Alert Templates -- Advanced¶

This page covers Dexter's Handlebars helpers, conditional logic, custom maps, partials, and complex template patterns. For the basics of DTS structure and template variables, see Alert Templates.

Handlebars helpers reference¶

Dexter registers a comprehensive set of Handlebars helpers beyond the built-in {{#if}}, {{#each}}, and {{#unless}}. All helpers can be used as inline expressions or as block helpers where noted.

Comparison helpers¶

These helpers work both inline (returning a truthy/empty string) and as block helpers (with {{else}} support).

Helper	Usage	Description
`eq` / `equals`	`{{#eq iv '100.00'}}...{{/eq}}`	Strict equality (string comparison)
`is`	`{{#is gender 1}}...{{/is}}`	Same as `eq`
`isnt` / `ne` / `neq` / `notEq` / `notEquals`	`{{#isnt formName 'Normal'}}...{{/isnt}}`	Not equal
`gt`	`{{#gt level 30}}...{{/gt}}`	Greater than
`gte`	`{{#gte iv 90}}...{{/gte}}`	Greater than or equal
`lt`	`{{#lt cp 100}}...{{/lt}}`	Less than
`lte`	`{{#lte size 1}}...{{/lte}}`	Less than or equal
`compare`	`{{#compare rank '<=' 10}}...{{/compare}}`	General comparison with operator
`not`	`{{#not confirmedTime}}...{{/not}}`	Negation
`isFalsey`	`{{#isFalsey value}}...{{/isFalsey}}`	True when value is falsy
`contains` / `includes`	`{{#contains areas 'downtown'}}...{{/contains}}`	Check if string/array/map contains a value
`startsWith`	`{{#startsWith name 'Mega'}}...{{/startsWith}}`	String prefix check
`endsWith`	`{{#endsWith name 'X'}}...{{/endsWith}}`	String suffix check

The compare helper accepts these operators: ==, !=, <, <=, >, >=:

{{#compare gruntRewardsList.first.chance '==' 100}}
  Guaranteed: {{#forEach gruntRewardsList.first.monsters}}{{this.name}}{{/forEach}}
{{/compare}}
{{#compare gruntRewardsList.first.chance '<' 100}}
  {{gruntRewardsList.first.chance}}%: ...
{{/compare}}

Logic helpers¶

Helper	Usage	Description
`or`	`{{#or pvpGreat pvpUltra}}...{{/or}}`	Logical OR (two arguments)
`and`	`{{#and confirmedTime boosted}}...{{/and}}`	Logical AND (two arguments)

These work as block helpers with {{else}} support, or inline returning truthy/empty.

Numeric helpers¶

Helper	Usage	Description
`round`	`{{round iv}}`	Round to nearest integer
`numberFormat` / `toFixed`	`{{numberFormat iv 2}}`	Format to N decimal places
`add`	`{{add level 5}}`	Addition
`subtract`	`{{subtract cp 100}}`	Subtraction
`minus`	`{{minus lureTypeId 500}}`	Subtraction (alias)
`multiply`	`{{multiply weight 2.2}}`	Multiplication
`divide`	`{{divide cp 10}}`	Division
`mod`	`{{mod pokemonId 3}}`	Modulus
`sum`	`{{sum atk def sta}}`	Sum multiple values
`ceil`	`{{ceil iv}}`	Round up
`floor`	`{{floor iv}}`	Round down
`abs`	`{{abs value}}`	Absolute value
`min`	`{{min atk def}}`	Minimum of two values
`max`	`{{max atk def}}`	Maximum of two values
`addCommas`	`{{addCommas stardust}}`	Format number with commas (e.g. `1,234,567`)
`pad0`	`{{pad0 pokemonId}}`	Zero-pad to 3 digits (e.g. `021`)

pad0 accepts an optional second argument for pad width: {{pad0 pokemonId 4}} gives 0021.

