Using Smarty Scripting in Dynamic Document Templates

Streamline's document engine supports Smarty scripting directly inside your DOCX template files. You can write conditional logic, loops, inline calculations, and formatting modifiers in your template, and they are evaluated when the document is generated. This lets you build dynamic documents - showing or hiding content, repeating rows for each record in a collection, and formatting values in place - without adding separate Transform or Logic steps to your workflow.

Who Can Use This Feature?

Smarty scripting in document templates is available to all Builders and any role with edit access to a Dynamic Document template.

Note: This feature is currently available in limited release. Contact your Intellistack account team to request access.

Key Capabilities

Conditional content:

• Show or hide paragraphs, sections, table rows, and list items based on field values
• Use {if} / {elseif} / {else} for inline conditional rendering within a cell or paragraph
• Use {tableif} and {listif} to conditionally render entire table rows or list items

Repeating sections:

• Iterate over a collection of records using {foreach} to render one section per item
• Use {tablerow} and {listrow} to repeat entire table rows or list items for each record in a collection

Value formatting with modifiers:

• Format dates, numbers, currency, phone numbers, and text inline using pipe-style modifiers
• Chain multiple modifiers in sequence: {$value|modifier1|modifier2}

Inline calculations:

• Assign intermediate variables and perform arithmetic directly in the template
• Use BCMath functions for precise decimal arithmetic

Variable assignment:

• Assign and reuse template variables with {$var = expression} or {assign}

Image embedding:

• Embed an image from a URL field using {$field|insert_image:width:height}

Part 1: Enabling Smarty on a Merge Field

By default, merge fields in a Dynamic Document template output their value as plain text. To use Smarty syntax on a field, you need to enable it in the field settings.

For a standard merge field

1. Click the merge field in the document editor.
2. In the Field settings panel on the left, toggle Smarty Mode on.
3. Edit the field value in the document to include your Smarty expression.

Once enabled, the field value is evaluated as a Smarty expression at merge time. For example:

{( Subtotal + tax )|number_format:2}

For fields in repeating collections

When adding a field from a repeating data collection, use the Add repeated data wizard:

1. In the document editor, click to insert a field from a repeating collection.
2. The Add repeated data dialog opens. Under Display as, select Smarty syntax.
3. Click Insert.

The field is inserted as a Smarty expression block you can edit directly in the template.

Note: Variable names are case-sensitive. Match the variable name exactly as it appears in the field mapping.

Part 2: Conditional Content

Conditional paragraphs and inline content

Use {if} / {elseif} / {else} to show or hide content based on field values.

{if $contract_type == "fixed"}
This agreement is for a fixed-price engagement.
{elseif $contract_type == "hourly"}
This agreement is billed at an hourly rate.
{else}
Please contact your account manager for pricing details.
{/if}

Supported comparison operators:

Operator	Alias	Example
==	eq	{if $status == "active"}
!=	ne	{if $status != "closed"}
>	gt	{if $amount > 1000}
<	lt	{if $days lt 30}
>=	gte	{if $score >= 90}
<=	lte	{if $count lte 5}
&&	and	{if $a > 0 and $b > 0}
\|\|	or	{if $type == "A" or $type == "B"}

Use empty() to check whether a field has a value:

{if !empty($middle_name)}
{$first_name} {$middle_name} {$last_name}
{else}
{$first_name} {$last_name}
{/if}

Conditional table rows

To conditionally show or hide an entire table row, use {tableif} instead of {if}. Place {tableif} and {/tableif} around the row in your template.

{tableif !empty($discount_amount)}
| Discount | {$discount_amount|currency_format} |
{/tableif}

Important: Use {tableif} (not {if}) when the condition wraps an entire table row. Using plain {if} inside a table cell works for inline content within a cell, but cannot show or hide the entire row.

Conditional list items

To conditionally show or hide an entire paragraph or list item, use {listif}.

