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Alternative Syntax and Escape Hatches

This document covers alternative syntax forms for special cases. For most use cases, use the primary syntax described in the main documentation.

When to Use Alternatives

The primary template syntax (@var interpolation, ::...:: templates, .att files) works for most cases. Use alternatives only when:

• Your content has many @ symbols that would require escaping (e.g., Discord mentions, social media handles)
• You're working with existing mustache-style templates

Triple-Colon Templates (:::...:::)

Use triple-colon syntax when your content has many @ symbols that would conflict with variable interpolation:

>> Discord mentions with user IDs
var @alert = :::Alert <@{{adminId}}>! Reported by <@{{userId}}>:::

>> Social media handles
var @tweet = :::Hey @{{handle}}, check this! cc: @{{team1}} @{{team2}}:::

Key Differences from Primary Syntax

Feature	Primary (::@var::)	Triple-colon (:::{{var}}:::)
Variable interpolation	@var	{{var}}
File loading	<file.md>	Not supported
Function calls	@exe()	Not supported
Pipes	Supported	Not supported
Loops	Supported	Not supported

When NOT to Use Triple-Colon

>> Don't use ::: for normal templates
var @msg = :::Status: {{status}}:::  >> Loses all features
var @msg = ::Status: @status::       >> Use primary syntax

MTT Template Files (.mtt)

For external templates with mustache-style interpolation:

templates/discord-alert.mtt:

Alert <@{{adminId}}>!
Reporter: <@{{reporterId}}>
Severity: {{severity}}

Usage:

exe @alert(adminId, reporterId, severity) = template "./templates/discord-alert.mtt"
show @alert("123", "456", "high")

Key Differences from ATT Files

Feature	.att (primary)	.mtt (alternative)
Variable interpolation	@var	{{var}}
File loading	<file.md>	Not supported
Function calls	@exe()	Not supported
Pipes	Supported	Not supported
Loops (for/end)	Supported	Not supported

Common Migration Patterns

Discord Bot

If you're building a Discord bot with many user mentions:

>> Use .mtt for Discord message templates
exe @mentionUser(userId, message) = template "./discord/mention.mtt"

>> mention.mtt contents:
>> <@{{userId}}> {{message}}

Social Media Formatter

For content with many @handles:

exe @formatTweet(handle, content, mentions) = template "./social/tweet.mtt"

>> tweet.mtt contents:
>> @{{handle}}: {{content}}
>> cc: {{mentions}}

Best Practices

1. Default to primary syntax - Use ::@var:: and .att unless you have a specific reason
2. Document your choice - If using alternatives, add a comment explaining why
3. Don't mix - Pick one style per template file
4. Consider escaping - For occasional @ symbols, escaping (\@) may be simpler than switching syntax