String helpers¶

Helper	Usage	Description
`uppercase` / `upper` / `toUpperCase`	`{{uppercase name}}`	Convert to uppercase
`lowercase` / `lower` / `toLowerCase`	`{{lowercase nameEng}}`	Convert to lowercase
`capitalize`	`{{capitalize weatherNextName}}`	Capitalise first letter
`pvpSlug`	`{{pvpSlug fullName}}`	Convert name to PVP-safe slug format
`concat`	`{{concat pokemonId '_' formId}}`	Concatenate strings (e.g. `5_0`)
`replace` / `replaceAll`	`{{replace name " " "_"}}`	Replace all occurrences
`replaceFirst`	`{{replaceFirst name "Mega " ""}}`	Replace first occurrence only
`split`	`{{split areas ","}}`	Split string into array
`join`	`{{join matched ", "}}`	Join array into string
`length`	`{{length pvpGreat}}`	Length of array, map, or string
`default`	`{{default formName "Normal"}}`	Return fallback if value is falsy
`json` / `stringify`	`{{json someObject}}`	Serialise value as JSON string

pvpSlug¶

The pvpSlug helper converts Pokemon names into URL-safe identifiers suitable for PVP lookup sites. It lowercases the name, replaces spaces and special characters with underscores, converts gender symbols (e.g. Nidoran), and title-cases each segment:

{{pvpSlug fullName}}
{{!-- "Nidoran ♀" becomes "Nidoran_Female" --}}
{{!-- "Galarian Stunfisk" becomes "Galarian_Stunfisk" --}}

Pokemon data helpers¶

Helper	Usage	Description
`pokemonName`	`{{pokemonName 25}}`	Look up pokemon name by ID (localised)
`pokemonNameEng`	`{{pokemonNameEng 25}}`	Pokemon name by ID (English)
`pokemonNameAlt`	`{{pokemonNameAlt 25}}`	Pokemon name by ID (alt language)
`pokemonForm`	`{{pokemonForm 65}}`	Form name by form ID (localised)
`pokemonFormEng`	`{{pokemonFormEng 65}}`	Form name by form ID (English)
`pokemonFormAlt`	`{{pokemonFormAlt 65}}`	Form name by form ID (alt language)
`pokemonBaseStats`	`{{pokemonBaseStats 25}}`	Base stats object for a pokemon ID
`calculateCp`	`{{calculateCp baseStats 20 15 15 15}}`	Calculate CP from base stats, level, and IVs
`moveName`	`{{moveName move_1}}`	Move name by ID (localised)
`moveNameEng`	`{{moveNameEng move_1}}`	Move name by ID (English)
`moveNameAlt`	`{{moveNameAlt move_1}}`	Move name by ID (alt language)
`moveType`	`{{moveType move_1}}`	Move type name by move ID
`moveEmoji`	`{{moveEmoji move_1}}`	Move type emoji by move ID
`translateAlt`	`{{translateAlt "Fire"}}`	Translate text to alt language
`getEmoji`	`{{{getEmoji 'great-league'}}}`	Look up a custom emoji by name

calculateCp¶

Calculates the CP for a pokemon given its base stats, level, and individual IVs:

{{!-- Perfect IV at level 20 (normal catch) --}}
{{calculateCp baseStats 20 15 15 15}}

{{!-- Perfect IV at level 25 (weather boosted catch) --}}
{{calculateCp baseStats 25 15 15 15}}

{{!-- Look up stats by pokemon ID, then calculate --}}
{{calculateCp (pokemonBaseStats 150) 20 15 15 15}}

getPowerUpCost¶

Calculates the stardust and candy cost to power up from one level to another:

{{!-- Inline: returns "X Stardust and Y Candies" --}}
{{getPowerUpCost 20 40}}

{{!-- Block: access individual values --}}
{{#getPowerUpCost ../level this.level}}
  Stardust: {{addCommas stardust}} | Candy: {{candy}}{{#compare xlCandy '>' 0}} | XL: {{xlCandy}}{{/compare}}
{{/getPowerUpCost}}

pokemon block helper¶

The {{#pokemon}} block helper looks up full pokemon data and exposes it as context variables:

{{#pokemon pokemonId formId}}
  {{fullName}} - Types: {{typeEmoji}}
  {{#if hasEvolutions}}Can evolve{{/if}}
{{/pokemon}}

Available inside the block: name, nameEng, formName, fullName, fullNameEng, emoji, typeEmoji, typeName, hasEvolutions, baseStats.