{listif $include_warranty == "yes"}
- 12-month warranty included
{/listif}

Part 3: Repeating Sections

Repeating content with {foreach}

Use {foreach} to iterate over an array of records and render content for each item.

{foreach $line_items as $item}
{$item.description}: {$item.quantity} x {$item.unit_price|currency_format}
{/foreach}

Use {foreachelse} to render fallback content when the collection is empty:

{foreach $line_items as $item}
{$item.description}
{foreachelse}
No items on this order.
{/foreach}

Useful properties inside a {foreach} loop:

Property	What it gives you
{$item@index}	Zero-based position (0, 1, 2...)
{$item@iteration}	One-based count (1, 2, 3...)
{$item@first}	true on the first iteration
{$item@last}	true on the last iteration
{$item@total}	Total number of items in the collection

Repeating table rows

To repeat an entire table row for each record in a collection, use {tablerow}. Place {tablerow} and {/tablerow} around the row.

{tablerow $line_items as $item}
| {$item.description} | {$item.quantity} | {$item.unit_price|currency_format} |
{/tablerow}

Repeating list items

To repeat a list item or paragraph for each record, use {listrow}.

{listrow $attendees as $person}
- {$person.name}, {$person.title}
{/listrow}

Part 4: Formatting Values with Modifiers

Apply modifiers to a variable using the pipe | character. Chain multiple modifiers left to right.

{$name|upper}                       → JOHN SMITH
{$name|lower}                       → john smith
{$name|capitalize}                  → John Smith
{$description|truncate:100}         → First 100 characters...
{$text|strip_tags}                  → Plain text with HTML removed
{$field|default:"Not provided"}     → Value, or "Not provided" if empty

Date formatting

Use date_format to format a date or timestamp field:

{$contract_date|date_format:"%B %d, %Y"}    → July 1, 2026
{$contract_date|date_format:"%m/%d/%Y"}     → 07/01/2026
{$contract_date|date_format:"%Y-%m-%d"}     → 2026-07-01

Note: strftime is also available but is deprecated and will be removed in a future PHP version. Use date_format for new templates.

To calculate and display an age from a date field:

{$birthdate|age} years old
{$birthdate|age_to_words}           → e.g. "42 years"

Number and currency formatting

{$amount|number_format:2}           → 1,234.56
{$amount|currency_format}           → $1,234.56
{$amount|money_to_words}            → one thousand two hundred thirty-four dollars and 56 cents
{$total|round:2}                    → 1234.56
{$count|number_to_words}            → forty-two

String utilities

{$phone|phone_format:"(%3) %3-%4"}  → (555) 123-4567
{$state|state_abbreviation}         → CA
{$items|list:", ":"and"}            → red, green, and blue
{$text|replace:"Corp":"Corporation"}
{$text|regex_replace:"/\s+/":" "}

Array utilities

{$tags|implode:", "}                → Join array to a comma-separated string
{$tags|count}                       → Number of items in the array
{$rows|sort}                        → Sorted array

Part 5: Calculations and Variable Assignment

You can perform arithmetic directly in the template and assign results to variables for reuse.

{$subtotal = $qty * $unit_price}
{$tax = $subtotal * 0.08}
{$total = $subtotal + $tax}

Subtotal: {$subtotal|currency_format}
Tax (8%): {$tax|currency_format}
Total:    {$total|currency_format}

Output an inline calculation without assigning it to a variable:

Total due: {($qty * $unit_price)|currency_format}

For precise decimal arithmetic (recommended for financial calculations), use BCMath functions:

{$total = bcadd($subtotal, $tax, 2)}

Feature Considerations

{eval} is not available: The {eval} tag is disabled. Dynamic template evaluation within a template is not supported.

Superglobals are not accessible: $_GET, $_POST, $_SERVER, and other PHP superglobals cannot be used in templates.

