Split strings, replace characters, and combine strings

In Jinja templating, manipulating strings is a common requirement. This article explores three essential string operations: splitting strings, replacing characters, and combining strings. Understanding these techniques is crucial for developers working with Jinja templates, allowing for efficient data processing and presentation.

Split strings: Use .split()

The .split() method in Jinja is employed to divide a string into multiple substrings based on a specified character or a set of characters. By providing a delimiter, you can split the string at occurrences of that character.

{%- set mystring = "this_is_a_string" -%}
{{- 
    [
        item for item in mystring.split("_")
    ] 
-}}

In this example, the string "this_is_a_string" is split at each underscore (_), resulting in the output: ["this", "is", "a", "string"].

Replace characters: Use .replace() and | regex_replace()

The .replace() method or the | regex_replace() filter is utilized to replace specific characters in a string with another set of characters.

{%- set mystring = "this_is_a_string" -%}
{{-mystring.replace("_", " ")-}}
{#- another way is like this -#}
{{- mystring | regex_replace("_", " ") -}}

In both cases, the underscore (_) in the string "this_is_a_string" is replaced with a space, resulting in the output: "this is a string".

Combine strings: Use concatenation

Combining strings in Jinja is achieved similarly to Python. Strings can be concatenated using either the ~ or + operators.

{%- set string1 = "hello" -%}
{%- set string2 = "world" -%}
{{ string1~string2 }}

{%- set string1 = "hello" -%}
{%- set string2 = "world" -%}
{{ string1 + string2 }}

In this example, the strings "hello" and "world" are concatenated to form the output: "helloworld".

Note that in Jinja, the ~ operator is the preferred operator for this function.