---
title: templates.Current
description: Returns information about the currently executing template.
categories: []
keywords: []
params:
  functions_and_methods:
    aliases: []
    returnType: tpl.CurrentTemplateInfo
    signatures: [templates.Current]
---

> [!note]
> This function is experimental and subject to change.

{{< new-in 0.146.0 />}}

The `templates.Current` function provides introspection capabilities, allowing you to access details about the currently executing templates. This is useful for debugging complex template hierarchies and understanding the flow of execution during rendering.

## Methods

Ancestors
: (`tpl.CurrentTemplateInfos`) Returns a slice containing information about each template in the current execution chain, starting from the parent of the current template and going up towards the initial template called. It excludes any base template applied via `define` and `block`. You can chain the `Reverse` method to this result to get the slice in chronological execution order.

Base
: (`tpl.CurrentTemplateInfoCommonOps`) Returns an object representing the base template that was applied to the current template, if any. This may be `nil`.

Filename
: (`string`) Returns the absolute path of the current template. This will be empty for embedded templates.

Name
: (`string`) Returns the name of the current template. This is usually the path relative to the layouts directory.

Parent
: (`tpl.CurrentTemplateInfo`) Returns an object representing the parent of the current template, if any. This may be `nil`.

## Examples

The examples below help visualize template execution and require a `debug` parameter set to `true` in your site configuration:

{{< code-toggle file=hugo >}}
[params]
debug = true
{{< /code-toggle >}}

### Boundaries

To visually mark where a template begins and ends execution:

```go-html-template {file="layouts/_default/single.html"}
{{ define "main" }}
  {{ if site.Params.debug }}
    <div class="debug">[entering {{ templates.Current.Filename }}]</div>
  {{ end }}

  <h1>{{ .Title }}</h1>
  {{ .Content }}

  {{ if site.Params.debug }}
    <div class="debug">[leaving {{ templates.Current.Filename }}]</div>
  {{ end }}
{{ end }}
```

### Call stack

To display the chain of templates that led to the current one, create a partial template that iterates through its ancestors:

```go-html-template {file="layouts/partials/template-call-stack.html" copy=true}
{{ with templates.Current }}
  <div class="debug">
    {{ range .Ancestors }}
      {{ .Filename }}<br>
      {{ with .Base }}
        {{ .Filename }}<br>
      {{ end }}
    {{ end }}
  </div>
{{ end }}
```

Then call the partial from any template:

```go-html-template {file="layouts/partials/footer/copyright.html" copy=true}
{{ if site.Params.debug }}
  {{ partial "template-call-stack.html" . }}
{{ end }}
```

The rendered template stack would look something like this:

```text
/home/user/project/layouts/partials/footer/copyright.html
/home/user/project/themes/foo/layouts/partials/footer.html
/home/user/project/layouts/_default/single.html
/home/user/project/themes/foo/layouts/_default/baseof.html
```

To reverse the order of the entries, chain the `Reverse` method to the `Ancestors` method:

```go-html-template {file="layouts/partials/template-call-stack.html" copy=true}
{{ with templates.Current }}
  <div class="debug">
    {{ range .Ancestors.Reverse }}
      {{ with .Base }}
        {{ .Filename }}<br>
      {{ end }}
      {{ .Filename }}<br>
    {{ end }}
  </div>
{{ end }}
```

### VS Code

To render links that, when clicked, will open the template in Microsoft Visual Studio Code, create a partial template with anchor elements that use the `vscode` URI scheme:

```go-html-template {file="layouts/partials/template-open-in-vs-code.html" copy=true}
{{ with templates.Current.Parent }}
  <div class="debug">
    <a href="vscode://file/{{ .Filename }}">{{ .Name }}</a>
    {{ with .Base }}
      <a href="vscode://file/{{ .Filename }}">{{ .Name }}</a>
    {{ end }}
  </div>
{{ end }}
```

Then call the partial from any template:

```go-html-template {file="layouts/_default/single.html" copy=true}
{{ define "main" }}
  <h1>{{ .Title }}</h1>
  {{ .Content }}

  {{ if site.Params.debug }}
    {{ partial "template-open-in-vs-code.html" . }}
  {{ end }}
{{ end }}
```

Use the same approach to render the entire call stack as links:

```go-html-template {file="layouts/partials/template-call-stack.html" copy=true}
{{ with templates.Current }}
  <div class="debug">
    {{ range .Ancestors }}
      <a href="vscode://file/{{ .Filename }}">{{ .Filename }}</a><br>
      {{ with .Base }}
        <a href="vscode://file/{{ .Filename }}">{{ .Filename }}</a><br>
      {{ end }}
    {{ end }}
  </div>
{{ end }}
```