Modifier allow-list: Only modifiers on Streamline's approved list can be used. If a template references an unlisted modifier, the document step returns a clear error identifying the modifier name. This prevents silent failures and helps you identify the issue quickly.

strftime is deprecated: The strftime modifier is supported but deprecated. It will stop working in a future PHP version. Migrate date formatting to date_format when updating existing templates.

Network modifiers during validation: The get_file, expand_url, csv_to_array, and translate modifiers return empty values during template validation. This is expected - they make outbound calls only at merge time, not during validation.

{tableif} / {tablerow} vs. {if} / {foreach}: Use the {tableif}, {tablerow}, {listif}, and {listrow} constructs when the condition or loop wraps an entire table row or list item. Using plain {if} or {foreach} inside a cell works for inline conditional content but cannot show or hide the entire row.

Compliance

Templates are processed inside a security sandbox. Dangerous PHP functions (including file system access, network calls, and code execution primitives such as exec, system, and unserialize) are hard-blocked and cannot be invoked from a template, even if they would otherwise be accessible. All template rendering happens server-side within Streamline's secure document engine.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Resolution
Document step returns a modifier error	The modifier name is not on the approved list. Check the modifier name for typos. Refer to the supported modifier reference for the correct name.
Date field renders as a raw timestamp or unexpected format	Verify the format string passed to date_format. Use strftime-style % codes (e.g., %B %d, %Y).
Table row is not showing or hiding conditionally	Use {tableif} / {/tableif} around the row instead of {if} inside a cell. Plain {if} inside a table cell cannot hide the entire row.
Repeating section produces no output	Confirm the collection field is mapped to the Document step and that it contains records. Use {foreachelse} to render fallback content when the collection is empty.
Variable renders as empty	Check that the variable name in the template matches the field mapping in the Document step exactly, including case. Variable names are case-sensitive.
get_file or translate modifier returns empty during testing	These modifiers short-circuit during template validation. They make outbound calls only at actual merge time. Test by running the workflow end-to-end.

Modifier Reference

Standard Smarty Modifiers

These modifiers are part of the Smarty language and are available in Streamline document templates.

Modifier	What it does	Example
capitalize	Capitalizes the first letter of each word	{$name\|capitalize}
cat	Appends a string onto the end of the value	{$name\|cat:" Jr."}
count_characters	Counts characters in a string	{$text\|count_characters}
count_paragraphs	Counts paragraphs in a string	{$text\|count_paragraphs}
count_sentences	Counts sentences in a string	{$text\|count_sentences}
count_words	Counts words in a string	{$text\|count_words}
date_format	Formats a date/timestamp using a format string	{$date\|date_format:"%B %d, %Y"}
default	Substitutes a fallback value when the variable is empty or unset	{$field\|default:"N/A"}
escape	Escapes a value for HTML, URL, quotes, or JavaScript	{$text\|escape}
indent	Indents each line by N characters	{$text\|indent:4}
lower	Lowercases the string	{$name\|lower}
nl2br	Converts newlines to line breaks	{$text\|nl2br}
regex_replace	Regular-expression search and replace	{$text\|regex_replace:"/\s+/":" "}
replace	Plain string search and replace	{$text\|replace:"Ltd":"Limited"}
spacify	Inserts a string between every character	{$code\|spacify:"-"}
string_format	Formats a value using a sprintf-style format string	{$val\|string_format:"%.2f"}
strip	Collapses runs of whitespace into a single space	{$text\|strip}
strip_tags	Removes HTML and XML tags	{$html\|strip_tags}
truncate	Truncates to a length with an optional ellipsis	{$text\|truncate:100}
unescape	Reverses escape encoding	{$text\|unescape:'html'}
upper	Uppercases the string	{$name\|upper}
wordwrap	Wraps text to a given column width	{$text\|wordwrap:80}

Dates & Age

Modifier	What it does	Example
add_days	Adds N days to a date; optional skip-weekends; returns Y-m-d	{$date\|add_days:7}
age	Whole years between a date and now	{$birthdate\|age}
age_to_words	Largest time unit between a date and now, in words	{$birthdate\|age_to_words}
time_to_words	Converts seconds to a human-readable duration	{$seconds\|time_to_words}

