
*Word count: {{content | split(' ') | length | format}}*

Date Operations

Lokus provides 70+ date functions powered by date-fns, the most comprehensive date handling in any note app.

Current Date/Time

{{date}}                           → 2025-11-06
{{time}}                           → 14:30:00
{{datetime}}                       → 2025-11-06T14:30:00
{{timestamp}}                      → 1699281000000

Date Formatting

Use any date-fns pattern:

{{date.format('yyyy-MM-dd')}}              → 2025-11-06
{{date.format('MMMM do, yyyy')}}           → November 6th, 2025
{{date.format('EEE, MMM d')}}              → Wed, Nov 6
{{date.format('dddd, MMMM do, yyyy')}}     → Wednesday, November 6th, 2025
{{date.format('h:mm a')}}                  → 2:30 PM

Common format tokens:

  • yyyy - 4-digit year (2025)
  • yy - 2-digit year (25)
  • MMMM - Full month (November)
  • MMM - Short month (Nov)
  • MM - 2-digit month (11)
  • dd - 2-digit day (06)
  • dddd - Full weekday (Wednesday)
  • ddd - Short weekday (Wed)
  • HH - 24-hour (14)
  • h - 12-hour (2)
  • mm - Minutes (30)
  • a - AM/PM

Relative Dates

Quick shortcuts for common date offsets:

{{date.tomorrow}}                  → 2025-11-07
{{date.yesterday}}                 → 2025-11-05
{{date.nextWeek}}                  → 2025-11-13
{{date.lastWeek}}                  → 2025-10-30
{{date.nextMonth}}                 → 2025-12-06
{{date.lastMonth}}                 → 2025-10-06
{{date.nextMonday}}                → 2025-11-10
{{date.nextFriday}}                → 2025-11-14
{{date.previousMonday}}            → 2025-11-03

Date Arithmetic

Add or subtract time:

{{date.add(7, 'days')}}            → 7 days from now
{{date.add(2, 'weeks')}}           → 2 weeks from now
{{date.add(3, 'months')}}          → 3 months from now
{{date.add(1, 'years')}}           → 1 year from now
 
{{date.subtract(5, 'days')}}       → 5 days ago
{{date.subtract(2, 'weeks')}}      → 2 weeks ago
{{date.subtract(1, 'months')}}     → 1 month ago

Shorthand methods:

{{date.addDays(7)}}                → Same as add(7, 'days')
{{date.addWeeks(2)}}
{{date.addMonths(3)}}
{{date.addYears(1)}}
{{date.subtractDays(5)}}
{{date.subtractWeeks(2)}}

Date Boundaries

Get start/end of periods:

{{date.startOfWeek}}               → Start of current week (Monday 00:00)
{{date.endOfWeek}}                 → End of current week (Sunday 23:59)
{{date.startOfMonth}}              → First day of month
{{date.endOfMonth}}                → Last day of month
{{date.startOfYear}}               → January 1st
{{date.endOfYear}}                 → December 31st
{{date.startOfQuarter}}            → Start of Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4
{{date.endOfQuarter}}              → End of quarter

Date Properties

Extract date information:

{{date.week}}                      → Week number (1-53)
{{date.quarter}}                   → Quarter (1-4)
{{date.weekday}}                   → Day of week (0-6, 0=Sunday)
{{date.daysInMonth}}               → Days in current month (28-31)
{{date.daysInYear}}                → Days in year (365 or 366)
{{date.isLeapYear}}                → true/false

Method Chaining

Combine operations:

{{date.add(7, 'days').format('MMMM do, yyyy')}}
→ November 13th, 2025
 
{{date.nextMonday.format('yyyy-MM-dd')}}
→ 2025-11-10
 
{{date.startOfMonth.add(14, 'days').format('dddd')}}
→ Wednesday

Real-World Example

# Week {{date.week}} Review ({{date.format('yyyy')}})
 
**Period:** {{date.startOfWeek.format('MMM do')}} - {{date.endOfWeek.format('MMM do, yyyy')}}
**Quarter:** Q{{date.quarter}}
 