Special helpers¶

ex¶

The {{#ex}} block helper checks whether a gym is EX-eligible:

{{#ex}}(EX Eligible){{/ex}}

It checks ex, is_exclusive, and exclusive fields from the data.

forEach¶

An enhanced loop helper that provides isFirst and isLast context flags:

{{#forEach gruntRewardsList.first.monsters}}
  {{this.name}}{{#unless isLast}}, {{/unless}}
{{/forEach}}

Conditional blocks¶

Basic if/else¶

{{#if confirmedTime}}
  Verified despawn: {{time}}
{{else}}
  Despawn time unknown
{{/if}}

Nested conditions¶

{{#if userHasPvpTracks}}
  {{#or pvpGreat pvpUltra pvpLittle}}
    {{#if pvpGreat}} GL#{{pvpGreatBest.rank}}{{/if}}
    {{#if pvpUltra}} UL#{{pvpUltraBest.rank}}{{/if}}
  {{/or}}
{{else}}
  {{round iv}}% ({{atk}}/{{def}}/{{sta}})
{{/if}}

Combining with sub-expressions¶

Handlebars sub-expressions (parenthesised helpers) can be used as arguments:

{{#or (lte size 1) (gte size 5)}}
  Size: {{sizeName}}
{{/or}}

{{#if (eq level 8)}}
  Shadow Raid
{{/if}}

Inline conditionals¶

Many comparison helpers return a truthy string when used inline (without a block), so they can be placed directly in text:

{{fullName}} {{#eq iv '100.00'}}💯{{/eq}} {{boostWeatherEmoji}}

The `@include` directive¶

Any string value in a DTS template can reference an external file:

"description": "@include mon.txt"

Dexter loads the file from the config/dts/ directory and renders it as a Handlebars template with the same context data. This keeps complex templates manageable.

Example config/dts/mon.txt:

CP {{cp}} | Lvl {{level}}
{{#if streetName}}📍 {{{addr}}}{{/if}}
{{{quickMoveEmoji}}} {{quickMoveName}} {{{chargeMoveEmoji}}} {{chargeMoveName}}

{{#each pvpGreat}}{{#if this.rank}}{{#compare this.rank '<=' ../pvpUserRanking}}
GL: {{this.fullName}} #{{this.rank}} ({{this.cp}}CP Lvl. {{this.levelWithCap}})
{{/compare}}{{/if}}{{/each}}

Disappears <t:{{disappear_time}}:R>
[Google]({{{googleMapUrl}}}) | [Apple]({{{appleMapUrl}}})

Custom DTS dictionary (Custom Maps)¶

Dexter supports a mapping system that lets you define custom lookup tables and use them in your templates. Place JSON files in config/customMaps/.

Defining a map¶

Each map file contains a JSON object (or array of objects) with a name and a map of key-value pairs:

{
  "name": "raidCounters",
  "map": {
    "144": {
      "trainers": "2",
      "counters": "Rampardos, Rhyperior, Terrakion"
    },
    "145": {
      "trainers": "3",
      "counters": "Shadow Mamoswine, Rhyperior, Mamoswine"
    }
  }
}

Using a map¶

Simple value lookup (when the map value is a plain string):

{{map 'myMapName' someVariable}}

Block form (when the map value is an object with sub-fields):

{{#map 'raidCounters' pokemonId}}
  Trainers needed: {{trainers}}
  Best counters: {{{counters}}}
{{/map}}

map2 works the same way but tries a second key as fallback:

{{#map2 'raidCounters' pokemonId formId}}...{{/map2}}

Language-specific maps¶

Maps can include a language field. Dexter will prefer a map entry whose language matches the user's locale, falling back to entries without a language:

