# Templates

[TOC]

## What are `Closure Templates` templates?

Templates are the main unit of code in `Closure Templates`. Like functions or
methods in other languages, templates declare the names and types of their
inputs called parameters (`@param`), and produce an output: a rendered chunk of
text or HTML. Templates can call other templates, and related templates are
grouped together in a `.soy` file.

## What does a template look like?

Here's a simple template that takes a string parameter `name`, and prints a
greeting:

```soy
{template .helloName}
  {@param name: string}
  Hello {$name}!
{/template}
```

See the [template reference page](../reference/templates.md) for more details.

## What are Soy templates used for?

Templates are used to build the structure of a web page or webapp. While it
would be possible to specify the structure of a web page entirely in handwritten
HTML, HTML lacks basic features that are useful for building reusable UIs, such
as looping and variables. `Closure Templates` adds these features while allowing
template authors to "drop into" regular HTML whenever useful.

It would also be possible to specify the structure of a web page entirely in
JavaScript, using DOM APIs. However, this requires users to download and execute
JavaScript before the page appears. By rendering templates on the server and
sending the rendered HTML to the client, you can construct a UI without
executing any client-side code.

<br>

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<section class="nextButton"><a href="commands.md">CONTINUE >></a></section>

<br>