Velocity to FreeMarker Converter

Velocity to FreeMarker — Why and When

Liferay deprecated Velocity in 7.0 and later removed it, so Liferay 7.4 and the DXP quarterly releases only run FreeMarker (.ftl) themes, widget templates (ADTs), web content templates and email templates. Moving an old Liferay 6.x theme or a set of .vm templates means rewriting every directive, reference and Liferay macro. This converter does that mechanical pass, including portal_normal.vm and navigation.vm theme templates, and lists the few things it can't decide for you.

Velocity ↔ FreeMarker Syntax Reference

The core pattern mappings the converter applies. Keep this handy as a cheat sheet even when you are editing templates by hand.

$user.name

${user.name}

$!user.name

${(user.name)!}

#set($x = 10)

<#assign x = 10>

#if($active)

<#if active>

#elseif($pending)
#else

<#elseif pending>
<#else>

#end

</#if>

#if($total > 0)

<#if total gt 0>

#if($x != $null)

<#if x??>

#foreach($item in $list)

<#list list as item>

#end

</#list>

$velocityCount / $foreach.count

${item?counter}

$list.size()

list?size

#foreach($i in [1..5])

<#list 1..5 as i>

#macro(greet $name)
Hi $name
#end

<#macro greet name>
Hi ${name}
</#macro>

#greet($user)

<@greet name=user />

#parse("$full_templates_path/navigation.vm")

<#include "${full_templates_path}/navigation.ftl" />

#parse($init)

<#include init />

#language("skip-to-content")

<@liferay.language key="skip-to-content" />

#language_format("go-to-x", [$site_name])

<@liferay.language_format arguments=site_name key="go-to-x" />

#dockbar()

<@liferay.control_menu />

#breadcrumbs()

<@liferay.breadcrumbs />

$theme.include($top_head_include)

<@liferay_util["include"] page=top_head_include />

$theme.wrapPortlet("portlet.vm", $content_include)

<@liferay_theme["wrap-portlet"] page="portlet.ftl">
  <@liferay_util["include"] page=content_include />
</@>

$theme.runtime("com_liferay_..._Portlet")

<@liferay_portlet["runtime"] portletName="com_liferay_..._Portlet" />

## a comment

<#-- a comment -->

#* a comment *#

<#-- a comment -->

How to Use This Converter

1. Paste your Velocity. Drop your .vm template into the input panel, or click Load sample.
2. Read the FreeMarker output. It regenerates live as you type — no button to press.
3. Work through Check by hand. The converter lists anything it couldn't translate safely, such as #if($object) conditions or macros defined in another file.
4. Test it in Liferay. Deploy the template and check the Liferay variables it uses still exist in 7.4 or DXP.
5. Copy or download the result as a .ftl file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert Velocity to FreeMarker?

Liferay deprecated Velocity templates in 7.0 and later removed Velocity support completely, so Liferay 7.4 and every DXP quarterly release (2025.Q1, 2026.Q1 and newer) only run FreeMarker. Themes, Application Display Templates (widget templates), web content templates and email templates from Liferay 6.x all have to be rewritten as .ftl files before they will work.

What does the converter handle automatically?

Directives (#set, #if/#elseif/#else, #foreach, #macro, #parse, #include, #break, #stop), the shared #end (closed as </#if>, </#list> or </#macro>), references ($x, $!x, ${x}, method calls and their arguments), comparison and word operators (> becomes gt, and/or/not become &&/||/!), $null checks (x??), loop counters ($velocityCount and $foreach.count/index/hasNext), ranges, string interpolation, comments, and calls to macros defined in the same template.

Does it convert Liferay theme macros and $theme calls?

Yes. #language and #language_format become <@liferay.language> and <@liferay.language_format>, #dockbar becomes <@liferay.control_menu />, #breadcrumbs, #css, #js and #date become their <@liferay.*> versions, #parse ($init) becomes <#include init />, $theme.include(...) becomes <@liferay_util["include"]>, $theme.runtime(...) becomes <@liferay_portlet["runtime"]> and $theme.wrapPortlet(...) becomes <@liferay_theme["wrap-portlet"]>. .vm file names in #parse become .ftl.

What do I still need to fix by hand?

The converter lists these under "Check by hand". The usual ones are #if($object) conditions (FreeMarker needs a real boolean, so use x?? or x?has_content), macros defined in another file, #set on a property, and #evaluate or #define. Also test the template in Liferay: some 6.2 variables and services were renamed or removed in 7.x.

Does it work in both directions?

Yes. Use the swap button to convert FreeMarker back to Velocity, including the Liferay macros and taglibs above. Velocity to FreeMarker is the main path; the reverse is best effort.

Is my template uploaded anywhere?

No. All conversion runs in your browser. Your template code never leaves your device.

Related Liferay Tools

• Theme Builder Wizard

  Generate a new Liferay 7.4 theme with FreeMarker templates.

• Layout Template Generator

  Build the .ftl layout templates that replace old .vm and .tpl files.

• Taglib Reference

  Look up the liferay-ui, liferay-util and liferay-portlet tags used in FreeMarker.

• Upgrade Planner

  Plan the rest of a Liferay 6.x to 7.4 or DXP upgrade.

• Fragment Config Builder

  Build configuration.json for page fragments, which also use FreeMarker.

Official Resources

• Liferay Learn — Embedding widgets using theme templates
• Apache Velocity 1.7 User Guide
• Apache FreeMarker Manual