HTML::Template - Perl module to use HTML Templates from CGI scripts
First you make a template - this is just a normal HTML file with a few extra tags, the simplest being <TMPL_VAR>
For example, test.tmpl:
<HTML> <HEAD><TITLE>Test Template</TITLE> <BODY> My Home Directory is <TMPL_VAR NAME=HOME> <P> My Path is set to <TMPL_VAR NAME=PATH> </BODY> </HTML>
Now create a small CGI program:
use HTML::Template;
# open the html template my $template = HTML::Template->new(filename => 'test.tmpl');
# fill in some parameters $template->param( HOME => $ENV{HOME}, PATH => $ENV{PATH}, );
# send the obligatory Content-Type print "Content-Type: text/html\n\n";
# print the template print $template->output;
If all is well in the universe this should show something like this in your browser when visiting the CGI:
My Home Directory is /home/some/directory My Path is set to /bin;/usr/bin
This module attempts to make using HTML templates simple and natural. It extends standard HTML with a few new HTML-esque tags - <TMPL_VAR>, <TMPL_LOOP>, <TMPL_INCLUDE>, <TMPL_IF> and <TMPL_ELSE>. The file written with HTML and these new tags is called a template. It is usually saved separate from your script - possibly even created by someone else! Using this module you fill in the values for the variables, loops and branches declared in the template. This allows you to separate design - the HTML - from the data, which you generate in the Perl script.
A Japanese translation of the documentation is available at:
http://member.nifty.ne.jp/hippo2000/perltips/html/template.htm
This module is licensed under the GPL. See the LICENSE section below for more details.
It is true that there are a number of packages out there to do HTML templates. On the one hand you have things like HTML::Embperl which allows you freely mix Perl with HTML. On the other hand lie home-grown variable substitution solutions. Hopefully the module can find a place between the two.
One advantage of this module over a full HTML::Embperl-esque solution is that it enforces an important divide - design and programming. By limiting the programmer to just using simple variables and loops in the HTML, the template remains accessible to designers and other non-perl people. The use of HTML-esque syntax goes further to make the format understandable to others. In the future this similarity could be used to extend existing HTML editors/analyzers to support HTML::Template.
An advantage of this module over home-grown tag-replacement schemes is the support for loops. In my work I am often called on to produce tables of data in html. Producing them using simplistic HTML templates results in CGIs containing lots of HTML since the HTML itself cannot represent loops. The introduction of loop statements in the HTML simplifies this situation considerably. The designer can layout a single row and the programmer can fill it in as many times as necessary - all they must agree on is the parameter names.
For all that, I think the best thing about this module is that it does just one thing and it does it quickly and carefully. It doesn't try to replace Perl and HTML, it just augments them to interact a little better. And it's pretty fast.
Note: even though these tags look like HTML they are a little different in a couple of ways. First, they must appear entirely on one line. Second, they're allowed to ``break the rules''. Something like:
<IMG SRC="<TMPL_VAR NAME=IMAGE_SRC>">
is not really valid HTML, but it is a perfectly valid use and will work as planned.
The ``NAME='' in the tag is optional, although for extensibility's sake I recommend using it. Example - ``<TMPL_LOOP LOOP_NAME>'' is acceptable.
If you're a fanatic about valid HTML and would like your templates to conform to valid HTML syntax, you may optionally type template tags in the form of HTML comments. This may be of use to HTML authors who would like to validate their templates' HTML syntax prior to HTML::Template processing, or who use DTD-savvy editing tools.
<!-- TMPL_VAR NAME=PARAM1 -->
In order to realize a dramatic savings in bandwidth, the standard (non-comment) tags will be used throughout the rest of this documentation.
The <TMPL_VAR> tag is very simple. For each <TMPL_VAR> tag in the template you call $template->param(PARAMETER_NAME => ``VALUE''). When the template is output the <TMPL_VAR> is replaced with the VALUE text you specified. If you don't set a parameter it just gets skipped in the output.
