templatetemplate

Templatetemplate is a term used in templating theory to describe a template of templates—a higher-order construct that defines reusable patterns for generating other templates or template fragments. It is not universally supported as a first-class feature in every template engine, but it appears in discussions of meta templating and in systems that expose macro, include, or function-like capabilities.

The purpose of a templatetemplate is to reduce duplication by capturing common structural patterns used across multiple templates. By abstracting layout conventions, data-binding schemes, and placeholder strategies, developers can instantiate new templates from a single, well-defined blueprint. This approach promotes consistency, easier maintenance, and scalable design as projects grow and template variants proliferate.

A templatetemplate typically specifies parameterized inputs, such as subtemplates, content blocks, and data bindings. Implementations may realize this concept as macros, template functions, or higher-order templates that return or compose other templates when supplied with arguments. The exact syntax varies by engine, but the underlying idea is to treat templates as data that can be constructed or transformed.

Example in pseudo-syntax:

templatetemplate CardTemplate(params: title, image, content) {

<section class="card">

<img src="{{image}}" alt="" />

<h3>{{title}}</h3>

<div class="card-content">{{content}}</div>

</section>

}

This defines a reusable card structure that can be instantiated with different images, titles, and content blocks.

Limitations include increased complexity, potential readability challenges, and debugging difficulty. Not all templating languages support true higher-order templates, which can limit portability and ease of use. See also: template engine, macro, higher-order function, code generation.