Handling Conditional Statements in NetSuite Freemarker Advanced PDF Templates: Avoiding Errors with > and Other Operators

Handling Conditional Statements in NetSuite Freemarker Advanced PDF Templates: Avoiding Errors with > and Other Operators

When working with conditional statements in NetSuite Advanced PDF Templates using Freemarker, improper use of comparison operators like > can lead to errors. These errors often occur because Freemarker may misinterpret symbols like > as part of HTML tags. Here’s how to handle conditions correctly and avoid common pitfalls.

Common Issue with > in Conditions

Freemarker treats the > symbol as a potential closing tag, especially in <#if> statements like <#if value > 10>. This results in parsing errors or unintended behavior.

Correct Ways to Handle Conditions

1. Wrap Conditions in Parentheses
2. Using parentheses ensures that Freemarker correctly interprets the condition as a logical expression.

<#if (value > 10)>
  Value is greater than 10
</#if>

1. Use Freemarker Keywords for Comparisons
2. Freemarker provides the following keywords for logical operators:

• gt for greater than (>)
• gte for greater than or equal to (>=)
• lt for less than (<)
• lte for less than or equal to (<=)

1. Example with gt:

<#if value gt 10>
  Value is greater than 10
</#if>

1. Example with gte:

<#if value gte 10>
  Value is greater than or equal to 10
</#if>

Tips for Other Conditions

• Equality and Inequality: Use == for equality and != for inequality, but always test to ensure the fields being compared are not null.
• Null Checks: Use the ?has_content directive to check if a field is not null before comparing.

<#if value?has_content && value gt 10>
  Value is greater than 10
</#if>

Best Practices

• Always test conditional logic in a sandbox environment with sample data.
• Use clear and consistent formatting in conditions to improve readability.
• Prefer Freemarker keywords (gt, gte, etc.) for greater compatibility and clarity.

By properly handling conditional statements, you can create error-free and robust Advanced PDF Templates in NetSuite, ensuring smooth functionality and professional results.