Optionally you can use the ``ESCAPE=HTML'' option in the tag to indicate that you want the value to be HTML-escaped before being returned from output (the old ESCAPE=1 syntax is still supported). This means that the ``, <, >, and & characters get translated into ", <, > and & respectively. This is useful when you want to use a TMPL_VAR in a context where those characters would cause trouble. Example:
<INPUT NAME=param TYPE=TEXT VALUE="<TMPL_VAR NAME="param">">
If you called param()
with a value like sam``my you'll get in trouble
with HTML's idea of a double-quote. On the other hand, if you use
ESCAPE=HTML, like this:
<INPUT NAME=param TYPE=TEXT VALUE="<TMPL_VAR ESCAPE=HTML NAME="param">">
You'll get what you wanted no matter what value happens to be passed in for param. You can also write ESCAPE=``HTML'', ESCAPE='HTML' and ESCAPE='1'. Substitute a 0 for the HTML and you turn off escaping, which is the default anyway.
There is also the ``ESCAPE=URL'' option which may be used for VARs that populate a URL. It will do URL escaping, like replacing ' ' with '+' and '/' with '%2F'.
The <TMPL_LOOP> tag is a bit more complicated. The <TMPL_LOOP> tag
allows you to delimit a section of text and give it a name. Inside
the <TMPL_LOOP> you place <TMPL_VAR>s. Now you pass to param()
a list
(an array ref) of parameter assignments (hash refs). The loop
iterates over this list and produces output from the text block for
each pass. Unset parameters are skipped. Here's an example:
In the template:
<TMPL_LOOP NAME=EMPLOYEE_INFO> Name: <TMPL_VAR NAME=NAME> <P> Job: <TMPL_VAR NAME=JOB> <P> <P> </TMPL_LOOP>
In the script:
$template->param(EMPLOYEE_INFO => [ { name => 'Sam', job => 'programmer' }, { name => 'Steve', job => 'soda jerk' }, ] ); print $template->output();
The output:
Name: Sam <P> Job: programmer <P> <P> Name: Steve <P> Job: soda jerk <P> <P>
As you can see above the <TMPL_LOOP> takes a list of variable assignments and then iterates over the loop body producing output.
Often you'll want to generate a <TMPL_LOOP>'s contents programmatically. Here's an example of how this can be done (many other ways are possible!):
# a couple of arrays of data to put in a loop: my @words = qw(I Am Cool); my @numbers = qw(1 2 3);
my @loop_data = (); # initialize an array to hold your loop
while (@words and @numbers) { my %row_data; # get a fresh hash for the row data
# fill in this row $row_data{WORD} = shift @words; $row_data{NUMBER} = shift @numbers;
# the crucial step - push a reference to this row into the loop! push(@loop_data, \%row_data); }
# finally, assign the loop data to the loop param, again with a # reference: $template->param(THIS_LOOP => \@loop_data);
The above example would work with a template like:
<TMPL_LOOP NAME="THIS_LOOP"> Word: <TMPL_VAR NAME="WORD"><BR> Number: <TMPL_VAR NAME="NUMBER"><P> </TMPL_LOOP>
It would produce output like:
Word: I Number: 1
Word: Am Number: 2
Word: Cool Number: 3
<TMPL_LOOP>s within <TMPL_LOOP>s are fine and work as you would
expect. If the syntax for the param()
call has you stumped, here's an
example of a param call with one nested loop:
$template->param('ROW',[ { name => 'Bobby', nicknames => [ { name => 'the big bad wolf' }, { name => 'He-Man' }, ], }, ], );
Basically, each <TMPL_LOOP> gets an array reference. Inside the array are any number of hash references. These hashes contain the name=>value pairs for a single pass over the loop template.
Inside a <TMPL_LOOP>, the only variables that are usable are the ones from the <TMPL_LOOP>. The variables in the outer blocks are not visible within a template loop. For the computer-science geeks among you, a <TMPL_LOOP> introduces a new scope much like a perl subroutine call. If you want your variables to be global you can use 'global_vars' option to new described below.
This tag includes a template directly into the current template at the point where the tag is found. The included template contents are used exactly as if its contents were physically included in the master template.
The file specified can be a full path - beginning with a '/'. If it
isn't a full path, the path to the enclosing file is tried first.
After that the path in the environment variable HTML_TEMPLATE_ROOT is
tried next, if it exists. Next, the ``path'' new()
option is consulted.
As a final attempt, the filename is passed to open()
directly. See
below for more information on HTML_TEMPLATE_ROOT and the ``path'' option
to new().
As a protection against infinitly recursive includes, an arbitary limit of 10 levels deep is imposed. You can alter this limit with the ``max_includes'' option. See the entry for the ``max_includes'' option below for more details.
