Advanced dynamic templates: lists, objects, conditions and helpers

If you’re already using basic templates like:

{{post.title}} 

{{post.excerpt}}

you can take things further using:

• sections (for objects and lists)
• conditional output
• helpers (for formatting)

This guide focuses on real-world usage without getting too theoretical.

Sections: the core concept

Sections are written like this:

{{#variable}}
...content...
{{/variable}}

They behave differently depending on the data type:

Booleans (conditional output)

Use sections to show content only when a value exists or is true.

Example

{{#acf.subtitle}} 
	{{acf.subtitle}} 
{{/acf.subtitle}}

If the field is empty, nothing is shown.

Practical example

{{post.title}} 
 
{{#acf.event_date}} 
	Date: {{acf.event_date}} 
{{/acf.event_date}}

Objects

Objects contain multiple fields.

Example

{{#wc.product}} 
{{title}}
{{price}} 
{{/wc.product}}

Inside the section, you can reference fields directly.

Alternative

{{wc.product.title}}
{{wc.product.price}}

Use sections when you need multiple fields from the same object.

Lists (arrays)

Lists allow you to loop over multiple items.

Example

{{#reviews}}
 - {{author}}: {{text}}
{{/reviews}}

Each item in the list is rendered once.

Simple lists

{{#tags}} 
{{.}} 
{{/tags}}

{{.}} refers to the current item.

Combining structures

You can combine sections for more control.

{{#wc.product}} 
{{title}}  
{{#price}} 
Price: {{price}} 
{{/price}}  
{{/wc.product}}

Helpers

Helpers let you modify text inside a section.

They follow the same structure:

{{#helper}} 
...content... 
{{/helper}}

upper

Convert text to uppercase.

{{#upper}}
{{post.title}}
{{/upper}}

lower

Convert text to lowercase.

{{#lower}}
{{post.title}}
{{/lower}}

ucfirst

Capitalize the first letter.

{{#ucfirst}}
{{post.title}}
{{/ucfirst}}

oneline

Remove line breaks and extra spacing.

{{#oneline}}
{{post.content}}
{{/oneline}}

Useful for keeping posts compact.

Combining helpers

Helpers can be nested:

{{#upper}}
	{{#oneline}}
		{{post.title}}
	{{/oneline}} 
{{/upper}}

Handling empty values

If a variable is empty:

• nothing is output
• sections are skipped

Safe pattern

{{#acf.subtitle}}
{{acf.subtitle}}
{{/acf.subtitle}}

Practical examples

Event post

{{post.title}}

{{#acf.event_date}} 
Date: {{acf.event_date}}
{{/acf.event_date}}

{{#acf.event_location}} 
Location: {{acf.event_location}}
{{/acf.event_location}}

{{post.excerpt}}

Product promotion

{{#wc.product}} 
{{title}} 

Price: {{price}}

{{url}}
{{/wc.product}}

Tags or categories

{{#post.categories}}
#{{.}}
{{/post.categories}}

Compact version

{{#oneline}}
{{post.excerpt}}
{{/oneline}}

Common mistakes

Using objects without sections

Incorrect:

{{wc.product}}

Correct:

{{#wc.product}}
{{title}}
{{/wc.product}}

Expecting output from empty values

If a field is empty:

{{acf.field}}

Nothing will be shown.

Overcomplicating templates

Keep templates readable. Google Business posts are short, so simple usually works best.

Tips

• Use sections for optional content
• Use helpers for formatting
• Use preview to test your templates
• Start simple, then expand

Compatibility

Dynamic templates work with:

• WordPress posts and pages
• Custom fields (including ACF and SCF) Premium
• WooCommerce Premium

Old %variables% still work

The previous %variable% system is still supported.

You don’t need to change anything, but the new system gives you more flexibility.

Getting started

1. Open your template settings
2. Insert variables using the browser
3. Add sections or helpers if needed
4. Preview the result
5. Save

Final note

You don’t need all of this for most use cases.

But when you need more control, sections and helpers let you build flexible templates without complicated logic.