Template System Techniques

[F.Danials]

Hiya!,

I currently planning to make my own template system, but am intrigued to know what the different techniques are in order to link the templates with the PHP code.

I know of one method, "Regular Expressions".

Also, what method does the following class use?

http://www.phpclasses.org/browse/file/14674.html

[imaginethis]

It's been said a few hundred times, PHP is a template language. Creating a template language on top of a template language is redundant.

[F.Danials]

It's been said a few hundred times, PHP is a template language. Creating a template language on top of a template language is redundant.

If it's a template language, how do you separate the Processing (PHP) from the Mark-Up (HTML) code?

[imaginethis]

If it's a template language, how do you separate the Processing (PHP) from the Mark-Up (HTML) code?

MVC

[F.Danials]

MVC

Yes, but you need a way to link the Processing (PHP) to the Mark-Up (HTML) code.

[rguy84]

Yes, but you need a way to link the Processing (PHP) to the Mark-Up (HTML) code.

Can you expand more? look up at my sample code. I used php to include another file, the browser looks at the code, sees I am calling a new file (nav.php), writes/processes the file (meshes nav.php into my original code) and spits out the page. If you then look at the source, you won't see a php include call but you would instead see the code in nav.php

[imaginethis]

Yes, but you need a way to link the Processing (PHP) to the Mark-Up (HTML) code.

I think your missing the point. If PHP is the template language you don't need to separate HTML from PHP. You need only seperate Business Logic from View.

Separating PHP from HTML with a template language is nothing more than putting a huge semaphore in the your code's execution saying WAIT FOR IT! WAIT FOR IT! WAIT FOR IT! KEEP WAITING! KEEP WAITING! THERE YOU GO . The shortest distance between any two points is a straight line. No matter how many triangles, circles, squares or squiggly lines you draw, you want get from point A to point B any faster than a straight line.

+1 for geometry theorems being put to use >.>

[Stormrider]

If it's a template language, how do you separate the Processing (PHP) from the Mark-Up (HTML) code?

Pretty easily? You don't have to output the HTML in the same file you keep all your logic.

[F.Danials]

Pretty easily? You don't have to output the HTML in the same file you keep all your logic.

How would you do that then?
I'm now confused now, as so many people use template engines, and to me it seems a good idea (i.e. easier to edit pages). But after reading the information above, and viewing this thread, I don't want to waste my time developing something that doesn't actually need to be done.

Many people state that PHP is already a template system, if this is true, how would you link the templates with the PHP?

[sk89q]

That's a matter of opinion. I find <?php foreach ($users as $user) { ?><a href="/<?php echo htmlspecialchars($user) ?>"><?php echo htmlspecialchars($user) ?></a><?php endforeach; ?> exceptionally hard on the eyes and a real pain to write. After I've mocked up a design in Photoshop and I want to write its corresponding HTML code, I don't want to waddle in such ugly code spaghetti. You also can't cleanly add template-specific functions to be used in only templates due to PHP's handling of scope.

You might want to look into how Smarty does it.

[imaginethis]

That's a matter of opinion.

It's not an opinion, its a fact.

I find <?php foreach ($users as $user) { ?><a href="/<?php echo htmlspecialchars($user) ?>"><?php echo htmlspecialchars($user) ?></a><?php endforeach; ?>

<? foreach($users as $user): ?>
<a href="/<?= htmlspecialchars($user) ?>">
  <?= htmlspecialchars($user)?>
</a>
<? endforeach; ?>

Not so hard on the eyes. This is hardly much more than what you'd have in smarty. It's not hard to write and there's no ugly spaghetti code to "waddle" through.

You also can't cleanly add template-specific functions to be used in only templates due to PHP's handling of scope.

Can't argue with that. But I like the thought of being able re-use my code.

[sk89q]

It's not an opinion, its a fact.

No, it's an opinion. A templating engine would be "redundant" if it did not have advantages of its own. However, a good one does.

<? foreach($users as $user): ?>
<a href="/<?= htmlspecialchars($user) ?>">
  <?= htmlspecialchars($user)?>
</a>
<? endforeach; ?>

Not so hard on the eyes. This is hardly much more than what you'd have in smarty. It's not hard to write and there's no ugly spaghetti code to "waddle" through.

You shouldn't depend on <?= or <? for portability reasons (and who knows, maybe it'd become deprecated one day). So, you're stuck with <?php echo and <?php.

<?php foreach($users as $user): ?>
<a href="/<?php echo htmlspecialchars($user) ?>">
  <?php echo htmlspecialchars($user)?>
</a>
<?php endforeach; ?>

That's right. Ugly once again.