The <TMPL_IF> tag allows you to include or not include a block of the template based on the value of a given parameter name. If the parameter is given a value that is true for Perl - like '1' - then the block is included in the output. If it is not defined, or given a false value - like '0' - then it is skipped. The parameters are specified the same way as with TMPL_VAR.
Example Template:
<TMPL_IF NAME="BOOL"> Some text that only gets displayed if BOOL is true! </TMPL_IF>
Now if you call $template->param(BOOL => 1) then the above block will be included by output.
<TMPL_IF> </TMPL_IF> blocks can include any valid HTML::Template construct - VARs and LOOPs and other IF/ELSE blocks. Note, however, that intersecting a <TMPL_IF> and a <TMPL_LOOP> is invalid.
Not going to work: <TMPL_IF BOOL> <TMPL_LOOP SOME_LOOP> </TMPL_IF> </TMPL_LOOP>
If the name of a TMPL_LOOP is used in a TMPL_IF, the IF block will output if the loop has at least one row. Example:
<TMPL_IF LOOP_ONE> This will output if the loop is not empty. </TMPL_IF>
<TMPL_LOOP LOOP_ONE> .... </TMPL_LOOP>
WARNING: Much of the benefit of HTML::Template is in decoupling your
Perl and HTML. If you introduce numerous cases where you have
TMPL_IFs and matching Perl if()s, you will create a maintenance
problem in keeping the two synchronized. I suggest you adopt the
practice of only using TMPL_IF if you can do so without requiring a
matching if()
in your Perl code.
You can include an alternate block in your TMPL_IF block by using TMPL_ELSE. NOTE: You still end the block with </TMPL_IF>, not </TMPL_ELSE>!
Example:
<TMPL_IF BOOL> Some text that is included only if BOOL is true <TMPL_ELSE> Some text that is included only if BOOL is false </TMPL_IF>
This tag is the opposite of <TMPL_IF>. The block is output if the CONTROL_PARAMETER is set false or not defined. You can use <TMPL_ELSE> with <TMPL_UNLESS> just as you can with <TMPL_IF>.
Example:
<TMPL_UNLESS BOOL> Some text that is output only if BOOL is FALSE. <TMPL_ELSE> Some text that is output only if BOOL is TRUE. </TMPL_UNLESS>
If the name of a TMPL_LOOP is used in a TMPL_UNLESS, the UNLESS block output if the loop has zero rows.
<TMPL_UNLESS LOOP_ONE> This will output if the loop is empty. </TMPL_UNLESS>
<TMPL_LOOP LOOP_ONE> .... </TMPL_LOOP>
new()
Call new()
to create a new Template object:
my $template = HTML::Template->new( filename => 'file.tmpl', option => 'value' );
You must call new()
with at least one name => value pair specifying how
to access the template text. You can use ``filename => 'file.tmpl''' to
specify a filename to be opened as the template. Alternately you can
use:
my $t = HTML::Template->new( scalarref => $ref_to_template_text, option => 'value' );
and
my $t = HTML::Template->new( arrayref => $ref_to_array_of_lines , option => 'value' );
These initialize the template from in-memory resources. In almost every case you'll want to use the filename parameter. If you're worried about all the disk access from reading a template file just use mod_perl and the cache option detailed below.
The three new()
calling methods can also be accessed as below, if you
prefer.
my $t = HTML::Template->new_file('file.tmpl', option => 'value');
my $t = HTML::Template->new_scalar_ref($ref_to_template_text, option => 'value');
my $t = HTML::Template->new_array_ref($ref_to_array_of_lines, option => 'value');
And as a final option, for those that might prefer it, you can call new as:
my $t = HTML::Template->new(type => 'filename', source => 'file.tmpl');
Which works for all three of the source types.
If the environment variable HTML_TEMPLATE_ROOT is set and your
filename doesn't begin with /, then the path will be relative to the
value of $HTML_TEMPLATE_ROOT. Example - if the environment variable
HTML_TEMPLATE_ROOT is set to ``/home/sam'' and I call
HTML::Template->new()
with filename set to ``sam.tmpl'', the
HTML::Template will try to open ``/home/sam/sam.tmpl'' to access the
template file. You can also affect the search path for files with the
``path'' option to new()
- see below for more information.
You can modify the Template object's behavior with new. These options are available:
<TMPL_HUH NAME=ZUH>
Would normally cause an error, but if you call new with strict => 0, HTML::Template will ignore it. Defaults to 1.
