template-engine

Template Engine Skill

Overview

This skill enables template-based document generation - define templates with placeholders, then automatically fill them with data. Works with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.

How to Use

• Describe what you want to accomplish

• Provide any required input data or files

• I'll execute the appropriate operations

Example prompts:

• "Mail merge for bulk letters/contracts"

• "Generate personalized reports from data"

• "Create certificates from templates"

• "Auto-fill forms with user data"

Domain Knowledge

Template Syntax (Jinja2-based)

{{ variable }}           - Simple substitution
{% for item in list %}   - Loop
{% if condition %}       - Conditional
{{ date | format_date }} - Filter

Word Template Example

from docxtpl import DocxTemplate

# Create template with placeholders:
# Dear {{ name }},
# Thank you for your order #{{ order_id }}...

def fill_template(template_path: str, data: dict, output_path: str):
    doc = DocxTemplate(template_path)
    doc.render(data)
    doc.save(output_path)
    return output_path

# Usage
fill_template(
    "templates/order_confirmation.docx",
    {
        "name": "John Smith",
        "order_id": "ORD-12345",
        "items": [
            {"name": "Product A", "qty": 2, "price": 29.99},
            {"name": "Product B", "qty": 1, "price": 49.99}
        ],
        "total": 109.97
    },
    "output/confirmation_john.docx"
)

Excel Template

from openpyxl import load_workbook
import re

def fill_excel_template(template_path: str, data: dict, output_path: str):
    wb = load_workbook(template_path)
    ws = wb.active
    
    # Find and replace placeholders like {{name}}
    for row in ws.iter_rows():
        for cell in row:
            if cell.value and isinstance(cell.value, str):
                for key, value in data.items():
                    placeholder = "{{" + key + "}}"
                    if placeholder in cell.value:
                        cell.value = cell.value.replace(placeholder, str(value))
    
    wb.save(output_path)
    return output_path

Bulk Generation (Mail Merge)

import csv
from pathlib import Path

def mail_merge(template_path: str, data_csv: str, output_dir: str):
    """Generate documents for each row in CSV."""
    
    Path(output_dir).mkdir(exist_ok=True)
    
    with open(data_csv) as f:
        reader = csv.DictReader(f)
        
        for i, row in enumerate(reader):
            output_path = f"{output_dir}/document_{i+1}.docx"
            fill_template(template_path, row, output_path)
            print(f"Generated: {output_path}")

# Usage with contacts.csv:
# name,email,company
# John,john@example.com,Acme
# Jane,jane@example.com,Corp

mail_merge(
    "templates/welcome_letter.docx",
    "data/contacts.csv",
    "output/letters"
)

Advanced: Conditional Content

from docxtpl import DocxTemplate

# Template with conditionals:
# {% if vip %}
# Thank you for being a VIP member!
# {% else %}
# Thank you for your purchase.
# {% endif %}

doc = DocxTemplate("template.docx")
doc.render({
    "name": "John",
    "vip": True,
    "discount": 20
})
doc.save("output.docx")

Best Practices

• Use clear placeholder naming ({{client_name}})

• Validate data before rendering

• Handle missing data gracefully

• Keep templates version-controlled

Installation

# Install required dependencies
pip install python-docx openpyxl python-pptx reportlab jinja2

Resources

• docxtpl / yumdocs Repository

• Claude Office Skills Hub

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