What is TempLight?
TempLight uses lightweight, readable markup to define placeholders within any block of text. It's ideal for creating reusable scaffolds for writing, education, forms, or AI prompt generation.
- Simple
[ label ]syntax for fill-in-the-blank sections - No dependencies, no compilation—just plain text
- Works with basic HTML/JS for live tools or remains usable on paper
This site is a free resource to help you use, explore, and adapt the TempLight format for your own work—whether you're creating templates for education, forms, or writing scaffolds. TempLight is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Core Format
Basic Placeholder
[ name ]
Defines a placeholder labeled "name." These labels are meant to be replaced with user input.
Placeholder With Type Hint (optional)
You can guide how each placeholder behaves by adding a type hint. Place the type after a colon, like [ field:type ]. The following types are currently supported:
text (default)
[ name ]
This is the default behavior if no type is specified. It is intended for short, single-line input like names, titles, or brief responses.
date
[ birthdate:date ]
Used for date-specific input. Tools that support this can render a calendar picker or appropriate interface for selecting dates.
select
[ size:select(Small, Medium, Large) ]
Defines a dropdown or multiple-choice input with predefined options. Commas separate the choices. At least one option is required—if none are provided, the field should be treated as a text input.
Use quotation marks for options that contain spaces or punctuation:
[ flavor:select("Vanilla Bean", "Dark Chocolate", "Mint Chip") ]
longtext
[ notes:longtext ]
This type is used for extended, multi-line responses such as explanations, comments, or detailed input. It is especially useful in forms or writing tools that anticipate paragraph-style content.
Escaping Brackets
[[ static content ]]
Double brackets [[ ... ]] are reserved for non-fillable bracketed text.
Examples
Dear [ name ],
Your appointment is scheduled on [ date:date ] at [ time ].
Please arrive 10 minutes early.
Thanks,
[ sender ]
This can be used in:
- Email or messaging templates
- Faculty communication templates
- AI prompt scaffolds
- Form letters
- Syllabus or learning outcome generation tools