Coming from Fenom

If you have been using pdoTools' Fenom syntax ({$_modx->...}, {$_pls}, etc.) and are switching to Twig, this guide maps Fenom patterns to their Twig equivalents.

Key Differences

• Fenom is processed by pdoTools during the main MODX parser cycle. It uses {curly brace} syntax.
• Twig is processed by the Twig extra before MODX tags. It uses {{ double brace }} and {% block %} syntax.
• Both can coexist on the same site. Twig renders first, then MODX tags, then Fenom last. See How It Works for details.

Syntax Comparison

Resource fields

Fenom	Twig
{$_modx->resource.id}	{{ resource.id }}
{$_modx->resource.pagetitle}	{{ resource.pagetitle }}
{$_modx->resource.longtitle}	{{ resource.longtitle }}
{$_modx->resource.content}	{{ resource.content\|raw }}
{$_modx->resource.parent}	{{ resource.parent }}
{$_modx->resource.template}	{{ resource.template }}

Template Variables

Fenom	Twig
{$_modx->resource.tv_name}	{{ resource.tv_name }}
(no equivalent)	{{ resource.tvRawValue('tv_name') }}

Both return processed TV values by default (same as [[*tv_name]]). In Twig, use tvRawValue() when you need the raw stored value before MODX applies output rendering.

Snippets

Fenom	Twig
{$_modx->runSnippet('SnippetName')}	{{ snippet('SnippetName') }}
{$_modx->runSnippet('!SnippetName', ['limit' => 5])}	{{ snippet('SnippetName', {'limit': 5}) }}

System settings

Fenom	Twig
{$_modx->config.site_name}	{{ option('site_name') }}
{$_modx->config.site_url}	{{ option('site_url') }}
{$_modx->config['emailsender']}	{{ option('emailsender') }}
{$_modx->config.any_system_setting}	{{ option('any_system_setting') }}

You can also access settings via the modx global: {{ modx.config.site_name }} or {{ modx.config['site_name'] }}.

Lexicon

Fenom	Twig
{$_modx->lexicon('key')}	{{ lexicon('key') }}
{$_modx->lexicon->load('topic')}	{{ modx.lexicon.load('topic') }}
load + translate in one call	{{ trans('key', 'topic') }}

The trans() function loads the lexicon topic and translates in a single call, which Fenom requires two steps for.

Links

Fenom	Twig
{$_modx->makeUrl(15)}	{{ link(15) }}
{$_modx->makeUrl($_modx->resource.id)}	{{ link(resource.id) }}

Placeholders

Fenom	Twig
{$_modx->getPlaceholder('name')}	{{ placeholder('name') }}
{$_pls['name']}	{{ placeholders.name }}
{$_pls['name'] ?: 'Guest'}	{{ placeholder('name', 'Guest') }}

Chunks

Fenom does not have a built-in chunk rendering function. You would use a snippet or $modx->getChunk() in PHP.

Fenom	Twig
{$_modx->getChunk('ChunkName')}	{{ chunk('ChunkName') }}
{$_modx->getChunk('ChunkName', ['key' => 'value'])}	{{ chunk('ChunkName', {'key': 'value'}) }}

Context

Fenom	Twig
{$_modx->context.key}	{{ modx.context.key }}

User and profile

Fenom exposes $_modx->user as a flat array that merges the user record with profile fields, so {$_modx->user.fullname} works directly.

In Twig, modx.user is the modUser object. User-table fields (like id and username) are accessible directly, but profile fields (like fullname, email, photo) are on the related Profile object:

Fenom	Twig
{$_modx->user.id}	{{ modx.user.id }}
{$_modx->user.username}	{{ modx.user.username }}
{$_modx->user.fullname}	{{ modx.user.Profile.fullname }}
{$_modx->user.email}	{{ modx.user.Profile.email }}
{$_modx->user.photo}	{{ modx.user.Profile.photo }}
{$_modx->user.extended}	{{ modx.user.Profile.extended }}

Checking whether a user is logged in:

{# Fenom #}
{if $_modx->user.id > 0}
    Hello, {$_modx->user.fullname}!
{else}
    You need to log in.
{/if}

{# Twig #}
{% if modx.user.id > 0 %}
    Hello, {{ modx.user.Profile.fullname }}!
{% else %}
    You need to log in.
{% endif %}

Conditionals

Fenom and Twig conditionals are similar, but the syntax differs:

{# Fenom #}
{if $_modx->resource.parent == 5}
    <nav>{$_modx->runSnippet('SiteNav', ['startId' => 5])}</nav>
{/if}

{# Twig #}
{% if resource.parent == 5 %}
    <nav>{{ snippet('SiteNav', {'startId': 5}) }}</nav>
{% endif %}

Loops

{# Fenom #}
{foreach $items as $item}
    <div>{$item.title}</div>
{/foreach}

{# Twig #}
{% for item in items %}
    <div>{{ item.title }}</div>
{% endfor %}

Twig's loop variable provides useful metadata inside loops:

{% for item in items %}
    {{ loop.index }}. {{ item.title }}
    {% if loop.first %} (first) {% endif %}
    {% if loop.last %} (last) {% endif %}
{% endfor %}

Output Filters

Fenom uses modifiers with | (pipe) syntax, just like Twig. Many filter names differ:

Fenom	Twig
{$value\|upper}	{{ value\|upper }}
{$value\|lower}	{{ value\|lower }}
{$value\|truncate:100}	{{ value\|slice(0, 100) }}
{$value\|strip}	{{ value\|striptags }}
{$value\|escape}	{{ value\|e }} (auto-escaping is on by default)
{$value\|date_format:'d/m/Y'}	{{ value\|date('d/m/Y') }}
{$value\|nl2br}	{{ value\|nl2br }}
{$value\|default:'none'}	{{ value\|default('none') }}
{$value\|json_encode}	{{ value\|json_encode }}
{$value\|number_format:2:'.':','}	{{ value\|number_format(2, '.', ',') }}

What Twig Adds

Features available in Twig that Fenom does not provide:

• Auto-escaping -- all output is HTML-escaped by default, preventing XSS. Use |raw to output trusted HTML.
• Template inheritance -- {% extends %} and {% block %} for layout composition (when using file-based templates).
• Macros -- {% macro %} for reusable template functions.
• Named arguments -- {{ chunk('Name', {'key': 'value'}) }} instead of positional arrays.
• Unified TV access -- {{ resource.MyTV }} treats TVs and fields the same.
• Extension API -- register custom functions, filters, and globals via PHP classes or the OnTwigInit event. See the Developer Guide.

What Changes

• Escaping: Twig auto-escapes output. If you see HTML tags appearing as text, add |raw. This is safer by default but requires awareness when outputting HTML content.
• Variable syntax: Fenom uses {$var}, Twig uses {{ var }}. No dollar sign prefix.
• Method calls: Fenom uses {$_modx->method()}, Twig uses helper functions (snippet(), link(), etc.) or {{ modx.method() }}.
• Comments: Fenom uses {* comment *}, Twig uses {# comment #}.