## This Week's Goals
 
Due: {{date.add(7, 'days').format('MMMM do')}}
 
## Next Week Preview
 
**Week {{date.add(7, 'days').week}}** starts on {{date.nextMonday.format('MMMM do')}}
 
## Key Dates
 
- Today: {{date.format('dddd, MMMM do')}}
- Tomorrow: {{date.tomorrow.format('dddd, MMMM do')}}
- End of Month: {{date.endOfMonth.format('MMMM do')}} ({{date.daysInMonth}} days this month)
- Next Quarter: Q{{date.add(3, 'months').quarter}} starts {{date.add(3, 'months').startOfQuarter.format('MMMM do')}}
 
{{#if date.isLeapYear}}
📅 This is a leap year! ({{date.daysInYear}} days)
{{/if}}

JavaScript Execution

Execute safe JavaScript code in a sandboxed environment for complex logic.

⚠️

JavaScript execution runs in an isolated sandbox with limited APIs for security. Network access, file system access, and DOM manipulation are not available.

Basic Execution

{{js: return 2 + 2}}
→ 4
 
{{js: return Math.random() > 0.5 ? 'Yes' : 'No'}}
→ Yes or No (random)
 
{{js: return new Date().getFullYear()}}
→ 2025

Available APIs

The sandbox provides access to:

  • Math: All Math methods (Math.random(), Math.floor(), etc.)
  • Date: Date creation and manipulation
  • JSON: JSON.parse(), JSON.stringify()
  • String/Number/Array/Object: All standard methods
  • Helper functions: uuid(), format(), slugify()

Complex Calculations

{{js:
  const items = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50];
  const sum = items.reduce((a, b) => a + b, 0);
  const avg = sum / items.length;
  return avg;
}}
→ 30

Conditional Logic

{{js:
  const hour = new Date().getHours();
  if (hour < 12) return 'Good morning';
  if (hour < 18) return 'Good afternoon';
  return 'Good evening';
}}
→ Good afternoon (if it's 2 PM)

Array Manipulation

{{js:
  const tasks = ['Write docs', 'Review code', 'Deploy'];
  return tasks.map((t, i) => `${i + 1}. ${t}`).join('\n');
}}
→
1. Write docs
2. Review code
3. Deploy

Real-World Example

# Project Status Report
 
**Generated:** {{date.format('MMMM do, yyyy')}}
 
## Team Statistics
 
{{js:
  const team = [
    { name: 'Alice', completed: 45 },
    { name: 'Bob', completed: 38 },
    { name: 'Carol', completed: 52 }
  ];
 
  const total = team.reduce((sum, m) => sum + m.completed, 0);
  const avg = Math.round(total / team.length);
  const top = team.sort((a, b) => b.completed - a.completed)[0];
 
  return `Total tasks: ${total}\nAverage: ${avg} per person\nTop performer: ${top.name} (${top.completed} tasks)`;
}}
 
## Random Task Assignment
 
Today's reviewer: {{js:
  const reviewers = ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Carol', 'David'];
  return reviewers[Math.floor(Math.random() * reviewers.length)];
}}

Template Includes

Compose templates from reusable parts to avoid duplication.

Basic Include

Create a reusable header template:

Template: header.md

---
id: header
name: Header
---
 
# {{title}}
**Date:** {{date}}
**Author:** {{author}}
 
---

Use in another template:

{{include:header}}
 
## Main Content
 
Your content here...

Include with Variables

Pass variables to included templates:

Template: greeting.md

---
id: greeting
name: Greeting
---
 
Hello {{name}}, good {{time}}!

Use with variables:

{{include:greeting:name=John,time=morning}}

Output:

Hello John, good morning!

