Release: 1.3.10 | Release Date: Thu Apr 10 2025

# Mako 1.3.10 Documentation

# Namespaces

Namespaces are used to organize groups of defs into categories, and also to “import” defs from other files.

If the file `components.html` defines these two defs:

    ## components.html
    <%def name="comp1()">
        this is comp1
    </%def>

    <%def name="comp2(x)">
        this is comp2, x is ${x}
    </%def>

you can make another file, for example `index.html`, that pulls those two defs into a namespace called `comp`:

    ## index.html
    <%namespace name="comp" file="components.html"/>

    Here's comp1:  ${comp.comp1()}
    Here's comp2:  ${comp.comp2(x=5)}

The `comp` variable above is an instance of `Namespace`, a proxy object which delivers method calls to the underlying template callable using the current context.

`<%namespace>` also provides an `import` attribute which can be used to pull the names into the local namespace, removing the need to call it via the “`.`” operator. When `import` is used, the `name` attribute is optional.

    <%namespace file="components.html" import="comp1, comp2"/>

    Heres comp1:  ${comp1()}
    Heres comp2:  ${comp2(x=5)}

`import` also supports the “`*`” operator:

    <%namespace file="components.html" import="*"/>

    Heres comp1:  ${comp1()}
    Heres comp2:  ${comp2(x=5)}

The names imported by the `import` attribute take precedence over any names that exist within the current context.

Note

In current versions of Mako, usage of `import='*'` is known to decrease performance of the template. This will be fixed in a future release.

The `file` argument allows expressions – if looking for context variables, the `context` must be named explicitly:

    <%namespace name="dyn" file="${context['namespace_name']}"/>

## Ways to Call Namespaces

There are essentially four ways to call a function from a namespace.

The “expression” format, as described previously. Namespaces are just Python objects with functions on them, and can be used in expressions like any other function:

    ${mynamespace.somefunction('some arg1', 'some arg2', arg3='some arg3', arg4='some arg4')}

Synonymous with the “expression” format is the “custom tag” format, when a “closed” tag is used. This format, introduced in Mako 0.2.3, allows the usage of a “custom” Mako tag, with the function arguments passed in using named attributes:

    <%mynamespace:somefunction arg1="some arg1" arg2="some arg2" arg3="some arg3" arg4="some arg4"/>

When using tags, the values of the arguments are taken as literal strings by default. To embed Python expressions as arguments, use the embedded expression format:

    <%mynamespace:somefunction arg1="${someobject.format()}" arg2="${somedef(5, 12)}"/>

The “custom tag” format is intended mainly for namespace functions which recognize body content, which in Mako is known as a “def with embedded content”:

    <%mynamespace:somefunction arg1="some argument" args="x, y">
        Some record: ${x}, ${y}
    </%mynamespace:somefunction>

The “classic” way to call defs with embedded content is the `<%call>` tag:

    <%call expr="mynamespace.somefunction(arg1='some argument')" args="x, y">
        Some record: ${x}, ${y}
    </%call>

For information on how to construct defs that embed content from the caller, see Calling a Def with Embedded Content and/or Other Defs.

## Namespaces from Regular Python Modules

Namespaces can also import regular Python functions from modules. These callables need to take at least one argument, `context`, an instance of `Context`. A module file `some/module.py` might contain the callable:

    def my_tag(context):
        context.write("hello world")
        return ''

A template can use this module via:

    <%namespace name="hw" module="some.module"/>

    ${hw.my_tag()}

Note that the `context` argument is not needed in the call; the `Namespace` tag creates a locally-scoped callable which takes care of it. The `return ''` is so that the def does not dump a `None` into the output stream – the return value of any def is rendered after the def completes, in addition to whatever was passed to `Context.write()` within its body.

