PHP Templating Systems and Conditional HTML

[Bruce]

Which of the popular templating systems (e.g. PHLib, FastTemplate,
Smarty) allow you to setup conditions in your templates, for example:

<-- IF Variable=value -->
this HTML
<-- ELSEIF Variable=value -->
this HTML
<-- ENDIF Variable=value -->

--Bruce

[Kevin Thorpe]

Bruce wrote:

Which of the popular templating systems (e.g. PHLib, FastTemplate,
Smarty) allow you to setup conditions in your templates, for example:
php does this fine on it's own

<?php IF ($Variable=value) { ?> this HTML <?php } else if ($Variable=value) { ?> this HTML

<?php } ?>

[MrPlow]

Bruce wrote:

Which of the popular templating systems (e.g. PHLib, FastTemplate,
Smarty) allow you to setup conditions in your templates, for example:

<-- IF Variable=value -->
this HTML
<-- ELSEIF Variable=value -->
this HTML
<-- ENDIF Variable=value -->

--Bruce

IMO the main purpose of using templates is to separate your logic from
your layout.

Having said that, I know that FastTemplate, or DTemplate (my own
template class which is almost functionaly identical to FT) can
accomplish what you want using their dynamic block functionality.

example using DTemplate:

template.tpl:

<DTDYN:block1>
block1 html
</DTDYN:block1>
<DTDYN:block2>
block2 html
</DTDYN:block2>

template.php:

<?php
$tpl = new DTemplate('path/to/tpl/file');
$tpl->define_templates(array('body' => 'template.tpl'));
$tpl->define_dynamic('block1', 'body');
$tpl->define_dynamic('block2', 'body');
if ($var = true)
{
$tpl->clear_dynamic('block1');
}
else {
$tpl->clear_dynamic('block2');
}
//process template stuff and print
?>

dtemplate doc: http://desolatewaste.com/projects/dtemplate/readme.htm
fasttemplate doc: http://www.thewebmasters.net/php/FastTemplate.phtml

[Andy Hassall]

On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 13:22:34 GMT, Bruce <br*****@hotmail.com> wrote:

Which of the popular templating systems (e.g. PHLib, FastTemplate,
Smarty) allow you to setup conditions in your templates, for example:

<-- IF Variable=value -->
this HTML
<-- ELSEIF Variable=value -->
this HTML
<-- ENDIF Variable=value -->

Smarty certainly does.

--
Andy Hassall <an**@andyh.co.uk> / Space: disk usage analysis tool
<http://www.andyh.co.uk> / <http://www.andyhsoftware.co.uk/space>

[Andy Hassall]

On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 18:54:33 GMT, MrPlow <de********@hotmail.com> wrote:

IMO the main purpose of using templates is to separate your logic from
your layout.

But layout itself can need 'logic' - depending on how you define 'logic'.

Templates IMO are to separate your 'data logic' from your 'presentation logic'
- for presentation beyond the trivial 'loop round an array and print a table
cell per entry' having some sort of basic code support in the template can be
useful, else you end up pushing presentation information into your 'data
logic', where it doesn't really belong.

Depends on your view of things, of course, which is why there are a million
and one templating systems that each work according to the opinion of their
author on this issue. :-)

--
Andy Hassall <an**@andyh.co.uk> / Space: disk usage analysis tool
<http://www.andyh.co.uk> / <http://www.andyhsoftware.co.uk/space>

[MrPlow]

Andy Hassall wrote:

On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 18:54:33 GMT, MrPlow <de********@hotmail.com> wrote:

IMO the main purpose of using templates is to separate your logic from
your layout.

But layout itself can need 'logic' - depending on how you define 'logic'.

Templates IMO are to separate your 'data logic' from your 'presentation logic'
- for presentation beyond the trivial 'loop round an array and print a table
cell per entry' having some sort of basic code support in the template can be
useful,

You've got me there. I considered not including dynamic blocks in my
class at all, but even I used them constantly when I was using
FastTemplate, so I can't deny that it would probably be even more useful
to have extra logical controls in the templates, just haven't tried it.

My goal was to have templates that could be edited by people who know
how to use Dreamweaver, but have never programmed anything like PHP before.
else you end up pushing presentation information into your 'data
logic', where it doesn't really belong.

Not necessarily. I've come up with a bunch of ways to separate them...
I think I'm nearing a method that I wouldn't mind using more than once
too! :P
Depends on your view of things, of course, which is why there are a million
and one templating systems that each work according to the opinion of their
author on this issue. :-)

Yep.

[Jochen Daum]

On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 13:22:34 GMT, Bruce <br*****@hotmail.com> wrote:

Which of the popular templating systems (e.g. PHLib, FastTemplate,
Smarty) allow you to setup conditions in your templates, for example:

<-- IF Variable=value -->
this HTML
<-- ELSEIF Variable=value -->
this HTML
<-- ENDIF Variable=value -->

--Bruce

My personal redevlopment of Fasttemplate does. The templates also
validate as HTML, because they use <!-- -->

See my signature,

Jochen

--
Jochen Daum - Cabletalk Group Ltd.
PHP DB Edit Toolkit -- PHP scripts for building
database editing interfaces.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/phpdbedittk/

[R. Rajesh Jeba Anbiah]

Bruce <br*****@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<dv********************************@4ax.com>. ..

Which of the popular templating systems (e.g. PHLib, FastTemplate,
Smarty) allow you to setup conditions in your templates, for example:

<-- IF Variable=value -->
this HTML
<-- ELSEIF Variable=value -->
this HTML
<-- ENDIF Variable=value -->

The most popular template system is PHP itself. This topic and the
suggestions are often disputed at least bye someone. For more info,
see the recent discussions on this topic
<http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=c17ndg%24l3t%241%40newsreader.mailg ate.org>

The important thing here is people often change their styles and so
their template system.

<trivia>When Jochen and I had a discussion about template system
about a year ago, he was backing Smarty. But, now he came up with
another system :-)</trivia>

--
"I don't believe in the God who doesn't give me food, but shows me
heaven!"--Swami Vivekanandha
Email: rrjanbiah-at-Y!com