---
id: templates
title: External Templates
---

`ent` accepts external [Go templates](https://golang.org/pkg/text/template) to execute using the `--template` flag.
If the template name already defined by `ent`, it will override the existing one. Otherwise, it will write the
execution output to a file with the same name as the template. For example:

`stringer.tmpl` - This template example will be written in a file named: `ent/stringer.go`.

```gotemplate
{{/* The line below tells Intellij/GoLand to enable the autocompletion based on the *gen.Graph type. */}}
{{/* gotype: entgo.io/ent/entc/gen.Graph */}}

{{ define "stringer" }}

{{/* Add the base header for the generated file */}}
{{ $pkg := base $.Config.Package }}
{{ template "header" $ }}

{{/* Loop over all nodes and implement the "GoStringer" interface */}}
{{ range $n := $.Nodes }}
	{{ $receiver := $n.Receiver }}
	func ({{ $receiver }} *{{ $n.Name }}) GoString() string {
		if {{ $receiver }} == nil {
			return fmt.Sprintf("{{ $n.Name }}(nil)")
		}
		return {{ $receiver }}.String()
	}
{{ end }}

{{ end }}
```

`debug.tmpl` - This template example will be written in a file named: `ent/debug.go`.

```gotemplate
{{ define "debug" }}

{{/* A template that adds the functionality for running each client <T> in debug mode */}}

{{/* Add the base header for the generated file */}}
{{ $pkg := base $.Config.Package }}
{{ template "header" $ }}

{{/* Loop over all nodes and add option the "Debug" method */}}
{{ range $n := $.Nodes }}
	{{ $client := print $n.Name "Client" }}
	func (c *{{ $client }}) Debug() *{{ $client }} {
		if c.debug {
			return c
		}
		cfg := config{driver: dialect.Debug(c.driver, c.log), log: c.log, debug: true, hooks: c.hooks}
		return &{{ $client }}{config: cfg}
	}
{{ end }}

{{ end }}
```

In order to override an existing template, use its name. For example:
```gotemplate
{{/* A template for adding additional fields to specific types. */}}
{{ define "model/fields/additional" }}
	{{- /* Add static fields to the "Card" entity. */}}
	{{- if eq $.Name "Card" }}
		// StaticField defined by templates.
		StaticField string `json:"static_field,omitempty"`
	{{- end }}
{{ end }}
```

## Helper Templates

As mentioned above, `ent` writes each template's execution output to a file named the same as the template.
For example, the output from a template defined as `{{ define "stringer" }}` will be written to a file named
`ent/stringer.go`.

By default, `ent` writes each template declared with `{{ define "<name>" }}` to a file. However, it is sometimes
desirable to define helper templates - templates that will not be invoked directly but rather be executed by other
templates. To facilitate this use case, `ent` supports two naming formats that designate a template as a helper.
The formats are:

1\. `{{ define "helper/.+" }}` for global helper templates. For example:

```gotemplate
{{ define "helper/foo" }}
    {{/* Logic goes here. */}}
{{ end }}

{{ define "helper/bar/baz" }}
    {{/* Logic goes here. */}}
{{ end }}
```

2\. `{{ define "<root-template>/helper/.+" }}` for local helper templates. A template is considered as "root" if
its execution output is written to a file. For example:

```gotemplate
{{/* A root template that is executed on the `gen.Graph` and will be written to a file named: `ent/http.go`.*/}}
{{ define "http" }}
    {{ range $n := $.Nodes }}
        {{ template "http/helper/get" $n }}
        {{ template "http/helper/post" $n }}
    {{ end }}
{{ end }}

{{/* A helper template that is executed on `gen.Type` */}}
{{ define "http/helper/get" }}
    {{/* Logic goes here. */}}
{{ end }}

{{/* A helper template that is executed on `gen.Type` */}}
{{ define "http/helper/post" }}
    {{/* Logic goes here. */}}
{{ end }}
```

## Annotations
Schema annotations allow attaching metadata to fields and edges and inject them to external templates.  
An annotation must be a Go type that is serializable to JSON raw value (e.g. struct, map or slice)
and implement the [Annotation](https://pkg.go.dev/entgo.io/ent/schema?tab=doc#Annotation) interface.

