A retake on the PEAR module HTML_Template_Sigma written by Alexey Borzov and others.
I like how well Sigma integrates with HTML and the API is quite simple. However, its written as one big class, and can be hard to modify; so adding new features is time consuming. It is also difficult to debug the compiled templates, as they are serialized code. I've decided to rewrite it, but with quite a few changes and hopefully optimization and performance enhancements. A win would be to make it more inviting to maintain, or hack in new features.
I mention that the compiled template is just serialized code. I plan to make the output of a compiled template be plain PHP and text. Which should allow any PHP developer to easily review and debug a compiled template.
Because it is time consuming reading through a mix of logic and HTML, These kind of template engines allow you to separate them somewhat. Rather nicely I think.
Yes there are plenty of other logic-less templates out there, however, none integrate with HTML as nicely as Sigma did. And though this engine does not do everything exactly like Sigma, its still in the same vein, and retains the HTML integration niceness.
To the contrary, I also don't like view logic in my backend. So I strongly encourage using a View classes to place all your view logic, instead of throwing it in a controller or some other strange place.
<!-- COMMENT -->templates/some.html <!-- /COMMENT -->
<!-- BEGIN TEST_BLOCK_1 -->
Test content.
<!-- INCLUDE templates/some.html -->
<!-- BEGIN TEST_BLOCK_2 -->
<p>Some more test content with a {placeholder_1}.</p>
<!-- END TEST_BLOCK_2 -->
<!-- BEGIN TEST_BLOCK_3 -->
Another {placeholder_2}, but this time we also add in a func_upper_case('function')
<!-- BEGIN TEST_BLOCK_4 -->
<p>Repeat a {placeholder_1}</p>
<p> Add a function using a placeholder as input func_upper_case({placeholder_2})
<!-- END TEST_BLOCK_4 -->
<!-- END TEST_BLOCK_3 -->
<ul>
<!-- BEGIN TEST_BLOCK_5 -->
<li>Item {$itemNo}</>
<!-- END TEST_BLOCK_5 -->
</ul>
<!-- END TEST_BLOCK_1 --><?php
extract([
'placeholder_1_ph' => 'replacement',
'placeholder_2_ph' => 'placeholder_2',
'itemNo' => '3'
'itemNo' => 'cherry'
]);
<?php $TEST_BLOCK_1_ary = [[]];
foreach ($TEST_BLOCK_1_ary as $TEST_BLOCK_1_val ):
extract($TEST_BLOCK_1_val); // BEGIN TEST_BLOCK_1 ?>
Test content.
<!-- embedded contents of templates/some.html -->
<p>This is the content of templates/some.html, which was embedded in this template.</p>
<?php $TEST_BLOCK_2_ary = [[]];
foreach ($TEST_BLOCK_2_ary as $TEST_BLOCK_2_val):
extract($TEST_BLOCK_1_val); // TEST_BLOCK_2 ?>
<p>Some more test content with a <?= $placeholder_1_ph ?>.</p>
<?php endforeach; // END TEST_BLOCK_2 ?>
<?php $TEST_BLOCK_3_ary = [[]];
foreach ($TEST_BLOCK_3_ary as $TEST_BLOCK_3_val):
extract($TEST_BLOCK_3_val); // TEST_BLOCK_3 -->
Another {placeholder_2}, but this time we also add in a func_upper_case('function')
<?php $TEST_BLOCK_4_ary = [[]]; foreach ($TEST_BLOCK_4_ary as $TEST_BLOCK_4_val):
extract($TEST_BLOCK_4_val); ?>
<p>Repeat a <?= placeholder_1 ?></p>
<p> Add a function using a placeholder as input func_upper_case(<?= $placeholder_2_ph ?>)
<!-- END TEST_BLOCK_4 -->
<?php endforeach; // END TEST_BLOCK_3 ?>
<ul>
<?php
// The inner array(s) will be extracted as variables, overwriting any variables already defined globally.
$TEST_BLOCK_5_ary = [[itemNo => 1], [itemNo => 2], [itemNo => 3]];
foreach ($TEST_BLOCK_5_ary as $TEST_BLOCK_5_val):
extract($TEST_BLOCK_5_val); ?>
<li>Item {$itemNo} {$item:func_capitalize}</li>
<?php endforeach; //END TEST_BLOCK_5 ?>
</ul>
<?php endforeach; // END TEST_BLOCK_1 ?>
?>
PHP View Code:
```php
/Views/Some.php
class Some
{
public function render()
{
$template = new Template( 'templates/some.html' );
// Loop through TEST_BLOCK_5
$items = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'];
foreach ( $items as $itemNo => $item ) {
$template->parseBlock(
'TEST_BLOCK_5',
['itemNo' => $itemNo, 'item' => $item]
);
}
}
}Rendered Output:
<!-- TEST_BLOCK_5 Output: -->
<ul>
<li>Item 1 Apple</li>
<li>Item 2 Banana</li>
<li>Item 3 Cherry</li>
</ul>White space is significant, for example
This will not work, because at least one space must be between the filename and the closing HTML comment marker.
<!-- INCLUDE example.html-->
This will work.
<!-- INCLUDE example.html -->