Multiple Includes

{{include:header}}
 
{{include:body}}
 
{{include:footer}}

Real-World Example

Template: meeting-header.md

---
id: meeting-header
name: Meeting Header
---
 
# {{type}} Meeting - {{date.format('MMM do')}}
 
**Date:** {{date.format('MMMM do, yyyy')}}
**Time:** {{time}}
**Location:** {{location | default('Remote')}}

Template: meeting-footer.md

---
id: meeting-footer
name: Meeting Footer
---
 
---
 
## Action Items
- [ ]
 
## Next Meeting
{{date.add(7, 'days').format('MMMM do, yyyy')}}
 
*Notes by: {{author}}*

Main template:

{{include:meeting-header:type=Weekly Standup,location=Conference Room A}}
 
## Attendees
- {{author}}
 
## Agenda
1.
2.
3.
 
## Discussion Notes
 
{{include:meeting-footer}}

HTML to Markdown

Automatically convert HTML content to clean markdown.

Automatic Conversion

When you paste HTML or include HTML in a template, Lokus automatically converts it to markdown:

Input:

<h1>Hello World</h1>
<p>This is a <strong>bold</strong> paragraph with a <a href="https://example.com">link</a>.</p>
<ul>
  <li>Item 1</li>
  <li>Item 2</li>
</ul>

Output:

# Hello World
 
This is a **bold** paragraph with a [link](https://example.com).
 
- Item 1
- Item 2

Supported Elements

  • Headings: <h1> to <h6> → # Header
  • Bold: <strong>, <b> → **bold**
  • Italic: <em>, <i> → *italic*
  • Links: <a href=""> → [text](url)
  • Images: <img src=""> → ![alt](url)
  • Lists: <ul>, <ol>, <li> → - item or 1. item
  • Code: <code>, <pre> → `code` or ```code```
  • Blockquotes: <blockquote> → > quote
  • Tables: <table> → Markdown tables
  • Line breaks: <br> → Double newline

Use Cases

  • Copy content from web pages
  • Import HTML documentation
  • Convert email content to notes
  • Transform rich text to markdown

Best Practices

1. Use Descriptive Variable Names

✅ Good
{{#if projectStatus == 'completed'}}
 
❌ Bad
{{#if ps == 'c'}}

2. Chain Operations for Clarity

✅ Good
{{date.add(7, 'days').format('MMMM do, yyyy')}}
 
❌ Verbose
{{date.add(7, 'days')}}
then format separately

3. Add Comments

<!-- Meeting template for weekly standups -->
<!-- Variables: team, date, attendees -->
 
# Standup - {{date.format('MMM do')}}

4. Use Includes for Reusability

✅ Good
{{include:header}}
{{include:footer}}
 
❌ Repetitive
Copy-paste same header in every template

5. Test Before Saving

Always test templates with sample data before using in production.

6. Organize with Categories

---
category: Work
tags: [meeting, weekly, standup]
---

7. Keep Templates Focused

One template = one use case. Don’t try to make a template do everything.

8. Version Control

Store templates in Git to track changes and collaborate.

9. Document Complex Logic

{{js:
  // Calculate average completion rate for the team
  // Only count active members (status != 'inactive')
  const activeMembers = team.filter(m => m.status !== 'inactive');
  const avg = activeMembers.reduce((sum, m) => sum + m.completion, 0) / activeMembers.length;
  return Math.round(avg);
}}

10. Use Filter Chains

✅ Good
{{name | trim | capitalize | truncate(50)}}
 
❌ Nested
{{truncate(capitalize(trim(name)), 50)}}

Performance Tips

1. Limit Loop Iterations

Avoid loops with 1000+ items. Use pagination or filtering.

2. Cache Date Calculations

✅ Good
{{date.nextMonday}} used once, referenced multiple times
 
❌ Inefficient
{{date.nextMonday}} recalculated 10 times

3. Minimize JavaScript Execution

Use built-in filters and date operations when possible - they’re optimized.

4. Avoid Deep Nesting

✅ Good
{{#if a}}...{{/if}}
{{#if b}}...{{/if}}
 
❌ Deep
{{#if a}}
  {{#if b}}
    {{#if c}}
      {{#if d}}...

Next Steps

Need Help?

  • Check the Template Gallery for examples
  • Join the community Discord for template sharing
  • Read the FAQ for common questions
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