[
  {
    "name": "areaDescriptions",
    "language": "en",
    "map": { "downtown": "City Centre" }
  },
  {
    "name": "areaDescriptions",
    "language": "de",
    "map": { "downtown": "Innenstadt" }
  }
]

Practical map examples¶

Area name mapping -- convert geofence names into user-friendly descriptions:

{
  "name": "arealist",
  "map": {
    "zone1": "North Side Park",
    "zone2": "Harbour District"
  }
}

{{#each matched}}{{map 'arealist' this}}{{/each}}

Time-of-day emoji:

{
  "name": "timeEmoji",
  "map": {
    "00:00": "🌙", "01:00": "🌙", "06:00": "🌅",
    "12:00": "☀️", "18:00": "🌆", "21:00": "🌙"
  }
}

{{map 'timeEmoji' weatherChangeTime}}

Custom emoji¶

Dexter loads custom emoji definitions from config/emoji.json. This file maps emoji names to platform-specific strings:

{
  "discord": {
    "great-league": "<:great_league:123456789>",
    "ultra-league": "<:ultra_league:123456789>",
    "stardust": "<:stardust:123456789>",
    "rarecandy": "<:rare_candy:123456789>",
    "rarecandyxl": "<:rare_candy_xl:123456789>"
  }
}

Use them in templates with {{{getEmoji 'great-league'}}} (triple braces since emoji strings may contain special characters).

Complex template examples¶

Monster with PVP, weather warning, and power-up costs¶

{{fullName}} {{genderData.emoji}} {{shinyPossibleEmoji}}
{{#eq iv '100.00'}} 💯{{/eq}}
{{#if userHasPvpTracks}}
  {{#if pvpGreat}} GL#{{pvpGreatBest.rank}}{{/if}}
  {{#if pvpUltra}} UL#{{pvpUltraBest.rank}}{{/if}}
{{else}}
  {{round iv}}% ({{atk}}/{{def}}/{{sta}})
{{/if}}

CP {{cp}} | Lvl {{level}}
{{#if streetName}}📍 {{{addr}}}{{/if}}
{{#or (lte size 1) (gte size 5)}}📐 {{sizeName}}{{/or}}

{{{quickMoveEmoji}}} {{quickMoveName}} {{{chargeMoveEmoji}}} {{chargeMoveName}}

{{#if weatherChange}}
  ⚠️ {{weatherCurrentEmoji}} Weather may change {{weatherNextEmoji}} ({{capitalize weatherNextName}})
{{/if}}

{{#each pvpGreat}}{{#if this.rank}}{{#compare this.rank '<=' ../pvpUserRanking}}
{{{getEmoji 'great-league'}}} {{this.fullName}} #{{this.rank}} ({{this.cp}}CP Lvl. {{this.levelWithCap}})
{{#getPowerUpCost ../level this.level}}
  {{{getEmoji 'stardust'}}}{{addCommas stardust}} & {{{getEmoji 'rarecandy'}}}{{candy}}
  {{#compare xlCandy '>' 0}}{{{getEmoji 'rarecandyxl'}}}{{xlCandy}}{{/compare}}
{{/getPowerUpCost}}
[PvPoke](https://pvpoke.com/rankings/all/1500/overall/{{lowercase this.nameEng}}/)
{{/compare}}{{/if}}{{/each}}

Disappears <t:{{disappear_time}}:R>
🗺️ [Google]({{{googleMapUrl}}}) | [Apple]({{{appleMapUrl}}})

Invasion with conditional display types¶

{{#if (eq displayTypeId 8)}}🦎 Kecleon
{{else if (eq displayTypeId 7)}}🪙 Gold Stop
{{else if (eq displayTypeId 9)}}🏆 Showcase
{{else}}🚀 {{gruntType}} {{genderData.emoji}}
{{/if}} @ {{{pokestopName}}}

⏰ Ends: {{time}} (<t:{{incidentExpiration}}:R>)