If your def is to be called in an “embedded content” context, that is as described in Calling a Def with Embedded Content and/or Other Defs, you should use the `supports_caller()` decorator, which will ensure that Mako will ensure the correct “caller” variable is available when your def is called, supporting embedded content:

    from mako.runtime import supports_caller

    @supports_caller
    def my_tag(context):
        context.write("<div>")
        context['caller'].body()
        context.write("</div>")
        return ''

Capturing of output is available as well, using the outside-of-templates version of the `capture()` function, which accepts the “context” as its first argument:

    from mako.runtime import supports_caller, capture

    @supports_caller
    def my_tag(context):
        return "<div>%s</div>" % \
                capture(context, context['caller'].body, x="foo", y="bar")

## Declaring Defs in Namespaces

The `<%namespace>` tag supports the definition of `<%def>`s directly inside the tag. These defs become part of the namespace like any other function, and will override the definitions pulled in from a remote template or module:

    ## define a namespace
    <%namespace name="stuff">
        <%def name="comp1()">
            comp1
        </%def>
    </%namespace>

    ## then call it
    ${stuff.comp1()}

## The `body()` Method

Every namespace that is generated from a template contains a method called `body()`. This method corresponds to the main body of the template, and plays its most important roles when using inheritance relationships as well as def-calls-with-content.

Since the `body()` method is available from a namespace just like all the other defs defined in a template, what happens if you send arguments to it? By default, the `body()` method accepts no positional arguments, and for usefulness in inheritance scenarios will by default dump all keyword arguments into a dictionary called `pageargs`. But if you actually want to get at the keyword arguments, Mako recommends you define your own argument signature explicitly. You do this via using the `<%page>` tag:

    <%page args="x, y, someval=8, scope='foo', **kwargs"/>

A template which defines the above signature requires that the variables `x` and `y` are defined, defines default values for `someval` and `scope`, and sets up `**kwargs` to receive all other keyword arguments. If `**kwargs` or similar is not present, the argument `**pageargs` gets tacked on by Mako. When the template is called as a top-level template (i.e. via `Template.render()`) or via the `<%include>` tag, the values for these arguments will be pulled from the `Context`. In all other cases, i.e. via calling the `body()` method, the arguments are taken as ordinary arguments from the method call. So above, the body might be called as:

    ${self.body(5, y=10, someval=15, delta=7)}

The `Context` object also supplies a `Context.kwargs` accessor, for cases when you’d like to pass along the top level context arguments to a `body()` callable:

    ${next.body(**context.kwargs)}

The usefulness of calls like the above become more apparent when one works with inheriting templates. For more information on this, as well as the meanings of the names `self` and `next`, see Inheritance.

## Built-in Namespaces

The namespace is so great that Mako gives your template one (or two) for free. The names of these namespaces are `local` and `self`. Other built-in namespaces include `parent` and `next`, which are optional and are described in Inheritance.

### `local`

The `local` namespace is basically the namespace for the currently executing template. This means that all of the top level defs defined in your template, as well as your template’s `body()` function, are also available off of the `local` namespace.

The `local` namespace is also where properties like `uri`, `filename`, and `module` and the `get_namespace` method can be particularly useful.

### `self`

The `self` namespace, in the case of a template that does not use inheritance, is synonymous with `local`. If inheritance is used, then `self` references the topmost template in the inheritance chain, where it is most useful for providing the ultimate form of various “method” calls which may have been overridden at various points in an inheritance chain. See Inheritance.

## Inheritable Namespaces

The `<%namespace>` tag includes an optional attribute `inheritable="True"`, which will cause the namespace to be attached to the `self` namespace. Since `self` is globally available throughout an inheritance chain (described in the next section), all the templates in an inheritance chain can get at the namespace imported in a super-template via `self`.

    ## base.html
    <%namespace name="foo" file="foo.html" inheritable="True"/>

    ${next.body()}

    ## somefile.html
    <%inherit file="base.html"/>

    ${self.foo.bar()}

This allows a super-template to load a whole bunch of namespaces that its inheriting templates can get to, without them having to explicitly load those namespaces themselves.

The `import="*"` part of the `<%namespace>` tag doesn’t yet interact with the `inheritable` flag, so currently you have to use the explicit namespace name off of `self`, followed by the desired function name. But more on this in a future release.

## Namespace API Usage Example - Static Dependencies

The `<%namespace>` tag at runtime produces an instance of `Namespace`. Programmatic access of `Namespace` can be used to build various kinds of scaffolding in templates and between templates.

A common request is the ability for a particular template to declare “static includes” - meaning, the usage of a particular set of defs requires that certain Javascript/CSS files are present. Using `Namespace` as the object that holds together the various templates present, we can build a variety of such schemes. In particular, the `Context` has a `namespaces` attribute, which is a dictionary of all `Namespace` objects declared. Iterating the values of this dictionary will provide a `Namespace` object for each time the `<%namespace>` tag was used, anywhere within the inheritance chain.