Plus, that's a relatively simple block of code. Soon you have yourself <a href="<?php echo htmlspecialchars($user_id)?>"<?php if ($should_be_colored): ?> style="color: <?php echo htmlspecialchars($color)?>"<?php endif; ?>><?php if ($username): ?><?php echo htmlspecialchars($username)?><?php else: ?><em>(unknown)</em><?php endif; ?></a>

If that were written in Smarty, it would be shorter and much easier to read. Plus, since Smarty's language doesn't make use of < and >, characters muddling themselves in (X)HTML look-alike syntax, it's even better.

On top of all of this, if I want to add another escape function or so (such as one for JavaScript), I would have to muddle the global namespace with it*. One could put it in an object, but then you'd just make the template code even longer.

*Though in PHP 5.3, functions are first class objects, but we're not there yet.

[Stormrider]

<?php
 foreach($users as $user) {
  echo "<a href=\"/" . htmlspecialchars($user) . "\">\r\n";
  echo htmlspecialchars($user) . "\r\n";
  echo "</a>\r\n";
 }//foreach
?>

Looks fine to me :P

[galen]

{foreach from=$myArray item=foo}
    <li>{$foo}</li>
{/foreach} 

<?php foreach($myArray as $foo) ?>
    <li><?= $foo ?></li>
<?php endforeach; ?>

looks the same to me. Any there's no smarty overhead =]

AND you dont have to learn another "language"

[imaginethis]

AND you dont have to learn another "language"

Or create one

But seriously, if your going to make a better template language to improve upon PHP, write it in C

[galen]

if you don't feel like ever using a template system again read this. most importantly the posts by voostind

[prince_mallow]

if you don't feel like ever using a template system again read this. most importantly the posts by voostind

The use I see is not having to type out the company name out when you install a cms it just copies it everywhere... but for real programmers... ??

[Michael Morris]

That's a matter of opinion. I find <?php foreach ($users as $user) { ?><a href="/<?php echo htmlspecialchars($user) ?>"><?php echo htmlspecialchars($user) ?></a><?php endforeach; ?> exceptionally hard on the eyes and a real pain to write. After I've mocked up a design in Photoshop and I want to write its corresponding HTML code, I don't want to waddle in such ugly code spaghetti. You also can't cleanly add template-specific functions to be used in only templates due to PHP's handling of scope.

You might want to look into how Smarty does it.

Then learn braceless syntax. <?php foreach( $array as $value): ?> some html here <?php endforeach; ?>

[rguy84]

Hiya!,

I currently planning to make my own template system, but am intrigued to know what the different techniques are in order to link the templates with the PHP code.

Honestly I am not sure why people use templates...

sample.php

<html>
//header stuff
<body>
<?php
include('nav.php');
include('sidebar.php');
?>
<div class="mainContent">
.......
</div>
<?php include('footer'); ?>
</body>
</html>

in templates all you would be editing is the stuff in mainContent anyhow

[imaginethis]

Honestly I am not sure why people use templates...

sample.php

<html>
//header stuff
<body>
<?php
include('nav.php');
include('sidebar.php');
?>
<div class="mainContent">
.......
</div>
<?php include('footer'); ?>
</body>
</html>

in templates all you would be editing is the stuff in mainContent anyhow

er... that is a template >.>...

[rguy84]

er... that is a template >.>...

I wasn't saying it was >.> I was just saying I am not sure why people still use templates since you can make something like one in php, where you include files except where you put content... isn't that what a template does basically? Say a, b, and c is a fixed region, but D is where you have the ability to write content...

[imaginethis]

I wasn't saying it was >.> I was just saying I am not sure why people still use templates since you can make something like one in php, where you include files except where you put content... isn't that what a template does basically? Say this, this and this is a fixed region, but that is where you have the ability to write content...

In incredibly simple terms yes. I think I understand what you were attempting to say. "Honestly I am not sure why people use template languages"...

[F.Danials]

There must be some advantages of using a Template Engine, as everybody uses them.

I recently looked at some jobs websites for PHP Developer roles (Just curious to see what some requirements are), and many of the positions require the knowledge of Zend and Smarty.

[imaginethis]

There must be some advantages of using a Template Engine, as everybody uses them.

I recently looked at some jobs websites for PHP Developer roles (Just curious to see what some requirements are), and many of the positions require the knowledge of Zend and Smarty.

Smarty pareses its template files and store its compiled generated PHP code while giving you the possibility to generated cached HTML pages. There many websites that use smarty as well as many applications, like X-Cart -- a complete pain in the backside -- that currently use smarty. Those websites and applications still need maintenance, so knowledge of Smarty is beneficial... Several PHP frameworks have built in caching capabilities -- Zend Framework and CakePHP do -- so I don't see what benefit using any additional template language other than php would provide.

Zend is not a template language. I would say it is a library (framework) that extends PHP.

Zend is company, not a framework. Zend Framework is a PHP framework.

[rguy84]

Zend[/URL] is company, not a framework. Zend Framework is a PHP framework.

hey I have been studying all day, take it easy eh. I think the OP got the drift...I hope