This is mainly of use in a persistent environment like Apache/mod_perl. It has absolutely no benefit in a normal CGI environment since the script is unloaded from memory after every request. For a cache that does work for normal CGIs see the 'shared_cache' option below.
Note that different new()
parameter settings do not cause a cache
refresh, only a change in the modification time of the template will
trigger a cache refresh. For most usages this is fine. My simplistic
testing shows that using cache yields a 90% performance increase under
mod_perl. Cache defaults to 0.
By default HTML::Template uses the IPC key 'TMPL' as a shared root
segment (0x4c504d54 in hex), but this can be changed by setting the
'ipc_key' new()
parameter to another 4-character or integer key.
Other options can be used to affect the shared memory cache correspond
to IPC::SharedCache options - ipc_mode, ipc_segment_size and
ipc_max_size. See the IPC::SharedCache manpage for a description of how these
work - in most cases you shouldn't need to change them from the
defaults.
For more information about the shared memory cache system used by HTML::Template see the IPC::SharedCache manpage.
NOTE: Combining this option with shared_cache can result in stale templates stuck permanently in shared memory!
If you set this option you must set the ``file_cache_dir'' option. See below for details.
NOTE: Storable using flock()
to ensure safe access to cache files.
Using file_cache on a system or filesystem (NFS) without flock()
support is dangerous.
param()
method that works like HTML::Template's param(). A
good candidate would be a CGI.pm query object. Example:
my $query = new CGI; my $template = HTML::Template->new(filename => 'template.tmpl', associate => $query);
Now, $template->output()
will act as though
$template->param('FormField', $cgi->param('FormField'));
had been specified for each key/value pair that would be provided by
the $cgi->param()
method. Parameters you set directly take precedence
over associated parameters.
You can specify multiple objects to associate by passing an anonymous array to the associate option. They are searched for parameters in the order they appear:
my $template = HTML::Template->new(filename => 'template.tmpl', associate => [$query, $other_obj]);
The old associateCGI()
call is still supported, but should be
considered obsolete.
NOTE: The parameter names are matched in a case-insensitve manner. If you have two parameters in a CGI object like 'NAME' and 'Name' one will be chosen randomly by associate. This behavior can be changed by the following option.
my $template = HTML::Template->new(filename => 'template.tmpl', case_sensitive => 1); $template->param( FieldA => 'foo', fIELDa => 'bar', );
This option defaults to off.
<TMPL_LOOP NAME="FOO"> <TMPL_IF NAME="__FIRST__"> This only outputs on the first pass. </TMPL_IF>
<TMPL_IF NAME="__ODD__"> This outputs every other pass, on the odd passes. </TMPL_IF>
<TMPL_UNLESS NAME="__ODD__"> This outputs every other pass, on the even passes. </TMPL_IF>
<TMPL_IF NAME="__INNER__"> This outputs on passes that are neither first nor last. </TMPL_IF>
<TMPL_IF NAME="__LAST__"> This only outputs on the last pass. <TMPL_IF> </TMPL_LOOP>
One use of this feature is to provide a ``separator'' similar in effect to the perl function join(). Example:
<TMPL_LOOP FRUIT> <TMPL_IF __LAST__> and </TMPL_IF> <TMPL_VAR KIND><TMPL_UNLESS __LAST__>, <TMPL_ELSE>.</TMPL_UNLESS> </TMPL_LOOP>
Would output (in a browser) something like:
Apples, Oranges, Brains, Toes, and Kiwi.
Given an appropriate param()
call, of course. NOTE: A loop with only
a single pass will get both __FIRST__ and __LAST__ set to true, but
not __INNER__.
new()
and for files
included with the <TMPL_INCLUDE> tag. This list is only consulted
when the filename is relative. The HTML_TEMPLATE_ROOT environment
variable is always tried first if it exists. In the case of a
<TMPL_INCLUDE> file, the path to the including file is also tried
before path is consulted.
Example:
my $template = HTML::Template->new( filename => 'file.tmpl', path => [ '/path/to/templates', '/alternate/path' ] );
NOTE: the paths in the path list must be expressed as UNIX paths, separated by the forward-slash character ('/').
Example:
This is a normal variable: <TMPL_VAR NORMAL>.<P>
<TMPL_LOOP NAME=FROOT_LOOP> Here it is inside the loop: <TMPL_VAR NORMAL><P> </TMPL_LOOP>
Normally this wouldn't work as expected, since <TMPL_VAR NORMAL>'s value outside the loop is not available inside the loop.