Here's an example of an annotation and its usage in schema and template:

1\. An annotation definition:

```go
package entgql

// Annotation annotates fields with metadata for templates.
type Annotation struct {
	// OrderField is the ordering field as defined in graphql schema.
	OrderField string
}

// Name implements ent.Annotation interface.
func (Annotation) Name() string {
	return "EntGQL"
}
```

2\. Annotation usage in ent/schema:

```go
// User schema.
type User struct {
	ent.Schema
}

// Fields of the user.
func (User) Fields() []ent.Field {
	return []ent.Field{
		field.Time("creation_date").
			Annotations(entgql.Annotation{
				OrderField: "CREATED_AT",
			}),
	}
}
```

3\. Annotation usage in external templates:

```gotemplate
{{ range $node := $.Nodes }}
	{{ range $f := $node.Fields }}
		{{/* Get the annotation by its name. See: Annotation.Name */}}
		{{ if $annotation := $f.Annotations.EntGQL }}
			{{/* Get the field from the annotation. */}}
			{{ $orderField := $annotation.OrderField }}
		{{ end }}
	{{ end }}
{{ end }}
```

## Global Annotations

Global annotation is a type of annotation that is injected into the `gen.Config` object and can be accessed globally
in all templates. For example, an annotation that holds a config file information (e.g. `gqlgen.yml` or `swagger.yml`)
add can accessed in all templates:

1\. An annotation definition:

```go
package gqlconfig

import (
	"entgo.io/ent/schema"
	"github.com/99designs/gqlgen/codegen/config"
)

// Annotation defines a custom annotation
// to be inject globally to all templates.
type Annotation struct {
    Config *config.Config
}

func (Annotation) Name() string {
    return "GQL"
}

var _ schema.Annotation = (*Annotation)(nil)
```

2\. Annotation usage in `ent/entc.go`:

```go
func main() {
	cfg, err := config.LoadConfig("<path to gqlgen.yml>")
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("loading gqlgen config: %v", err)
	}
	opts := []entc.Option{
		entc.TemplateDir("./template"),
		entc.Annotations(gqlconfig.Annotation{Config: cfg}),
	}
	err = entc.Generate("./schema", &gen.Config{
		Templates: entgql.AllTemplates,
	}, opts...)
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("running ent codegen: %v", err)
	}
}
```

3\. Annotation usage in external templates:

```gotemplate
{{- with $.Annotations.GQL.Config.StructTag }}
    {{/* Access the GQL configuration on *gen.Graph */}}
{{- end }}

{{ range $node := $.Nodes }}
    {{- with $node.Config.Annotations.GQL.Config.StructTag }}
        {{/* Access the GQL configuration on *gen.Type */}}
    {{- end }}
{{ end }}
```

## Examples
- A custom template for implementing the `Node` API for GraphQL - 
[Github](https://github.com/ent/ent/blob/master/entc/integration/template/ent/template/node.tmpl).

- An example for executing external templates with custom functions. See  [configuration](https://github.com/ent/ent/blob/master/examples/entcpkg/ent/entc.go) and its
[README](https://github.com/ent/ent/blob/master/examples/entcpkg) file.

## Documentation

Templates are executed on either a specific node type, or the entire schema graph. For API
documentation, see the <a target="_blank" href="https://pkg.go.dev/entgo.io/ent/entc/gen?tab=doc">GoDoc</a>.

## AutoCompletion

JetBrains users can add the following template annotation to enable the autocompletion in their templates:

```gotemplate
{{/* The line below tells Intellij/GoLand to enable the autocompletion based on the *gen.Graph type. */}}
{{/* gotype: entgo.io/ent/entc/gen.Graph */}}

{{ define "template" }}
    {{/* ... */}}
{{ end }}
```

See it in action:

![template-autocomplete](https://entgo.io/images/assets/template-autocomplete.gif)