Numbers & Money

Modifier	What it does	Example
number_format	Formats a number with decimals and thousands separators	{$amount\|number_format:2}
number_to_words	Converts a number to words	{$count\|number_to_words}
decimal_to_words	Converts integer and fractional parts to words	{$amount\|decimal_to_words}
money_to_words	Converts a monetary amount to words with currency	{$total\|money_to_words}
currency_format	Formats as currency with symbol, decimals, and separators	{$price\|currency_format}
currency_format_india	Formats with Indian lakh/crore grouping	{$amount\|currency_format_india}
number_eu_to_us	Converts EU number format to US format	{$val\|number_eu_to_us}
number_us_to_eu	Converts US number format to EU format	{$val\|number_us_to_eu}
number	Extracts a numeric value from a string; returns 0 if empty	{$field\|number}
int_number	Normalizes a localized number to an integer-ish string	{$field\|int_number}
round	Rounds to a given number of decimal places	{$val\|round:2}
ceil	Rounds up to the next integer	{$val\|ceil}
floor	Rounds down to the nearest integer	{$val\|floor}

Strings & Text

Modifier	What it does	Example
abbreviation	Builds an acronym from word initials	{$name\|abbreviation}
capitalize_sentences	Uppercases the first letter of each sentence	{$text\|capitalize_sentences}
mb_upper	Multibyte-safe (UTF-8) uppercase	{$text\|mb_upper}
pad	Pads a string to a given length	{$code\|pad:10}
strlen	Returns the length of a string	{$text\|strlen}
nl2	Replaces newlines with a given string	{$text\|nl2:", "}
nl2p	Wraps text in paragraph tags, converting newlines to paragraph breaks	{$text\|nl2p}
list	Joins an array into a readable list with a conjunction	{$items\|list:", ":"and"}
phone_format	Formats digits into a phone pattern	{$phone\|phone_format:"(%3) %3-%4"}
state_abbreviation	Maps a US state name to its 2-letter code	{$state\|state_abbreviation}
translate	Translates text to another language via Google Translate	{$text\|translate:"es"}

HTML & Markup

Modifier	What it does	Example
markdown2html	Converts Markdown to HTML	{$text\|markdown2html}
text2html	Converts plain text to HTML (newlines to <br/>, auto-links URLs)	{$text\|text2html}
html2text	Strips HTML tags and decodes entities to plain text	{$html\|html2text}
html_safe	Escapes stray < characters that are not real tags	{$text\|html_safe}

Arrays

Modifier	What it does	Example
count	Counts the number of elements in an array	{$items\|count}
implode	Joins an array into a string	{$tags\|implode:", "}
in_array	Returns true if a value is in the array	{if "red"\|in_array:$colors}
sort	Sorts an array ascending or descending	{$items\|sort}
multisort	Sorts an array of rows by up to three keys	{$rows\|multisort:"name"}
array_chunk	Splits an array into fixed-size chunks	{$items\|array_chunk:3}
array_column	Extracts a single column from an array of rows	{$rows\|array_column:"name"}
csv_to_array	Parses a CSV string into an array of rows	{$csv\|csv_to_array}

Network & Files

These modifiers make outbound calls at merge time. They return empty values during template validation - this is expected behavior.

Modifier	What it does
get_file	Fetches the body of a URL (SSRF-validated)
expand_url	Follows redirects to resolve a short URL to its destination
parse_url	Extracts a URL from a string value

Summary

Smarty scripting in document templates is currently available in limited release to Builders and roles with edit access to Dynamic Document templates. Enable the Smarty Mode toggle on any merge field to write Smarty expressions directly in your template. For the full list of supported modifiers and constructs, refer to the modifier tables in the Key Capabilities and Part 4 sections of this article.