In the most simple usage, you simply assign a code reference to the filter parameter. This subroutine will recieve a single arguement - a reference to a string containing the template file text. Here is an example that accepts templates with tags that look like ``!!!ZAP_VAR FOO!!!'' and transforms them into HTML::Template tags:
my $filter = sub { my $text_ref = shift; $$text_ref =~ s/!!!ZAP_(.*?)!!!/<TMPL_$1>/g; }
# open zap.tmpl using the above filter my $template = HTML::Template->new(filename => 'zap.tmpl', filter => $filter);
More complicated usages are possible. You can request that your filter receieve the template text as an array of lines rather than as a single scalar. To do that you need to specify your filter using a hash-ref. In this form you specify the filter using the ``sub'' key and the desired argument format using the ``format'' key. The available formats are ``scalar'' and ``array''.
my $template = HTML::Template->new(filename => 'zap.tmpl', filter => { sub => $filter, format => 'array' });
Using the 'array' format is likely to be more efficient since this is how HTML::Template stores the template text internally. This may change in the future.
You may also have multiple filters. This allows simple filters to be combined for more elaborate functionality. To do this you specify an array of filters. The filters are applied in the order they are specified.
my $template = HTML::Template->new(filename => 'zap.tmpl', filter => [ { sub => \&decompress, format => 'scalar' }, { sub => \&remove_spaces, format => 'array' } ]);
The specified filters will be called for any TMPL_INCLUDEed files just as they are for the main template file.
param()
can be called in a number of ways
1) To return a list of parameters in the template :
my @parameter_names = $self->param();
2) To return the value set to a param :
my $value = $self->param('PARAM');
3) To set the value of a parameter :
# For simple TMPL_VARs: $self->param(PARAM => 'value');
# with a subroutine reference that gets called to get the value of # the scalar. $self->param(PARAM => sub { return 'value' });
# And TMPL_LOOPs: $self->param(LOOP_PARAM => [ { PARAM => VALUE_FOR_FIRST_PASS, ... }, { PARAM => VALUE_FOR_SECOND_PASS, ... } ... ] );
4) To set the value of a a number of parameters :
# For simple TMPL_VARs: $self->param(PARAM => 'value', PARAM2 => 'value' );
# And with some TMPL_LOOPs: $self->param(PARAM => 'value', PARAM2 => 'value', LOOP_PARAM => [ { PARAM => VALUE_FOR_FIRST_PASS, ... }, { PARAM => VALUE_FOR_SECOND_PASS, ... } ... ], ANOTHER_LOOP_PARAM => [ { PARAM => VALUE_FOR_FIRST_PASS, ... }, { PARAM => VALUE_FOR_SECOND_PASS, ... } ... ] );
5) To set the value of a a number of parameters using a hash-ref :
$self->param( { PARAM => 'value', PARAM2 => 'value', LOOP_PARAM => [ { PARAM => VALUE_FOR_FIRST_PASS, ... }, { PARAM => VALUE_FOR_SECOND_PASS, ... } ... ], ANOTHER_LOOP_PARAM => [ { PARAM => VALUE_FOR_FIRST_PASS, ... }, { PARAM => VALUE_FOR_SECOND_PASS, ... } ... ] } );
clear_params()
Sets all the parameters to undef. Useful internally, if nowhere else!
output()
output()
returns the final result of the template. In most situations
you'll want to print this, like:
print $template->output();
When output is called each occurrence of <TMPL_VAR NAME=name> is replaced with the value assigned to ``name'' via param(). If a named parameter is unset it is simply replaced with ''. <TMPL_LOOPS> are evaluated once per parameter set, accumlating output on each pass.
Calling output()
is guaranteed not to change the state of the
Template object, in case you were wondering. This property is mostly
important for the internal implementation of loops.
You may optionally supply a filehandle to print to automatically as the template is generated. This may improve performance and lower memory consumption. Example:
$template->output(print_to => *STDOUT);
The return value is undefined when using the ``print_to'' option.
query()
This method allow you to get information about the template structure.