{{#if (lte displayTypeId 6)}}
🥊 Type: {{gruntType}} {{{gruntTypeEmoji}}}{{genderData.emoji}}

🏆 Rewards:
{{#compare gruntRewardsList.first.chance '==' 100}}
  {{#forEach gruntRewardsList.first.monsters}}{{this.name}}{{#unless isLast}}, {{/unless}}{{/forEach}}
{{/compare}}
{{#compare gruntRewardsList.first.chance '<' 100}}
  {{gruntRewardsList.first.chance}}%: {{#forEach gruntRewardsList.first.monsters}}{{this.name}}{{#unless isLast}}, {{/unless}}{{/forEach}}
  {{gruntRewardsList.second.chance}}%: {{#forEach gruntRewardsList.second.monsters}}{{this.name}}{{#unless isLast}}, {{/unless}}{{/forEach}}
{{/compare}}
{{/if}}

🗺 [Google]({{{googleMapUrl}}}) | [Apple]({{{appleMapUrl}}})

Fort update with edit type detection¶

{{#if isRemoval}}🗑️{{/if}}
{{#if isEdit}}📝{{/if}}
{{#if isNew}}🆕{{/if}}
{{#eq fortType 'pokestop'}}📍{{else}}🏟{{/eq}}
{{{name}}} | {{areas}}

{{#if isEditName}}
📛 Name: {{{newName}}} (was: {{{oldName}}})
{{/if}}
{{#if isEditDescription}}
📖 Description: {{{newDescription}}} (was: {{{oldDescription}}})
{{/if}}
{{#if isEditLocation}}
🛰️ Location: [New]({{{googleMapUrl}}}) [Old](https://maps.google.com/?q={{oldLatitude}},{{oldLongitude}})
{{/if}}
{{#if isEditImgUrl}}
🖼️ Image: [New]({{{newImageUrl}}}) [Old]({{{oldImageUrl}}})
{{/if}}
{{#if isRemoval}}
{{name}} has been removed
{{/if}}
{{#if isNew}}
{{#eq fortType 'pokestop'}}Pokestop{{else}}Gym{{/eq}} appeared
{{#isnt name 'unknown'}} - {{{name}}}{{/isnt}}
{{/if}}

Raid with catch CP and counters from custom map¶

{{fullName}} {{genderData.emoji}} {{shinyPossibleEmoji}} | {{{gymName}}}{{#ex}} (EX){{/ex}}
⏰ Ends: {{time}} (<t:{{end}}:R>)

🥊 {{quickMoveName}} / {{chargeMoveName}}
💀 Weaknesses: {{{weaknessEmoji}}}

📊 Catch CP:
  Normal: {{calculateCp baseStats 20 10 10 10}}-{{calculateCp baseStats 20 15 15 15}}
  Boosted: {{calculateCp baseStats 25 10 10 10}}-{{calculateCp baseStats 25 15 15 15}} {{boostingWeathersEmoji}}

{{#map 'raidCounters' pokemonId}}
👥 Trainers: {{trainers}}
⚔️ Counters: {{{counters}}}
{{/map}}

🗺 [Google]({{{googleMapUrl}}}) | [Apple]({{{appleMapUrl}}})

Partials¶

Dexter loads .hbs files from the config/dts/ directory as Handlebars partials. You can reference them with the standard partial syntax:

{{> myPartialName}}

This is different from @include -- partials are registered at startup and available by name across all templates, while @include is a per-field file reference processed at render time.

Debugging templates¶

If a template fails to render, Dexter logs the error. Common issues:

Missing triple braces on URLs -- {{imgUrl}} will HTML-encode ampersands in the URL, breaking it. Use {{{imgUrl}}}.
Unclosed blocks -- every {{#if}} needs {{/if}}, every {{#each}} needs {{/each}}.
Wrong variable name -- check the variable tables in Alert Templates for the exact names. Variable names are case-sensitive.
Using @include with wrong path -- the file must exist in config/dts/ and the directive must be @include filename.txt (with a space, no quotes).