---
name: frappe-impl-jinja
description: >
  Use when building Jinja templates in Frappe: Print Formats, Email
  Templates, Notification templates, Portal Pages, and custom Jinja
  methods. Covers template creation workflows, child table handling,
  conditional sections, styling, multi-language support, and debugging.
  Prevents N+1 queries, wrong formatting, and Report Print confusion.
  Keywords: create print format, email template, portal page, pdf, create print format, invoice template, email template, PDF layout, custom print.
  template, invoice template, jinja methods, notification template,
  web page template, print format styling.
license: MIT
compatibility: "Claude Code, Claude.ai Projects, Claude API. Frappe v14-v16."
metadata:
  author: OpenAEC-Foundation
  version: "2.0"
---

# Frappe Jinja Templates Implementation Workflow

Step-by-step workflows for building Jinja templates. For syntax reference, see `frappe-syntax-jinja`.

**Version**: v14/v15/v16 (V16 Chrome PDF noted)

---

## Master Decision: What Are You Creating?

```
WHAT IS YOUR OUTPUT?
│
├─► Printable PDF (invoice, PO, report)?
│   ├─► Standard DocType → Print Format (Jinja)
│   └─► Query/Script Report → Report Print Format (JAVASCRIPT!)
│       ⚠️ Uses {%= %} NOT {{ }}
│
├─► Automated email with dynamic content?
│   └─► Email Template (Jinja, linked to DocType)
│
├─► System notification?
│   └─► Notification (Setup > Notification, uses Jinja)
│
├─► Customer-facing web page?
│   └─► Portal Page (myapp/www/*.html + *.py)
│
└─► Reusable template functions/filters?
    └─► Custom jenv methods in hooks.py
```

---

## Workflow 1: Create a Print Format

### Step 1: Create via UI

```
Setup > Printing > Print Format > New
- Name: My Invoice Format
- DocType: Sales Invoice
- Module: Accounts
- Standard: No (custom)
- Print Format Type: Jinja
```

### Step 2: Write the Template

```jinja
<style>
    .print-format { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; }
    .header { margin-bottom: 20px; }
    .table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 20px 0; }
    .table th, .table td { border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px; }
    .table th { background: #f0f0f0; }
    .text-right { text-align: right; }
</style>

<div class="header">
    <h1>{{ doc.select_print_heading or _("Invoice") }}</h1>
    <p><strong>{{ doc.name }}</strong> |
       {{ doc.get_formatted("posting_date") }}</p>
</div>

<p><strong>{{ doc.customer_name }}</strong></p>
{% if doc.address_display %}
    <p>{{ doc.address_display | safe }}</p>
{% endif %}

<table class="table">
    <thead>
        <tr>
            <th>#</th>
            <th>{{ _("Item") }}</th>
            <th class="text-right">{{ _("Qty") }}</th>
            <th class="text-right">{{ _("Rate") }}</th>
            <th class="text-right">{{ _("Amount") }}</th>
        </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
        {% for row in doc.items %}
        <tr>
            <td>{{ row.idx }}</td>
            <td>{{ row.item_name }}</td>
            <td class="text-right">{{ row.qty }}</td>
            <td class="text-right">{{ row.get_formatted("rate", doc) }}</td>
            <td class="text-right">{{ row.get_formatted("amount", doc) }}</td>
        </tr>
        {% endfor %}
    </tbody>
</table>

{% for tax in doc.taxes %}
<p class="text-right">{{ tax.description }}: {{ tax.get_formatted("tax_amount", doc) }}</p>
{% endfor %}

<p class="text-right">
    <strong>{{ _("Grand Total") }}: {{ doc.get_formatted("grand_total") }}</strong>
</p>

{% if doc.terms %}
<div style="margin-top: 30px; border-top: 1px solid #ddd; padding-top: 10px;">
    <strong>{{ _("Terms and Conditions") }}</strong>
    {{ doc.terms | safe }}
</div>
{% endif %}
```

### Step 3: Test

1. Open a Sales Invoice
2. Menu > Print > Select "My Invoice Format"
3. Verify layout and formatting
4. **ALWAYS** test PDF download — wkhtmltopdf renders differently from browser

### Critical Rules for Print Formats

- **ALWAYS** use `doc.get_formatted("field")` for currency, dates, numbers
- **ALWAYS** pass parent doc for child rows: `row.get_formatted("rate", doc)`
- **ALWAYS** wrap user-facing text with `_("text")` for translation
- **ALWAYS** put CSS in a `<style>` block at the top (not external files)
- **NEVER** use flexbox in v14/v15 (wkhtmltopdf does not support it) — V16 Chrome PDF does
- **NEVER** use `| safe` on user-supplied input — only on trusted system HTML

---

## Workflow 2: Create an Email Template

### Step 1: Create via UI

```
Setup > Email > Email Template > New
- Name: Payment Reminder
- Subject: Invoice {{ doc.name }} - Payment Reminder
- DocType: Sales Invoice
```

### Step 2: Write Email Content

**ALWAYS** use inline styles for emails — most clients strip `<style>` blocks.

```jinja
<div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; max-width: 600px;">
    <p>{{ _("Dear") }} {{ doc.customer_name }},</p>

    <p>{{ _("Invoice") }} <strong>{{ doc.name }}</strong>
    {{ _("for") }} {{ doc.get_formatted("grand_total") }}
    {{ _("is due for payment.") }}</p>

    <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 20px 0;">
        <tr style="background: #f5f5f5;">
            <td style="padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">
                <strong>{{ _("Due Date") }}</strong></td>
            <td style="padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">
                {{ frappe.format_date(doc.due_date) }}</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td style="padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">
                <strong>{{ _("Outstanding") }}</strong></td>
            <td style="padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd; color: #c00;">
                {{ doc.get_formatted("outstanding_amount") }}</td>
        </tr>
    </table>

    {% if doc.items %}
    <p><strong>{{ _("Items") }}:</strong></p>
    <ul>
    {% for item in doc.items[:5] %}
        <li>{{ item.item_name }} ({{ item.qty }})</li>
    {% endfor %}
    {% if doc.items | length > 5 %}
        <li style="color: #666;">{{ _("and {0} more...").format(doc.items|length - 5) }}</li>
    {% endif %}
    </ul>
    {% endif %}

    <p>{{ _("Best regards") }},<br>
    {{ frappe.db.get_value("Company", doc.company, "company_name") }}</p>
</div>
```

### Step 3: Use in Notification or Code

**Option A: Auto-triggered Notification**

```
Setup > Notification > New
- Channel: Email
- Document Type: Sales Invoice
- Send Alert On: Days After (7 days after due_date)
- Condition: doc.outstanding_amount > 0
- Email Template: Payment Reminder
```

**Option B: Send from code**

```python
template = frappe.get_doc("Email Template", "Payment Reminder")
frappe.sendmail(
    recipients=[doc.contact_email],
    subject=frappe.render_template(template.subject, {"doc": doc}),
    message=frappe.render_template(template.response, {"doc": doc}),
    reference_doctype=doc.doctype,
    reference_name=doc.name
)
```

---

## Workflow 3: Create a Notification Template

### Step 1: Create via UI

```
Setup > Notification > New
- Name: Low Stock Alert
- Channel: Email (or Slack, System Notification)
- Document Type: Stock Ledger Entry
- Send Alert On: Method (on change)
- Condition: doc.actual_qty < 10
```

### Step 2: Write Message (Jinja)

```jinja
<h3>{{ _("Low Stock Alert") }}</h3>
<p>{{ _("Item") }}: <strong>{{ doc.item_code }}</strong></p>
<p>{{ _("Warehouse") }}: {{ doc.warehouse }}</p>
<p>{{ _("Current Stock") }}: {{ doc.actual_qty }}</p>
<p>{{ _("Please reorder.") }}</p>
```

---

## Workflow 4: Create a Portal Page

### Step 1: Create directory structure

```
myapp/
└── www/
    └── my-orders/
        ├── index.html    # Jinja template
        └── index.py      # Python context
```

### Step 2: Create context (index.py)

```python
import frappe

def get_context(context):
    if frappe.session.user == "Guest":
        frappe.local.flags.redirect_location = "/login"
        raise frappe.Redirect

    context.title = "My Orders"
    context.no_cache = True

    customer = frappe.db.get_value("Contact",
        {"user": frappe.session.user}, "link_name")

    context.orders = frappe.get_all("Sales Order",
        filters={"customer": customer, "docstatus": ["!=", 2]},
        fields=["name", "transaction_date", "grand_total", "status"],
        order_by="transaction_date desc",
        limit=50
    ) if customer else []

    return context
```

### Step 3: Create template (index.html)

```jinja
{% extends "templates/web.html" %}

{% block title %}{{ _("My Orders") }}{% endblock %}

{% block page_content %}
<div class="container my-4">
    <h1>{{ _("My Orders") }}</h1>

    {% if orders %}
    <table class="table table-hover">
        <thead>
            <tr>
                <th>{{ _("Order") }}</th>
                <th>{{ _("Date") }}</th>
                <th>{{ _("Status") }}</th>
                <th class="text-right">{{ _("Total") }}</th>
            </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
            {% for order in orders %}
            <tr>
                <td><a href="/orders/{{ order.name }}">{{ order.name }}</a></td>
                <td>{{ frappe.format_date(order.transaction_date) }}</td>
                <td>{{ order.status }}</td>
                <td class="text-right">
                    {{ frappe.format(order.grand_total, {"fieldtype": "Currency"}) }}
                </td>
            </tr>
            {% endfor %}
        </tbody>
    </table>
    {% else %}
    <p class="text-muted">{{ _("No orders found.") }}</p>
    {% endif %}
</div>
{% endblock %}
```

### Step 4: Test at `https://yoursite.com/my-orders`

---

## Workflow 5: Register Custom Jinja Methods

### Step 1: Add to hooks.py

```python
jenv = {
    "methods": ["myapp.jinja_utils.methods"],
    "filters": ["myapp.jinja_utils.filters"]
}
```

### Step 2: Create methods module

```python
# myapp/jinja_utils/methods.py
import frappe

def get_company_logo(company):
    """Usage: {{ get_company_logo(doc.company) }}"""
    return frappe.db.get_value("Company", company, "company_logo") or ""

def format_address(address_name):
    """Usage: {{ format_address(doc.customer_address) | safe }}"""
    if not address_name:
        return ""
    return frappe.get_doc("Address", address_name).get_display()
```

### Step 3: Create filters module

```python
# myapp/jinja_utils/filters.py
def phone_format(value):
    """Usage: {{ doc.phone | phone_format }}"""
    if not value:
        return ""
    digits = ''.join(c for c in str(value) if c.isdigit())
    if len(digits) == 10:
        return f"({digits[:3]}) {digits[3:6]}-{digits[6:]}"
    return value
```

### Step 4: Deploy

```bash
bench --site sitename migrate
bench --site sitename clear-cache
```

### Critical Rules for Custom Jinja Methods

- Custom methods should be **READ-ONLY** — **NEVER** write to database or commit
- **ALWAYS** handle None/empty input gracefully (return empty string)
- **NEVER** call slow external APIs — templates must render fast

---

## Workflow 6: Debug a Template

### Template Not Rendering?

```jinja
<!-- Step 1: Check if doc is available -->
<!-- DEBUG: {{ doc.name if doc else 'NO DOC' }} -->

<!-- Step 2: Check child table -->
<!-- DEBUG: items count = {{ doc.items | length if doc.items else 0 }} -->

<!-- Step 3: Check specific field -->
<!-- DEBUG: grand_total = {{ doc.grand_total }} -->
```

### Common Debugging Steps

1. Check **Error Log** (Setup > Error Log) for template exceptions
2. Use `frappe.render_template(template_string, {"doc": doc})` in bench console
3. For Print Formats: Menu > Print > check browser console for errors
4. For Portal Pages: check Python context — add `frappe.logger().info(context)` in `get_context`

### Common Pitfalls

| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---------|-------|-----|
| Blank output | Wrong template type (Jinja in Report) | Reports use JS: `{%= %}` |
| "None" displayed | Field is null | Use `\| default('')` |
| Wrong currency format | Missing parent doc context | Use `row.get_formatted("rate", doc)` |
| HTML showing as text | Auto-escaping | Add `\| safe` (trusted content only) |
| Translations not working | Missing `_()` wrapper | Wrap all strings: `{{ _("text") }}` |

---

## Quick Patterns: Child Tables, Conditionals, Translation

```jinja
{# Child tables — ALWAYS pass parent doc for formatting context #}
{% for row in doc.items %}
  {{ row.get_formatted("rate", doc) }}  {# Correct: has currency context #}
{% endfor %}

{# Conditional sections #}
{% if doc.shipping_address_name %}
  {{ doc.shipping_address | safe }}
{% endif %}

{# Translation — ALWAYS wrap user-facing text #}
{{ _("Invoice") }}
{{ _("Page {0} of {1}").format(page, total_pages) }}
{{ doc.get_formatted("grand_total") }}  {# Auto-formats per locale #}
```

---

## Styling/CSS in Print Formats

```css
@page { margin: 1.5cm; }
.avoid-break { page-break-inside: avoid; }
thead { display: table-header-group; }   /* Repeat header on pages */
.page-break { page-break-before: always; }
/* V14/V15: NO flexbox (wkhtmltopdf). V16 Chrome PDF: flexbox OK */
.layout { display: table; width: 100%; }
.col { display: table-cell; vertical-align: top; }
```

---

## Context Variables Quick Reference

| Template Type | Available Objects |
|---------------|-------------------|
| Print Format | `doc`, `frappe`, `_()`, `frappe.format()` |
| Email Template | `doc`, `frappe` (limited), `_()` |
| Notification | `doc`, `frappe`, event data |
| Portal Page | `frappe.session`, `frappe.form_dict`, custom context |

---

## Version Differences

| Feature | V14 | V15 | V16 |
|---------|:---:|:---:|:---:|
| Jinja templates | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| get_formatted() | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| jenv hooks | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| wkhtmltopdf PDF | Yes | Yes | Deprecated |
| **Chrome PDF** | No | No | **Yes** |

> V16 Chrome PDF supports modern CSS (flexbox, grid, CSS variables). See `frappe-syntax-jinja` for details.

---

## Reference Files

| File | Contents |
|------|----------|
| [decision-tree.md](references/decision-tree.md) | Complete template type selection flowcharts |
| [print-format-decision.md](references/print-format-decision.md) | Jinja vs Print Designer vs JS Microtemplate decision tree |
| [workflows.md](references/workflows.md) | Step-by-step patterns for all template types |
| [examples.md](references/examples.md) | Production-ready templates (invoice, email, portal) |