Tutorial: Create a live template with variables and functions

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create and use a simple live template that includes variables and functions.

As an example, you will make a live template that generates a new Go struct, adds a field with a selectable value, and implements a method using these values.

Create a new Go struct type that embeds an existing Pet struct.
Add a food field of type string, with the value chosen from a list.
Implement a PetFood() method that prints a message using the struct's name and food.

To showcase how variables and functions work in templates, we will add the following variables to the template text:

Create a live template with variables

Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open settings and then select Editor | Live Templates.
Select the Go group, click , and select Live Template.
In the Abbreviation field, specify the characters that will be used to expand the template. For example, pet.
In the Template text field, paste the following template:
type $TypeName$ struct { food string } func (p *$TypeName$) PetFood() { food := "$Food$" println("The $typeName$ eats " + food) }
Click Edit Variables and, in the Edit Template Variables dialog, configure the variables:
- $TypeName$ : leave the Expression field empty. When using the template, GoLand will prompt the user to enter a type name after inserting the template.
- $typeName$ : in the Expression field, enter decapitalize (TypeName). This converts the first letter of $TypeName$ to lower case. Select Skip if defined.
- $Food$ : in the Expression field, enter enum("meat","grass", "fruit"). When using the template, GoLand will display a list of these values in the editor to choose from.

Use the created template

In the editor, start typing the template abbreviation (pet in our example) and select it from the completion dropdown.
Enter the type name as a variable value: Horse. Press Tab to jump to the next variable.
Using the keyboard arrows, select grass as a value of the food string and press Enter.

17 July 2025