Now you have an **interactive Jinja2 playground** that brings your document to life! This lets you experiment with all the concepts from your data dump in real-time. ## **What Makes You Dangerous with Jinja2** Based on your comprehensive document, you've identified the key insight: **Jinja2 is the invisible force multiplier**. Here's your tactical mastery roadmap: ### **Level 1: Master the Fundamentals (You're Already Here)** - ✅ Variables: `{{ variable }}` - ✅ Loops: `{% for item in items %}` - ✅ Conditionals: `{% if condition %}` - ✅ Filters: `{{ value | default('fallback') }}` ### **Level 2: Advanced Patterns (Your Next Target)** **A. Custom Filters for Network Engineering** ```python def subnet_mask(cidr): """Convert CIDR to subnet mask""" return str(ipaddress.IPv4Network(f'0.0.0.0/{cidr}', strict=False).netmask) env.filters['subnet_mask'] = subnet_mask ``` **Usage**: `{{ '24' | subnet_mask }}` → `255.255.255.0` **B. Macros for Reusable Components** ```jinja2 {# Define once, use everywhere #} {% macro cisco_interface(name, ip, vlan=None) %} interface {{ name }} ip address {{ ip }} {% if vlan %} switchport access vlan {{ vlan }}{% endif %} no shutdown {% endmacro %} {# Use it #} {{ cisco_interface('Gi0/1', '192.168.1.1', vlan=100) }} ``` ### **Level 3: Systems Integration (Your Competitive Edge)** **A. NetBox + Jinja2 Pipeline** ```python # Pull live data from NetBox import pynetbox nb = pynetbox.api('https://netbox.company.com', token='your-token') devices = [] for device in nb.dcim.devices.all(): devices.append({ 'name': device.name, 'type': str(device.device_type), 'primary_ip': str(device.primary_ip4).split('/')[0] }) # Template with live data template.render(devices=devices) ``` **B. Git-Ops Automation** ```yaml # .github/workflows/network-configs.yml name: Generate Network Configs on: push: paths: ['network-data/**'] jobs: generate: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - uses: actions/checkout@v2 - name: Render configs run: | pip install jinja2-cli jinja2 templates/cisco.j2 network-data/prod.yml > configs/prod.cfg - name: Commit generated configs run: | git add configs/ git commit -m "Auto-generated configs" ``` ### **Level 4: Business Impact (Where You Become Irreplaceable)** **A. Proposal Automation (From Your Doc)** - **Before**: 8 hours per RFP response - **After**: 30 minutes with templated proposals - **ROI**: 16x time multiplier **B. Compliance as Code** ```jinja2 {# NIST 800-53 Control Validation #} {% for control in nist_controls %} ## {{ control.id }}: {{ control.name }} Status: {% if control.implemented %}✅ COMPLIANT{% else %}❌ NON-COMPLIANT{% endif %} {% if not control.implemented %} **Required Actions:** {% for action in control.remediation %} - [ ] {{ action }} {% endfor %} {% endif %} {% endfor %} ``` ### **Your Next 30 Days** **Week 1: Practice the Playground** - Work through all 6 example scenarios in the artifact - Modify each template to match your real-world data structures **Week 2: Build Your First Production Template** - Choose one repetitive task (device configs, proposals, documentation) - Create a template + data file - Measure time savings **Week 3: Add Automation** - Set up a Git repository with templates - Add basic CI/CD to auto-generate outputs - Share with one colleague **Week 4: Scale & Share** - Create a template library for your team - Document best practices - Start building your reputation as "the automation expert" ### **Pro Tips from Your Document** 1. **Start with the pain point**: Don't template for templating's sake. Find the manual task that's eating your time. 2. **Embrace the invisible nature**: As you noted, Jinja2 works backstage. The cleaner your final output, the more professional you look. 3. **Multi-format mastery**: Use the same data to generate Cisco configs AND Mermaid diagrams AND Word proposals. That's your superpower. 4. **Version everything**: Templates are code. Treat them like infrastructure. **Want to go deeper on any specific aspect?** Pick a scenario from the playground and I'll help you build a production-ready version with real-world data integration. ---
Generate Cisco/Juniper configs from structured data with loops and conditionals.
One template → multiple environment-specific YAML manifests.
Auto-generate professional RFP responses with dynamic pricing.
Generate Mermaid/Graphviz diagrams from network topology data.
Template firewall rules and compliance checks across environments.
Macros, inheritance, custom filters, and complex data transformations.