Template Syntax

The basic template syntax can be seen by looking at the templates. Template files simply use regular HTML along with tags for where the WHMCS data is inserted into them. All pages have specific variables which you can use. To view a complete list of variables available on a given page, enter the following tag into the template file:

{debug}

When you next access the page containing that template file in your browser after adding this code, a popup window will appear showing you all the different variables which you can use on the page. Variables can be accessed using the {$variable} syntax.

Common Template Variables Available on All Pages

The following is a list of template variables available for use in all the template files of WHMCS

{$BASE_PATH_CSS} - The base URL to common CSS assets.
{$BASE_PATH_FONTS} - The base URL to common font assets.
{$BASE_PATH_IMG} - The base URL to common image assets.
{$BASE_PATH_JS} - The base URL to common Javascript assets.
{$charset} - Your configured character set.
{$client} - The currently logged in Client, or null if a client is not logged in.
{$companyname} - Your configured company name
{date_day} - The current calendar day.
{date_month} - The current calendar month.
{date_year} - The current calendar year.
{filename} - The basename of the current file requested by the web browser.
{$language} - The name of the language to display to the user.
{$loggedin} - true or false depending on whether or not a client is logged in.
{$logo} - The path to your configured logo image.
{$pagetitle} - The current page's title.
{$reCaptchaPublicKey} - Your configured reCAPTCHA site key, or an empty string if your WHMCS installation does not use Google reCAPTCHA.
{$systemNonSSLURL} - Your configured non-SSL URL.
{$systemsslurl} - Your configured SSL URL.
{$systemurl} - The URL to your WHMCS system, either the SSL or non-SSL URL depending on whether the current page is accessed via HTTPS.
{$template} - The name of the template used for display.
{$todaysdate} - The current date, presented in "l, jS F Y" format.
{$token} - A CSRF token to use on POST forms.
{$WEB_ROOT} - Your WHMCS system's base URL.

Custom Template Variables

Not all variables are available on every page, and if the variable you wish to use isn't there, then you would need to obtain this yourself.

Hooks:EmailPreSend can be used to create your own smarty variables to use on email templates.

Displaying Text to Logged In Users Only

To display something on the page only if a user is logged in, use the following syntax:

{if $loggedin}
    <p>User is logged in so display client only information</p>
{else}
    <p>User is not logged in so display this</p>
{/if}

Displaying Text if Certain Conditions Are Met

It can often be necessary to display text or messages when certain conditions are met. For example you might want to add additional text output when iterating through products or payment gateways, or display card scheme logos associated with your merchant account. This can be achieved using the if statement syntax:

{if $gateway.name eq "PayPal"}We accept PayPal{/if}

Would display the message "We accept PayPal" if that option is available on the checkout page. This can be used for any variable.

Translating Language Strings

WHMCS provides the {lang} function for custom templates to present text in your users' configured language. Call it with the "key" parameter representing the key in the language to translate.

{** 
 * Defined as $_LANG['forgotpw'] in language files:
 *
 * Display "<strong>Forgot Password?</strong>" in English
 * or "<strong>¿Perdiste la contraseña?</strong>" in Spanish.
 *}
<strong>{lang key="forgotpw"}</strong>

Use dots (".") to concatenate nested language keys.

{** 
 * Defined as $_LANG['clientHomePanels']['unpaidInvoices'] in language files:
 *
 * Display "<strong>Unpaid Invoices</strong>" in English
 * or "<strong>Facturas Pendientes</strong>" in Spanish.
 *}
<strong>{lang key="clientHomePanels.unpaidInvoices"}</strong>

Some language strings contain variable substitution. Variables for substitution begin with a colon (":"). Declare those variables and their values as parameters to the {lang} function:

{**
 * Defined as $_LANG['clientHomePanels']['creditBalance'] in language files:
 *
 * Display "<p>You have a credit balance of $100.00.</p>" in English
 * or "<p>Usted tiene un saldo acreedor de $100.00.</p>" in Spanish.
 *}
<p>{lang key="clientHomePanels.creditBalance" creditBalance="$100"}</p>