Inline Blocks

Inline blocks add source-free interpolation for small dynamic values that still need to stay synchronized.

Why this exists

Inline blocks are useful when you need dynamic content in-place without creating a separate source. Typical examples include versions, toolchain values, environment metadata, and short computed strings.

Inline blocks render minijinja template content from the block’s first argument:

<!-- {~version:"{{ pkg.version }}"} -->0.0.0<!-- {/version} -->

During mdt update, mdt evaluates the template argument with your configured [data] context, then replaces the content between the opening and closing tags.

Because inline blocks are source-free, they are ideal for one-off values that still need to stay synchronized.

Limits and behavior

• Inline blocks must include a first argument that is the template string to render.
• Inline blocks do not resolve source content; everything comes from the inline template argument and current data context.
• Inline rendering still supports transformers (|trim, |code, etc.) after template evaluation.
• In markdown, inline blocks work in normal content (paragraphs, lists, headings, tables) where HTML comments are parsed.
• Tags shown inside fenced markdown code blocks are treated as examples and are not interpreted as live blocks.
• In source files, inline tags follow source scanning rules and respect [exclude] markdown_codeblocks filtering.

Practical examples

Inline value in prose

Install version <!-- {~releaseVersion:"{{ pkg.version }}"} -->0.0.0<!-- {/releaseVersion} --> today.

Inline value in a table cell

| Package | Version                                                               |
| ------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| mdt     | <!-- {~mdtVersion:"{{ pkg.version }}"} -->0.0.0<!-- {/mdtVersion} --> |

Inline value with a transformer

CLI version: <!-- {~cliVersionCode:"{{ pkg.version }}"|code} -->`0.0.0`<!-- {/cliVersionCode} -->

Inline value from a script-backed data source

[data]
release = { command = "cat VERSION", format = "text", watch = ["VERSION"] }

Release: <!-- {~releaseValue:"{{ release }}"} -->0.0.0<!-- {/releaseValue} -->

When VERSION is unchanged, mdt reuses cached script output from .mdt/cache/data-v1.json.

Comparison to sources

• Use {@name} ... {/name} when the same content should be reused in many places.
• Use {~name:"..."} ... {/name} when you need localized dynamic output without a dedicated source block.