Module 22: Quick Reference Card

The Three Building Blocks

Block	Syntax	Purpose
{% raw %}	Output	{{ value }}
{% raw %}	Filter	{{ value | filter }}
{% raw %}	Tag	{% tag %}

---

Data Types at a Glance

Type	Example	Key Rule
String	"Hello", "95000"	CRM fields arrive as strings
Number	72, 1.15	Must convert from string before math
Boolean	true, false	Snippets return strings, not booleans
Array	["a","b","c"]	Created with split, not typed directly
Nil / Empty	nil, ""	Use default to catch both

---

Essential Conversions

{% raw %}
{%- # String → Number (integer) -%}
{% assign n = some_field | default: 0 | plus: 0 %}

{%- # String → Number (decimal) -%}
{% assign n = some_field | default: 0 | times: 1.0 %}

{%- # String → Array -%}
{% assign items = some_field | split: "," %}

{%- # Array → String -%}
{{ items | join: ", " }}

{%- # Nil/Empty → Fallback -%}
{{ some_field | default: "fallback" }}
{% endraw %}

---

Standard Text Filters

Filter	Example	Result
upcase	"acme" | upcase	ACME
downcase	"ACME" | downcase	acme
capitalize	"acme corp" | capitalize	Acme corp
strip	" hi " | strip	hi
replace: "a","b"	"cat" | replace: "c","b"	bat
remove: "x"	"extra" | remove: "x"	etra
append: "!"	"hello" | append: "!"	hello!
prepend: "$"	"100" | prepend: "$"	$100
truncate: n	"hello world" | truncate: 8	hello...
truncatewords: n	"one two three" | truncatewords: 2	one two...
size	"hello" | size	5
split: ","	"a,b,c" | split: ","	["a","b","c"]
default: "x"	nil | default: "N/A"	N/A

---

Number Filters

Filter	Example	Result
plus: n	10 | plus: 5	15
minus: n	100 | minus: 25	75
times: n	5 | times: 3	15
divided_by: n	100 | divided_by: 4	25
divided_by: n.0	100 | divided_by: 3.0	33.33
modulo: n	10 | modulo: 3	1
round: n	4.678 | round: 2	4.68
floor	4.9 | floor	4
ceil	4.1 | ceil	5
abs	-5 | abs	5

⚠️ divided_by with an integer divisor = integer division (truncates). Use .0 for decimal results.

---

Array Filters

Filter	Example	Result
join: ", "	["a","b"] | join: ", "	a, b
first	["a","b","c"] | first	a
last	["a","b","c"] | last	c
size	["a","b","c"] | size	3
sort	["c","a","b"] | sort	["a","b","c"]
uniq	["a","a","b"] | uniq	["a","b"]
reverse	["a","b","c"] | reverse	["c","b","a"]

---

Date Formatting

Code	Meaning	Output
%B	Full month	January
%b	Short month	Jan
%d	Day (01–31)	15
%e	Day (1–31)	5
%Y	4-digit year	2026
%A	Full weekday	Monday
%H:%M	24-hour time	14:30
%s	Unix timestamp	1736899200

Common patterns:

{% raw %}
{{ date | date: "%B %d, %Y" }}     → January 15, 2026
{{ date | date: "%b %e, %Y" }}     → Jan 5, 2026
{{ date | date: "%m/%d/%Y" }}      → 01/15/2026
{{ "now" | date: "%B %Y" }}        → March 2026
{% endraw %}

---

Cast Custom Filters

Filter	Purpose	Affects Screen?	Affects Audio?
cast_titlecase	Proper company name casing	✅	✅
cast_apostrophe	Smart possessive ('s or ')	✅	✅
cast_pronounce	Audio pronunciation control	❌	✅
cast_highlight	Visual text emphasis	✅	❌
cast_footnote	Silent reference notes	✅	❌

cast_pronounce patterns:

Pattern	Usage	Narrator Says
(basic)	"CSM" | cast_pronounce	Dictionary lookup
"number_pair"	"346780" | cast_pronounce: "number_pair"	34 67 80
"by_char"	"CSM123" | cast_pronounce: "by_char"	C S M 1 2 3
"version"	"1.2.3" | cast_pronounce: "version"	1 point 2 point 3
"all"	text | cast_pronounce: "all"	All dictionary matches

---

Tags / Logic

if / elsif / else:

{% raw %}

  Excellent.
{% elsif score >= 60 %}
  Good.
{% else %}
  Needs work.

