“Expected end of tag” syntax error

The “Expected end of tag” error in Power Pages (Power Apps Portals) is a Liquid parsing error that usually happens when the syntax of a tag, loop, or block is not correctly closed or structured.

This guide will explain:

• What this error means
• Common causes
• Step-by-step debugging process
• Examples and fixes

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What Does “Expected End of Tag” Mean?

This error is thrown when Liquid’s parser expects the end of a tag block (like endif, endfor, endfetchxml) but doesn’t find it or encounters a malformed structure.

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Common Causes

1. Missing closing tag (e.g., endif, endfor)
2. Incorrect tag spelling (e.g., endforr, endfechxml)
3. Extra/misplaced {% or %} syntax
4. Nested blocks not closed in the right order
5. Using {{ }} instead of {% %} for logic tags

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Example Scenarios and Fixes

1. Missing endif

Incorrect:

{% if user %}
  Welcome {{ user.fullname }}

Fix:

{% if user %}
  Welcome {{ user.fullname }}
{% endif %}

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2. Spelling Error in Closing Block

Incorrect:

{% for item in items %}
  {{ item.name }}
{% endforr %}

Fix:

{% for item in items %}
  {{ item.name }}
{% endfor %}

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3. Mismatched Logic Tags

Incorrect:

{{ if user }}
  Hello
{% endif %}

• {{ }} is used for output.
• {% %} should be used for logic.

Fix:

{% if user %}
  Hello
{% endif %}

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4. Nested Tags Closed Improperly

Incorrect:

{% if user %}
  {% for order in orders %}
    {{ order.name }}
{% endif %}
{% endfor %}

• The tags are closed in the wrong order.

Fix:

{% if user %}
  {% for order in orders %}
    {{ order.name }}
  {% endfor %}
{% endif %}

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5. FetchXML Block Improperly Closed

Incorrect:

{% fetchxml cases %}
  <fetch>
    <entity name="incident">
      <attribute name="title" />
    </entity>
  </fetch>
{% endfetch %}

Fix:

{% fetchxml cases %}
  <fetch>
    <entity name="incident">
      <attribute name="title" />
    </entity>
  </fetch>
{% endfetchxml %}

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Debugging Strategy

1. Use Visual Alignment: Match each {% if %}, {% for %}, {% fetchxml %} with the corresponding end tag.
2. Indentation: Helps catch mismatches in nested logic.
3. Comment Out Blocks: Temporarily isolate the error.
4. Build from Small Blocks: Start with simple tags and expand logic slowly.

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Best Practices

• Always close logic tags explicitly.
• Avoid using {{ }} for conditional blocks or loops.
• Don’t mix output and logic tags.
• Recheck the spelling of endfor, endif, endfetchxml, etc.
• Use a code editor with Liquid syntax highlighting for easier debugging.