### Version One - Use `Namespace.attr`

The `Namespace.attr` attribute allows us to locate any variables declared in the `<%! %>` of a template.

    ## base.mako
    ## base-most template, renders layout etc.
    <html>
    <head>
    ## traverse through all namespaces present,
    ## look for an attribute named 'includes'
    % for ns in context.namespaces.values():
        % for incl in getattr(ns.attr, 'includes', []):
            ${incl}
        % endfor
    % endfor
    </head>
    <body>
    ${next.body()}
    </body
    </html>

    ## library.mako
    ## library functions.
    <%!
        includes = [
            '<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="mystyle.css"/>',
            '<script type="text/javascript" src="functions.js"></script>'
        ]
    %>

    <%def name="mytag()">
        <form>
            ${caller.body()}
        </form>
    </%def>

    ## index.mako
    ## calling template.
    <%inherit file="base.mako"/>
    <%namespace name="foo" file="library.mako"/>

    <%foo:mytag>
        a form
    </%foo:mytag>

Above, the file `library.mako` declares an attribute `includes` inside its global `<%! %>` section. `index.mako` includes this template using the `<%namespace>` tag. The base template `base.mako`, which is the inherited parent of `index.mako` and is responsible for layout, then locates this attribute and iterates through its contents to produce the includes that are specific to `library.mako`.

### Version Two - Use a specific named def

In this version, we put the includes into a `<%def>` that follows a naming convention.

    ## base.mako
    ## base-most template, renders layout etc.
    <html>
    <head>
    ## traverse through all namespaces present,
    ## look for a %def named 'includes'
    % for ns in context.namespaces.values():
        % if hasattr(ns, 'includes'):
            ${ns.includes()}
        % endif
    % endfor
    </head>
    <body>
    ${next.body()}
    </body
    </html>

    ## library.mako
    ## library functions.

    <%def name="includes()">
        <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="mystyle.css"/>
        <script type="text/javascript" src="functions.js"></script>
    </%def>

    <%def name="mytag()">
        <form>
            ${caller.body()}
        </form>
    </%def>

    ## index.mako
    ## calling template.
    <%inherit file="base.mako"/>
    <%namespace name="foo" file="library.mako"/>

    <%foo:mytag>
        a form
    </%foo:mytag>

In this version, `library.mako` declares a `<%def>` named `includes`. The example works identically to the previous one, except that `base.mako` looks for defs named `include` on each namespace it examines.

## API Reference

Object Name | Description
--- | ---
capture(context, callable_, *args, **kwargs) | Execute the given template def, capturing the output into a buffer.
ModuleNamespace | Bases: `Namespace`
Namespace | Bases: `object`
supports_caller(func) | Apply a caller_stack compatibility decorator to a plain Python function.
TemplateNamespace | Bases: `Namespace`

class mako.runtime.Namespace(name, context, callables=None, inherits=None, populate_self=True, calling_uri=None)

  Bases: `object`

  Provides access to collections of rendering methods, which can be local, from other templates, or from imported modules.

  To access a particular rendering method referenced by a `Namespace`, use plain attribute access:

      ${some_namespace.foo(x, y, z)}

  `Namespace` also contains several built-in attributes described here.

  Member Name | Description
  --- | ---
  attr | Access module level attributes by name.
  cache | Return the `Cache` object referenced by this `Namespace` object’s `Template`.
  context | The `Context` object for this `Namespace`.
  filename | The path of the filesystem file used for this `Namespace`’s module or template.
  get_cached() | Return a value from the `Cache` referenced by this `Namespace` object’s `Template`.
  get_namespace() | Return a `Namespace` corresponding to the given `uri`.
  get_template() | Return a `Template` from the given `uri`.
  include_file() | Include a file at the given `uri`.
  module | The Python module referenced by this `Namespace`.
  template | The `Template` object referenced by this `Namespace`, if any.
  uri | The URI for this `Namespace`’s template.

  attribute `mako.runtime.Namespace.`attr

    Access module level attributes by name.

    This accessor allows templates to supply “scalar” attributes which are particularly handy in inheritance relationships.

    See also

    Inheritable Attributes

    Version One - Use Namespace.attr

  attribute `mako.runtime.Namespace.`cache

    Return the `Cache` object referenced by this `Namespace` object’s `Template`.

  attribute `mako.runtime.Namespace.`context = None

    The `Context` object for this `Namespace`.