It can be called in a number of ways. The simplest usage of query is
simply to check whether a parameter name exists in the template, using
the name
option:
if ($template->query(name => 'foo')) { # do something if a varaible of any type # named FOO is in the template }
This same usage returns the type of the parameter. The type is the same as the tag minus the leading 'TMPL_'. So, for example, a TMPL_VAR parameter returns 'VAR' from query().
if ($template->query(name => 'foo') eq 'VAR') { # do something if FOO exists and is a TMPL_VAR }
Note that the variables associated with TMPL_IFs and TMPL_UNLESSs will be identified as 'VAR' unless they are also used in a TMPL_LOOP, in which case they will return 'LOOP'.
query()
also allows you to get a list of parameters inside a loop
(and inside loops inside loops). Example loop:
<TMPL_LOOP NAME="EXAMPLE_LOOP"> <TMPL_VAR NAME="BEE"> <TMPL_VAR NAME="BOP"> <TMPL_LOOP NAME="EXAMPLE_INNER_LOOP"> <TMPL_VAR NAME="INNER_BEE"> <TMPL_VAR NAME="INNER_BOP"> </TMPL_LOOP> </TMPL_LOOP>
And some query calls:
# returns 'LOOP' $type = $template->query(name => 'EXAMPLE_LOOP');
# returns ('bop', 'bee', 'example_inner_loop') @param_names = $template->query(loop => 'EXAMPLE_LOOP');
# both return 'VAR' $type = $template->query(name => ['EXAMPLE_LOOP', 'BEE']); $type = $template->query(name => ['EXAMPLE_LOOP', 'BOP']);
# and this one returns 'LOOP' $type = $template->query(name => ['EXAMPLE_LOOP', 'EXAMPLE_INNER_LOOP']);
# and finally, this returns ('inner_bee', 'inner_bop') @inner_param_names = $template->query(loop => ['EXAMPLE_LOOP', 'EXAMPLE_INNER_LOOP']);
# for non existent parameter names you get undef # this returns undef. $type = $template->query(name => 'DWEAZLE_ZAPPA');
# calling loop on a non-loop parameter name will cause an error. # this dies: $type = $template->query(loop => 'DWEAZLE_ZAPPA');
As you can see above the loop
option returns a list of parameter
names and both name
and loop
take array refs in order to refer
to parameters inside loops. It is an error to use loop
with a
parameter that is not a loop.
Note that all the names are returned in lowercase and the types are uppercase.
Just like param()
, query()
with no arguements returns all the
parameter names in the template at the top level.
In the interest of greater understanding I've started a FAQ section of the perldocs. Please look in here before you send me email.
1) Is there a place to go to discuss HTML::Template and/or get help?
There's a mailing-list for HTML::Template at htmltmpl@lists.vm.com. Send a blank message to htmltmpl-subscribe@lists.vm.com to join!
2) I want support for <TMPL_XXX>! How about it?
Maybe. I definitely encourage people to discuss their ideas for HTML::Template on the mailing list. Please be ready to explain to me how the new tag fits in with HTML::Template's mission to provide a fast, lightweight system for using HTML templates.
NOTE: Offering to program said addition and provide it in the form of a patch to the most recent version of HTML::Template will definitely have a softening effect on potential opponents!
3) I found a bug, can you fix it?
That depends. Did you send me the VERSION of HTML::Template, a test script and a test template? If so, then almost certainly.
If you're feeling really adventurous, HTML::Template has a publically available CVS server. See below for more information in the PUBLIC CVS SERVER section.
4) <TMPL_VAR>s from the main template aren't working inside a <TMPL_LOOP>! Why?
This is the intended behavior. <TMPL_LOOP> introduces a separate scope for <TMPL_VAR>s much like a subroutine call in Perl introduces a separate scope for ``my'' variables.
If you want your <TMPL_VAR>s to be global you can set the
'global_vars' option when you call new(). See above for documentation
of the 'global_vars' new()
option.
5) Why do you use /[Tt]/ instead of /t/i? It's so ugly!
Simple - the case-insensitive match switch is very inefficient.
According to _Mastering_Regular_Expressions_ from O'Reilly Press,
/[Tt]/ is faster and more space efficient than /t/i - by as much as
double against long strings. //i essentially does a lc()
on the
string and keeps a temporary copy in memory.
When this changes, and it is in the 5.6 development series, I will gladly use //i. Believe me, I realize [Tt] is hideously ugly.
6) How can I pre-load my templates using cache-mode and mod_perl?
