Basic Templates

The Namerer generate function uses templates to control its output. Templates are strings interspersed with placeholders which when processed are replaced with values which correspond to the kind of placeholders used. For example the basic template ???### could be transformed into abc123.

The ? and # placeholders are really just shorthand for a more function-based syntax. Prior to processing a template into a string the ? and # characters are first converted into equivalent function-based syntax. For example, the ???### template would be expanded into the following:

[alpha()][alpha()][alpha()][numeric()][numeric()[numeric()]

We’ll explore Template Functions a little later, but for now know that ? is the same as [alpha()] and # is the same as [numeric()]. At this point in time ? and # are the only two shorthand characters. Now that you’ve got the basics you should check out the Template Functions section.