    Namespaces are often created with copies of contexts that contain slightly different data, particularly in inheritance scenarios. Using the `Context` off of a `Namespace` one can traverse an entire chain of templates that inherit from one-another.

  attribute `mako.runtime.Namespace.`filename = None

    The path of the filesystem file used for this `Namespace`’s module or template.

    If this is a pure module-based `Namespace`, this evaluates to `module.__file__`. If a template-based namespace, it evaluates to the original template file location.

  method `mako.runtime.Namespace.`get_cached(key, **kwargs)

    Return a value from the `Cache` referenced by this `Namespace` object’s `Template`.

    The advantage to this method versus direct access to the `Cache` is that the configuration parameters declared in `<%page>` take effect here, thereby calling up the same configured backend as that configured by `<%page>`.

  method `mako.runtime.Namespace.`get_namespace(uri)

    Return a `Namespace` corresponding to the given `uri`.

    If the given `uri` is a relative URI (i.e. it does not contain a leading slash `/`), the `uri` is adjusted to be relative to the `uri` of the namespace itself. This method is therefore mostly useful off of the built-in `local` namespace, described in local.

    In most cases, a template wouldn’t need this function, and should instead use the `<%namespace>` tag to load namespaces. However, since all `<%namespace>` tags are evaluated before the body of a template ever runs, this method can be used to locate namespaces using expressions that were generated within the body code of the template, or to conditionally use a particular namespace.

  method `mako.runtime.Namespace.`get_template(uri)

    Return a `Template` from the given `uri`.

    The `uri` resolution is relative to the `uri` of this `Namespace` object’s `Template`.

  method `mako.runtime.Namespace.`include_file(uri, **kwargs)

    Include a file at the given `uri`.

  attribute `mako.runtime.Namespace.`module = None

    The Python module referenced by this `Namespace`.

    If the namespace references a `Template`, then this module is the equivalent of `template.module`, i.e. the generated module for the template.

  attribute `mako.runtime.Namespace.`template = None

    The `Template` object referenced by this `Namespace`, if any.

  attribute `mako.runtime.Namespace.`uri = None

    The URI for this `Namespace`’s template.

    I.e. whatever was sent to `TemplateLookup.get_template()`.

    This is the equivalent of `Template.uri`.

class mako.runtime.TemplateNamespace(name, context, template=None, templateuri=None, callables=None, inherits=None, populate_self=True, calling_uri=None)

  Bases: `Namespace`

  inherits from `mako.runtime.Namespace`

  A `Namespace` specific to a `Template` instance.

  Member Name | Description
  --- | ---
  filename | The path of the filesystem file used for this `Namespace`’s module or template.
  module | The Python module referenced by this `Namespace`.
  uri | The URI for this `Namespace`’s template.

  attribute `mako.runtime.TemplateNamespace.`filename

    The path of the filesystem file used for this `Namespace`’s module or template.

    If this is a pure module-based `Namespace`, this evaluates to `module.__file__`. If a template-based namespace, it evaluates to the original template file location.

  attribute `mako.runtime.TemplateNamespace.`module

    The Python module referenced by this `Namespace`.

    If the namespace references a `Template`, then this module is the equivalent of `template.module`, i.e. the generated module for the template.

  attribute `mako.runtime.TemplateNamespace.`uri

    The URI for this `Namespace`’s template.

    I.e. whatever was sent to `TemplateLookup.get_template()`.

    This is the equivalent of `Template.uri`.

class mako.runtime.ModuleNamespace(name, context, module, callables=None, inherits=None, populate_self=True, calling_uri=None)

  Bases: `Namespace`

  inherits from `mako.runtime.Namespace`

  A `Namespace` specific to a Python module instance.

  Member Name | Description
  --- | ---
  filename | The path of the filesystem file used for this `Namespace`’s module or template.

  attribute `mako.runtime.ModuleNamespace.`filename

    The path of the filesystem file used for this `Namespace`’s module or template.

    If this is a pure module-based `Namespace`, this evaluates to `module.__file__`. If a template-based namespace, it evaluates to the original template file location.

function mako.runtime.supports_caller(func)

  Apply a caller_stack compatibility decorator to a plain Python function.

  See the example in Namespaces from Regular Python Modules.

function mako.runtime.capture(context, callable_, *args, **kwargs)

  Execute the given template def, capturing the output into a buffer.

  See the example in Namespaces from Regular Python Modules.