FreeMarker template error: The following has evaluated to null or missing: ==> articleType [in template "article/content.ftl" at line 2, column 6] Tip: If the failing expression is known to be legally null/missing, either specify a default value with myOptionalVar!myDefault, or use <#if myOptionalVar??>when-present<#else>when-missing. (These only cover the last step of the expression; to cover the whole expression, use parenthessis: (myOptionVar.foo)!myDefault, (myOptionVar.foo)?? The failing instruction (FTL stack trace): ---------- ==> #if articleType = "001" [in template "article/content.ftl" at line 2, column 1] ---------- Java stack trace (for programmers): ---------- freemarker.core.InvalidReferenceException: [... Exception message was already printed; see it above ...] at freemarker.core.InvalidReferenceException.getInstance(InvalidReferenceException.java:98) at freemarker.core.EvalUtil.compare(EvalUtil.java:230) at freemarker.core.EvalUtil.compare(EvalUtil.java:148) at freemarker.core.ComparisonExpression.evalToBoolean(ComparisonExpression.java:103) at freemarker.core.IfBlock.accept(IfBlock.java:82) at freemarker.core.Environment.visit(Environment.java:265) at freemarker.core.MixedContent.accept(MixedContent.java:93) at freemarker.core.Environment.visit(Environment.java:265) at freemarker.core.Environment.process(Environment.java:243) at freemarker.template.Template.process(Template.java:277) at org.springframework.web.servlet.view.freemarker.FreeMarkerView.processTemplate(FreeMarkerView.java:366) at org.springframework.web.servlet.view.freemarker.FreeMarkerView.doRender(FreeMarkerView.java:283) at org.springframework.web.servlet.view.freemarker.FreeMarkerView.renderMergedTemplateModel(FreeMarkerView.java:233) at org.springframework.web.servlet.view.AbstractTemplateView.renderMergedOutputModel(AbstractTemplateView.java:167) at org.springframework.web.servlet.view.AbstractView.render(AbstractView.java:303) at org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.render(DispatcherServlet.java:1228) at org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.processDispatchResult(DispatcherServlet.java:1011) at org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doDispatch(DispatcherServlet.java:955) at org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doService(DispatcherServlet.java:877) at org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.processRequest(FrameworkServlet.java:961) at org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.doGet(FrameworkServlet.java:852) at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:624) at org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.service(FrameworkServlet.java:837) at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:731) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:303) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) at org.apache.tomcat.websocket.server.WsFilter.doFilter(WsFilter.java:52) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) at org.springframework.web.filter.CharacterEncodingFilter.doFilterInternal(CharacterEncodingFilter.java:88) at org.springframework.web.filter.OncePerRequestFilter.doFilter(OncePerRequestFilter.java:107) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:218) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:122) at org.apache.catalina.authenticator.AuthenticatorBase.invoke(AuthenticatorBase.java:505) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:169) at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:103) at org.apache.catalina.valves.AccessLogValve.invoke(AccessLogValve.java:956) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:116) at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:442) at org.apache.coyote.http11.AbstractHttp11Processor.process(AbstractHttp11Processor.java:1082) at org.apache.coyote.AbstractProtocol$AbstractConnectionHandler.process(AbstractProtocol.java:623) at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.JIoEndpoint$SocketProcessor.run(JIoEndpoint.java:316) at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142) at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617) at org.apache.tomcat.util.threads.TaskThread$WrappingRunnable.run(TaskThread.java:61) at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)