Add something like this to your startup.pl:
use HTML::Template; use File::Find;
print STDERR "Pre-loading HTML Templates...\n"; find( sub { return unless /\.tmpl$/; HTML::Template->new( filename => "$File::Find::dir/$_", cache => 1, ); }, '/path/to/templates', '/another/path/to/templates/' );
Note that you'll need to modify the ``return unless'' line to specify the extension you use for your template files - I use .tmpl, as you can see. You'll also need to specify the path to your template files.
One potential problem: the ``/path/to/templates/'' must be EXACTLY the same path you use when you call HTML::Template->new(). Otherwise the cache won't know they're the same file and will load a new copy - instead getting a speed increase, you'll double your memory usage. To find out if this is happening set cache_debug => 1 in your application code and look for ``CACHE MISS'' messages in the logs.
7) What characters are allowed in TMPL_* NAMEs?
Numbers, letters, '.', '/', '+', '-' and '_'.
8) How can I execute a program from inside my template?
Short answer: you can't. Longer answer: you shouldn't since this violates the fundamental concept behind HTML::Template - that design and code should be seperate.
But, inevitably some people still want to do it. At times it has even seemed that HTML::Template development might split over this issue, so I will attempt a compromise. Here is a method you can use to allow your template authors to evaluate arbitrary perl scripts from within the template.
First, tell all your designers that when they want to run a perl script named ``program.pl'' they should use a tag like:
<TMPL_VAR NAME="__execute_program.pl__">
Then, have all your programmers call this subroutine instead of calling HTML::Template::new directly. They still use the same parameters, but they also get the program execution.
sub new_template { # get the template object my $template = HTML::Template->new(@_);
# find program parameters and fill them in my @params = $template->param(); for my $param (@params) { if ($param =~ /^__execute_(.*)__$/) { $template->param($param, do($1)); } }
# return the template object return $template; }
The programs called in this way should return a string containing
their output. A more complicated subroutine could be written to
capture STDOUT from the scripts, but this one is simple enough to
include in the FAQ. Another improvement would be to use query()
to
enable program execution inside loops.
9) Can I get a copy of these docs in Japanese?
Yes you can. See Kawai Takanori's translation at:
http://member.nifty.ne.jp/hippo2000/perltips/html/template.htm
I am aware of no bugs - if you find one, join the mailing list and tell us about it (htmltmpl@lists.vm.com) You can join the HTML::Template mailing-list by sending a blank email to htmltmpl-subscribe@lists.vm.com. Of course, you can still email me directly (sam@tregar.com) with bugs, but I reserve the right to forward bug reports to the mailing list.
When submitting bug reports, be sure to include full details, including the VERSION of the module, a test script and a test template demonstrating the problem!
If you're feeling really adventurous, HTML::Template has a publically available CVS server. See below for more information in the PUBLIC CVS SERVER section.
This module was the brain child of my boss, Jesse Erlbaum (jesse@vm.com) here at Vanguard Media. The most original idea in this module - the <TMPL_LOOP> - was entirely his.
Fixes, Bug Reports, Optimizations and Ideas have been generously provided by:
Richard Chen Mike Blazer Adriano Nagelschmidt Rodrigues Andrej Mikus Ilya Obshadko Kevin Puetz Steve Reppucci Richard Dice Tom Hukins Eric Zylberstejn David Glasser Peter Marelas James William Carlson Frank D. Cringle Winfried Koenig Matthew Wickline Doug Steinwand Drew Taylor Tobias Brox Michael Lloyd Simran Gambhir Chris Houser <chouser@bluweb.com> Larry Moore Todd Larason Jody Biggs T.J. Mather Martin Schroth Dave Wolfe uchum Kawai Takanori Peter Guelich Chris Nokleberg Ralph Corderoy William Ward Ade Olonoh Mark Stosberg
Thanks!
HTML::Template now has a publicly accessible CVS server provided by SourceForge (www.sourceforge.net). You can access it by going to http://sourceforge.net/cvs/?group_id=1075. Give it a try!
Sam Tregar, sam@tregar.com (you can also find me on the mailing list at htmltmpl@lists.vm.com - join it by sending a blank message to htmltmpl-subscribe@lists.vm.com).
HTML::Template : A module for using HTML Templates with Perl Copyright (C) 2000 Sam Tregar (sam@tregar.com)
This module is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either:
a) the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 1, or (at your option) any later version, or
b) the ``Artistic License'' which comes with this module.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See either the GNU General Public License or the Artistic License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the Artistic License with this module, in the file ARTISTIC. If not, I'll be glad to provide one.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA