@data-content : The Dynamic Content Attribute

The data-content attribute provides a mechanism for dynamically generating and inserting content into elements during the data binding phase.

This is supported by the data-content-type and data-content-action attributes.

On this page

Usage
- Basic Syntax
- Content Actions
Supported Elements
Binding Values
Notes
Examples
See Also

Usage

The data-content attribute accepts a string value containing HTML/XHTML markup or plain text. The content is parsed according to the document’s default parser or the MIME type specified in data-content-type. Unlike static content declared in the template, data-content evaluates at runtime, allowing you to:

Generate content from bound data values
Insert dynamically constructed HTML/XHTML markup
Replace element content conditionally
Prepend or append dynamic content to existing elements
Create inline templates without nested element structures

This attribute is particularly useful when:

Content structure varies based on data
You need to generate markup programmatically
Template content comes from external sources
You want to avoid deeply nested template structures

Basic Syntax

<!-- Simple text content -->
<label data-content="{{model.userName}}">Default Name</label>

<!-- HTML markup content -->
<div data-content="<p>Hello <strong>{{model.name}}</strong></p>"></div>

<!-- Dynamic content from bound expression -->
<span data-content="{{model.dynamicContent}}"></span>

<!-- Dynamic content in a template to be used when looping over each item (completely dynamic) -->
<template data-bind="{{context.items}}" data-content="{{model.layout}}" data-content-type="text/html" ></template>

Content Actions

The data-content-action attribute controls how the content is inserted:

Action	Behavior	Default
`append`	Add after existing content	No (except for VisualComponent)
`prepend`	Add before existing content	No
`replace`	Replace all existing content	Yes (for most components)

<!-- Replace existing content (default for labels) -->
<label data-content="{{model.newText}}">Old text</label>

<!-- Append to existing content -->
<div data-content="<p>{{model.additionalInfo}}</p>" data-content-action="append">
    <p>Existing content stays here</p>
</div>

Supported Elements

The data-content attribute is supported on the following elements:

Primary Support

<label> - Text labels with dynamic content (HTMLLabel)
<template> - Template elements with inline content definition (HTMLTemplate)
<frame> - Frame elements for document assembly (HTMLFrame)

General Support

All VisualComponent descendants - Any visual element that inherits from VisualComponent

Implementation Details

HTMLLabel: Content is set directly and rendered as text literal during pre-layout phase.

HTMLTemplate: Content is parsed as a template and used instead of child elements.

HTMLFrame: Content is parsed as HTML document and used for frame content.

VisualComponent: Content is parsed according to MIME type and inserted per the specified action.

Binding Values

Expression Evaluation

The data-content attribute value is evaluated during data binding, supporting:

<!-- Direct property binding -->
<label data-content="{{model.userName}}"></label>

<!-- Legacy syntax -->
<label data-content="{@:model.userName}"></label>

<!-- String concatenation -->
<label data-content="{{concat('Hello ', model.name)}}"></label>

<!-- Conditional content -->
<label data-content="{{model.isActive ? 'Active' : 'Inactive'}}"></label>

Content Type Specification

Use data-content-type to specify the MIME type of the content:

<!-- HTML content (default) -->
<div data-content="<p>HTML content</p>" data-content-type="text/html"></div>

<!-- XHTML content -->
<div data-content="<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p>XHTML</p></div>"
     data-content-type="application/xhtml+xml"></div>

<!-- Plain text -->
<div data-content="{{model.plainText}}" data-content-type="text/plain"></div>

<!-- Markdown content -->
<div data-content="{{model.markdownContent}}" data-content-type="text/markdown"></div>

Markup Requirements

Content must be well-formed according to the specified type:

For HTML/XHTML:

Must be valid markup
Elements must be properly closed
Attributes must be quoted
Namespace declarations required for XHTML

For Plain Text:

No parsing applied
Rendered as literal text
Special characters handled automatically

Notes

Content Parsing

Parse Timing: Content is parsed and inserted during the data binding phase, after all binding expressions are evaluated.
Parser Selection: The document’s parser for the specified MIME type is used. If no type is specified, the default content MIME type is used.
Validation: In strict conformance mode, parse errors will throw exceptions. In lax mode, warnings are logged.
Component Requirements: Parsed content must result in compatible components for the target element.

Label-Specific Behavior

For <label> elements:

Content is set as simple text during pre-layout
Existing content is cleared
No HTML parsing occurs
Most efficient for simple text replacement
Always replaces existing content

Template-Specific Behavior

For <template> elements:

Content defines the template to repeat
Takes precedence over child elements
Must contain valid HTML/XHTML
Creates parsable template generator
Useful for dynamic template definition

Frame-Specific Behavior

For <frame> elements:

Content must be a complete HTML document
Parsed as HTMLDocument component
Used for document assembly scenarios
Initialized and data-bound after parsing
Only accepts full XHTML documents

Content Action Behavior

The default data-content-action varies by component:

Label: Always replaces (action ignored)
Template: Always replaces (action ignored)
Frame: Always replaces (action ignored)
VisualComponent: Default is append

Performance Considerations

Parsing content has overhead; cache when possible
Use data-style-identifier with repeated patterns
Avoid complex markup in large iterations
Consider building content in code for complex scenarios
Pre-process and simplify content when feasible

Security Considerations

Content is parsed and executed in the document context
Validate external content sources
Sanitize user-provided content
Be cautious with dynamic code generation
Use strict conformance mode for validation

Examples

1. Simple Text Replacement in Label

Replace label text with bound data:

<!-- Model: { userName: "John Smith" } -->
<label data-content="{{model.userName}}">Loading...</label>

<!-- Result: John Smith -->

2. Dynamic Formatted Text

Generate formatted content from data:

<!-- Model: { firstName: "Jane", lastName: "Doe", title: "Dr." } -->
<label data-content="{{concat(model.title, ' ', model.firstName, ' ', model.lastName)}}">
    Name Placeholder
</label>

<!-- Result: Dr. Jane Doe -->

3. Conditional Content Display

Show different content based on conditions:

<!-- Model: { isActive: true, status: "Premium" } -->
<label data-content="{{model.isActive ? concat('Active - ', model.status) : 'Inactive'}}">
    Status Unknown
</label>

<!-- Result: Active - Premium -->

4. Dynamic HTML Content in Div

Insert formatted HTML markup:

<!-- Model: { productName: "Widget Pro", price: 29.99, inStock: true } -->
<div data-content="<div><strong>{{model.productName}}</strong><br/>Price: ${{model.price}}<br/><em>{{model.inStock ? 'In Stock' : 'Out of Stock'}}</em></div>"></div>

<!-- Renders formatted product info -->

5. Inline Template Content

Define template content inline without nested elements:

<!-- Model: { items: [{name: "A"}, {name: "B"}] } -->
<template data-bind="{{model.items}}"
          data-content="<div style='padding:5pt; border:1pt solid #ccc;'>{{.name}}</div>">
</template>

<!-- Generates: -->
<!-- <div>A</div> -->
<!-- <div>B</div> -->

6. Appending Dynamic Content

Add content after existing elements:

<div data-content="<p><em>{{model.disclaimer}}</em></p>" data-content-action="append">
    <p>Main content appears here first.</p>
</div>

<!-- Results in main content followed by disclaimer -->

7. Prepending Header Content

Add content before existing elements:

<div data-content="<h2>{{model.title}}</h2>" data-content-action="prepend">
    <p>This paragraph will appear after the title.</p>
</div>

<!-- Results in title followed by paragraph -->

8. Complex Multi-Line HTML Content

Generate complex markup structure:

<!-- Model: { user: {name: "Alice", role: "Admin", department: "IT"} } -->
<div data-content="<div style='border: 2pt solid #336699; padding: 10pt;'>
    <h3 style='margin: 0; color: #336699;'>{{model.user.name}}</h3>
    <div style='margin-top: 5pt;'>
        <strong>Role:</strong> {{model.user.role}}<br/>
        <strong>Department:</strong> {{model.user.department}}
    </div>
</div>">
</div>

9. Dynamic Table Content Generation

Create table structure dynamically:

<!-- Model: { columns: ["ID", "Name", "Status"], hasData: true } -->
<div data-content="<table style='width:100%;'>
    <thead>
        <tr>
            <template data-bind='{{model.columns}}'>
                <th>{{.}}</th>
            </template>
        </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
        <tr><td colspan='3' style='text-align:center;'>
            {{model.hasData ? 'Data will appear here' : 'No data available'}}
        </td></tr>
    </tbody>
</table>">
</div>

10. Conditional Section Inclusion

Include entire sections conditionally:

<!-- Model: { showWarning: true, warningMessage: "Important notice" } -->
<div data-content="{{model.showWarning ? concat('<div style=\'background-color: #fff3cd; padding: 10pt; border: 1pt solid #ffc107;\'><strong>Warning:</strong> ', model.warningMessage, '</div>') : ''}}">
</div>

<!-- Only renders if showWarning is true -->

11. List Generation with Dynamic Styling

Create styled list items:

<!-- Model: { priority: "high", tasks: ["Task A", "Task B"] } -->
<template data-bind="{{model.tasks}}"
          data-content="<div style='padding: 8pt; margin: 5pt; border-left: 3pt solid {{model.priority === 'high' ? '#dc3545' : '#28a745'}};'>{{.}}</div>">
</template>

<!-- Each task gets colored border based on priority -->

12. Placeholder with Fallback Content

Show dynamic content or fallback:

<!-- Model: { description: null } -->
<div data-content="{{model.description ? model.description : '<em style=\'color: #999;\'>No description available</em>'}}">
    Loading...
</div>

<!-- Shows fallback when description is null -->

13. Markdown Content Injection

Inject dynamically bound markdown — useful when content comes from a CMS or external source stored as markdown:

<!-- Model: { notes: "## Summary\n\nThis is the **summary** section.\n\n- Point one\n- Point two" } -->
<div data-content="{{model.notes}}" data-content-type="text/markdown"></div>

<!-- Notes are parsed as markdown and rendered as styled HTML in the PDF -->

Both text/markdown and text/x-markdown MIME types are accepted. Content is converted to HTML before layout, so all standard Scryber HTML elements and CSS styles apply to the rendered output.

Markdown bindings also work inside {{#each}} loops:

<!-- Model: { items: [{ title: "Alpha", body: "## Alpha\n\nContent for alpha." }, ...] } -->
<ul>
    {{#each model.items}}
    <li data-content="{{this.body}}" data-content-type="text/markdown"></li>
    {{/each}}
</ul>

14. Frame with Dynamic Document Content

Assemble documents dynamically:

<!-- Model: { reportContent: "<html>...</html>" } -->
<frameset>
    <frame src="header.html"></frame>
    <frame data-content="{{model.reportContent}}"></frame>
    <frame src="footer.html"></frame>
</frameset>

<!-- Inserts dynamic report between header and footer -->

15. Localized Content Injection

Insert locale-specific content:

<!-- Model: { locale: "es", welcomeMessages: {en: "Welcome", es: "Bienvenido"} } -->
<label data-content="{{model.welcomeMessages[model.locale]}}">
    Welcome
</label>

<!-- Shows: Bienvenido -->

16. Rich Text with Embedded Bindings

Create complex formatted content with multiple bindings:

<!-- Model: { order: {id: 1234, date: "2024-10-13", customer: "Acme Corp", total: 1500.00} } -->
<div data-content="<div style='padding: 15pt; border: 2pt solid #336699;'>
    <h2 style='margin: 0 0 10pt 0; color: #336699;'>Order Confirmation</h2>
    <div style='margin-bottom: 5pt;'><strong>Order Number:</strong> {{model.order.id}}</div>
    <div style='margin-bottom: 5pt;'><strong>Date:</strong> {{model.order.date}}</div>
    <div style='margin-bottom: 5pt;'><strong>Customer:</strong> {{model.order.customer}}</div>
    <div style='margin-top: 10pt; padding-top: 10pt; border-top: 1pt solid #ccc;'>
        <strong>Total:</strong> <span style='font-size: 14pt; color: #336699;'>${{model.order.total}}</span>
    </div>
</div>">
</div>

17. Template with Alternate Content Definition

Define template behavior inline:

<!-- Model: { items: [{type: "A", name: "Item 1"}, {type: "B", name: "Item 2"}] } -->
<template data-bind="{{model.items}}"
          data-content="<div style='padding: 10pt; background-color: {{.type === 'A' ? '#e3f2fd' : '#f3e5f5'}}; margin-bottom: 5pt;'>
              <strong>{{.type}}:</strong> {{.name}}
          </div>">
</template>

<!-- Type A items get blue background, Type B get purple -->