# Templating
URL: /bengal/docs/theming/templating/
Section: templating
Description: Kida template engine, layouts, inheritance, and partials
---
> For a complete page index, fetch /bengal/llms.txt.
Bengal's template system uses **[[ext:kida:|Kida]]** as the default engine, with support for Jinja2 and custom engines.
## Template Engines
- **[[ext:kida:|Kida]]** ([local reference](/docs/reference/kida-syntax/)) — Bengal's native template engine (default). Unified `{% end %}` blocks, pattern matching, pipeline operators
- **[Jinja2](https://jinja.palletsprojects.com/)** — Industry-standard engine with excellent documentation and tooling
- **Custom engines** — Bring your own via the plugin API
:::{tip}
**Kida is Jinja2-compatible**: Your existing Jinja2 templates work without changes. Use [[ext:kida:docs/syntax|Kida-specific features]] incrementally.
:::
## Template Lookup Order
```mermaid
flowchart LR
A[Page Request] --> B{templates/ ?}
B -->|Found| C[Use Your Template]
B -->|Not Found| D{Theme templates/ ?}
D -->|Found| E[Use Theme Template]
D -->|Not Found| F[Use Bengal Default]
```
Bengal searches: **Your project** → **Theme** → **Bengal defaults**
## Quick Start
:::{tab-set}
:::{tab-item} Basic Template
```kida
{# templates/layouts/single.html #}
{% extends "baseof.html" %}
{% block content %}
{{ page.title }}
{{ page.content | safe }}
{% end %}
```
:::
:::{tab-item} Base Layout
```kida
{# templates/baseof.html #}
{% block title %}{{ page.title }}{% end %}
{% block header %}{% include "partials/header.html" %}{% end %}
{% block content %}{% end %}
{% block footer %}{% include "partials/footer.html" %}{% end %}
```
:::
:::{tab-item} Partial
```kida
{# templates/partials/header.html #}
```
:::
:::{/tab-set}
## Key Concepts
| Concept | Syntax | Purpose |
|---------|--------|---------|
| **Extends** | `{% extends "base.html" %}` | Inherit from parent template |
| **Block** | `{% block name %}...{% end %}` | Replaceable section |
| **Include** | `{% include "partial.html" %}` | Insert another template |
| **Variable** | `{{ page.title }}` | Output a value |
| **Filter** | `{{ text \| truncate(100) }}` | Transform a value |
## Template Inheritance
```mermaid
flowchart TB
A["baseof.html
(blocks: head, content, footer)"]
B["single.html
(extends baseof)"]
C["list.html
(extends baseof)"]
D["doc.html
(extends single)"]
A --> B
A --> C
B --> D
```
## Kida Features
Kida is Bengal's default template engine:
- **Unified syntax**: `{% end %}` closes all blocks (no more `{% end %}`, `{% end %}`)
- **Pattern matching**: `{% match %}...{% case %}` for cleaner conditionals
- **Pipeline operator**: `|>` for readable filter chains
- **Fragment caching**: Built-in `{% cache %}` directive
- **Jinja2 compatible**: Existing Jinja2 templates work without changes
:::{cards}
:columns: 2
:gap: small
:::{card} Kida Syntax Reference
:icon: book
:link: /docs/reference/kida-syntax/
:description: Complete Kida syntax documentation
:::{/card}
:::{card} Kida Tutorial
:icon: notepad
:link: /docs/tutorials/theming/getting-started-with-kida/
:description: Learn Kida from scratch
:::{/card}
:::{card} Kida How-Tos
:icon: code
:link: /docs/theming/templating/kida/
:description: Common Kida tasks and patterns
:::{/card}
:::{card} Migrate from Jinja2
:icon: arrow-right
:link: /docs/theming/templating/kida/migration/from-jinja/
:description: Convert Jinja2 templates to Kida
:::{/card}
:::{/cards}
## Choose Your Engine
Kida is the default. To use a different engine, configure `bengal.toml` (or `config/_default/site.yaml`):
```yaml
site:
template_engine: jinja2 # Options: kida (default), jinja2, mako
```
### Custom Engines (BYOR)
Bring your own template engine via the protocol API. Your engine automatically gets all 80+ template functions if it satisfies the `TemplateEnvironment` protocol:
```python
from bengal.rendering.engines import register_engine
from bengal.rendering.template_functions import register_all
class MyEngine:
def __init__(self, site):
self.site = site
self.template_dirs = [site.root_path / "templates"]
# Environment must have globals, filters, tests dicts
self._env = MyEnvironment()
# Automatically get all 80+ template functions!
register_all(self._env, site)
def render_template(self, name: str, context: dict) -> str:
# Your implementation
...
register_engine("myengine", MyEngine)
```
Then configure:
```yaml
site:
template_engine: myengine
```
See [Bring Your Own Template Engine](/docs/theming/templating/custom-engine/) for the complete guide.
:::{tip}
**Override sparingly**: You only need to create templates you want to customize. Use `bengal utils theme swizzle ` to copy a template for customization. Let the rest fall through to theme defaults.
:::