{% endraw %}

unless:

{% raw %}
{% unless renewal_date == blank %}
  Renews on {{ renewal_date | date: "%B %d, %Y" }}.
{% endunless %}
{% endraw %}

case / when:

{% raw %}
{% case tier %}
  {% when "Enterprise" %}
    All features.
  {% when "Professional" %}
    Core features.
  {% else %}
    Contact CSM.
{% endcase %}
{% endraw %}

for loop:

{% raw %}
{% for item in array limit: 3 %}
  {{ forloop.index }}. {{ item | strip }}
{% endfor %}
{% endraw %}

Loop variables: forloop.index (1-based), forloop.index0 (0-based), forloop.first, forloop.last, forloop.length

---

Comparison and Logic Operators

Operator	Meaning
==	Equals
!=	Not equal
> < >= <=	Numeric comparison
contains	String/array contains value (case-sensitive)
and	Both conditions must be true
or	Either condition can be true
blank	Tests for nil or empty string

---

Variables

{% raw %}
{%- # assign — single value -%}
{% assign name = contact_first_name | default: "there" %}

{%- # capture — complex text -%}
{% capture msg %}Hi {{ name }}, welcome!{% endcapture %}
{% endraw %}

---

Whitespace Control

{% raw %}
{%- tag -%}     strips whitespace on both sides
{{- value -}}   strips whitespace on both sides
{% endraw %}

---

Comments

{% raw %}
{% comment %} Block comment — multi-line {% endcomment %}
{%- # Inline comment — single line -%}
{% endraw %}

---

Snippet Rules

1. Snippets always return strings — never booleans or numbers {% raw %}2. Compare with == against quoted strings: {% if IsEMEA == "yes" %}{% endraw %} {% raw %}3. Always | strip before comparing: {%- assign r = IsEMEA | strip -%}{% endraw %}
2. Design with “yes”/“no” — not “true”/“false” {% raw %}5. Convert numeric output: {%- assign n = MySnippet | strip | plus: 0 -%}{% endraw %}

---

Setup Block Template

{% raw %}
{% comment %}
  [Narration name and purpose]
  [Data sources / Snippets used]
  [Updated: date]
{% endcomment %}

{%- assign name    = contact_first_name | default: "there" -%}
{%- assign company = contact_account_name | default: "your company" | cast_titlecase -%}
{%- assign score   = health_score | default: 0 | plus: 0 -%}
{%- assign arr_val = arr | default: 0 | plus: 0 -%}
{%- assign renewal = renewal_date | default: "" -%}
{%- assign region  = IsEMEA | default: "" | strip -%}
{% endraw %}

---

Common Patterns

Safe greeting:

{% raw %}
Hi {{ contact_first_name | default: "there" }},
{% endraw %}

Company possessive:

{% raw %}
{{ contact_account_name | default: "your company" | cast_titlecase | cast_apostrophe }}
{% endraw %}

Numeric comparison:

{% raw %}
{%- assign score = health_score | default: 0 | plus: 0 -%}

{% endraw %}

Percentage calculation:

{% raw %}
{%- assign pct = used | divided_by: total | times: 100 | round: 0 -%}
{% endraw %}

⚠️ Ensure total is decimal (times: 1.0) and > 0.

Snippet boolean:

{% raw %}
{%- assign region = IsEMEA | strip -%}

{% endraw %}

Top N from list:

{% raw %}
{%- assign items = list | split: "," -%}
{% for item in items limit: 3 %}
  {{ forloop.index }}. {{ item | strip }}
{% endfor %}
{% endraw %}

Pluralization:

{% raw %}
{{ count }} item{%- if count != "1" %}s
{% endraw %}

Days until date:

{% raw %}
{%- assign target_ts = target_date | date: "%s" | plus: 0 -%}
{%- assign now_ts    = "now" | date: "%s" | plus: 0 -%}
{%- assign days      = target_ts | minus: now_ts | divided_by: 86400 -%}
{% endraw %}

Benchmark month:

{% raw %}
{{ "now" | date: "%B %Y" }}    → March 2026
{% endraw %}

---

Debugging

{% raw %}
DEBUG: [{{ MyVar }}] len={{ MyVar | size }}
DEBUG: numeric={{ MyVar | plus: 0 }}
{% endraw %}

Remove before publishing.

---

Official Documentation Links

Topic	URL
Overview	https://school.cast.app/liquid.html
Tags/Blocks	https://school.cast.app/liquid/liquid-blocks.html
Standard Filters	https://school.cast.app/liquid/liquid-filters.html
Custom Cast Filters	https://school.cast.app/liquid/custom-cast-filters.html
Snippet Library	https://school.cast.app/liquid/liquid-library.html
Contact Variables	https://school.cast.app/fields-snippets-data-validation/contact-variables.html
Pronunciations	https://school.cast.app/personalizing-content/pronunciations.html

---

You Made It!

Congratulations — you’ve completed all 22 modules of Learn Cast Liquid. You can now:

• Write output tags, apply filters, and use logic to create adaptive narrations
• Handle every data type and convert between them safely
• Use all five Cast custom filters for professional, polished presentations
• Build production-quality snippets with proper string handling
• Troubleshoot and debug common errors
• Chain everything together into complete, personalized Cast experiences

Keep this Quick Reference Card handy, and refer back to the individual modules when you need a deeper explanation.

Happy templating!