/usr/lib/perl5/HTML/Template/SYNTAX.pod

=head1 NAME

HTML::Template::SYNTAX - syntax of html template language for HTML::Template

=head1 SYNOPSIS

This help is only on syntax of html template files.
For perl interface of HTML::Template::Pro you should see 
L<HTML::Template::PerlInterface/SYNOPSIS>.

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 define the value for HOME and PATH, for example, 
in perl it will look like

  $template->param(HOME => $ENV{HOME});
  $template->param(PATH => $ENV{PATH});

and process the template. If all is well in the universe 
this should show something like this in your browser:

  My Home Directory is /home/some/directory
  My Path is set to /bin;/usr/bin

=head1 DESCRIPTION

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>, <TMPL_ELSE> and <TMPL_UNLESS>.
(HTML::Template::Pro also supports <TMPL_ELSIF> tag.)
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.

This module is licensed under the (L)GPL or perl license.  
See the LICENSE section below for more details.

=head1 TUTORIAL

If you're new to HTML::Template, I suggest you start with the
introductory article available on the HTML::Template website:

   http://html-template.sourceforge.net

=head1 MOTIVATION

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.

=head1 THE TAGS

=head2 GENERAL TAG SYNTAX

A generic HTML::Template tag that is supported by HTML::Template::Pro
looks like <TMPL_SOMETHING A="B" [C="D" ...]>. Tags are case-insensitve:
<tmpl_something a="B" [c="D" ...]> is acceptable.
Single quotes can be used, <TMPL_SOMETHING A='B' [C='D' ...]>
quotes can be omitted, <TMPL_SOMETHING A=B ... >
and option name could be often guessed as in <TMPL_SOMETHING B>.

template tags could be decorated as html comments
<!-- TMPL_SOMETHING A="B" -->

Also, as HTML::Template::Pro extension (starting from version 0.90),
template tags could also be decorated as xml 
<TMPL_SOMETHING A="B" />

See L<NOTES>.

=head2 TMPL_VAR

  <TMPL_VAR NAME="PARAMETER_NAME">

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 &quot;, &lt;, &gt;
and &amp; 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 C<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'.

"ESCAPE=0" and "ESCAPE=NONE" turn off escaping, which is the default
behavior.

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'.

There is also the "ESCAPE=JS" option which may be used for VARs that
need to be placed within a Javascript string. All \n, \r, ' and " characters
are escaped.

You can assign a default value to a variable with the DEFAULT
attribute.  For example, this will output "the devil gave me a taco"
if the "who" variable is not set.

  The <TMPL_VAR NAME=WHO DEFAULT=devil> gave me a taco.

=head2 TMPL_LOOP

  <TMPL_LOOP NAME="LOOP_NAME"> ... </TMPL_LOOP>

The <TMPL_LOOP> tag is a bit more complicated than <TMPL_VAR>.  The
<TMPL_LOOP> tag allows you to delimit a section of text and give it a
name.  Inside this named loop you place <TMPL_VAR>s.  Now you pass to
C<param()> a list (an array ref) of parameter assignments (hash refs) for
this loop.  The loop iterates over the 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> <br>
      Job:  <TMPL_VAR NAME=JOB>  <p>
   </TMPL_LOOP>


 In the script:

   $template->param(EMPLOYEE_INFO => [ 
                                       { name => 'Sam', job => 'programmer' },
                                       { name => 'Steve', job => 'soda jerk' },
                                     ]
                   );
   print $template->output();

  
 The output in a browser:

   Name: Sam
   Job: programmer

   Name: Steve
   Job: soda jerk

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 C<param()> call has you stumped, here's an
example of a param call with one nested loop:

  $template->param(LOOP => [
                            { 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.

=head2 TMPL_INCLUDE

  <TMPL_INCLUDE NAME="filename.tmpl">
  <TMPL_INCLUDE EXPR="function_call, variable, expression" DEFAULT='some_file'>

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 an absolute path (beginning with a '/' under
Unix, for example).  If it isn't absolute, the path to the enclosing
file is tried first.  After that the path in the environment variable
HTML_TEMPLATE_ROOT is tried, if it exists.  Next, the "path" option is
consulted, first as-is and then with HTML_TEMPLATE_ROOT prepended if
available.  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 arbitrary
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.

For the <TMPL_INCLUDE EXPR=".."> see L<INCLUDE extension to Expr>
for more details.

=head2 TMPL_IF

  <TMPL_IF NAME="PARAMETER_NAME"> ... </TMPL_IF>

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.

=head2 TMPL_ELSIF


  <TMPL_IF NAME="PARAMETER_NAME1"> ... 
  <TMPL_ELSIF NAME="PARAMETER_NAME2"> ... 
  <TMPL_ELSIF NAME="PARAMETER_NAME3"> ... 
  <TMPL_ELSE> ... </TMPL_IF>

WARNING: TMPL_ELSIF is a HTML::Template::Pro extension! It is 
not supported in HTML::Template (as of 2.9). 

=head2 TMPL_ELSE


  <TMPL_IF NAME="PARAMETER_NAME"> ... <TMPL_ELSE> ... </TMPL_IF>

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>

=head2 TMPL_UNLESS

  <TMPL_UNLESS NAME="PARAMETER_NAME"> ... </TMPL_UNLESS>

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>


=head2 NOTES

HTML::Template's tags are meant to mimic normal HTML tags.  However,
they are allowed to "break the rules".  Something like:

   <img src="<TMPL_VAR 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 this documentation.




=head1 EXPR EXTENSION

This module supports an extension to HTML::Template which allows
expressions in the template syntax which was implemented in
HTML::Template::Expr. See L<HTML::Template::Expr> for details.

Expression support includes comparisons, math operations, string
operations and a mechanism to allow you add your own functions at
runtime.  The basic syntax is:

   <TMPL_IF EXPR="banana_count > 10">
     I've got a lot of bananas.
   </TMPL_IF>

This will output "I've got a lot of bananas" if you call:

   $template->param(banana_count => 100);

In your script.  <TMPL_VAR>s also work with expressions:

   I'd like to have <TMPL_VAR EXPR="banana_count * 2"> bananas.

This will output "I'd like to have 200 bananas." with the same param()
call as above.

=head1 BASIC SYNTAX

=head2 Variables

Variables are unquoted alphanumeric strings with the same restrictions
as variable names in HTML::Template.  Their values are set through
param(), just like normal HTML::Template variables.  For example,
these two lines are equivalent:

   <TMPL_VAR EXPR="foo">
  
   <TMPL_VAR NAME="foo">

=head2 Emiliano Bruni extension to Expr

original HTML::Template allows almost arbitrary chars in parameter names,
but original HTML::Template::Expr (as to 0.04) allows variables in the 
'EXPR' tag to be only m![A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*!.

With this extension, arbitrary chars can be used in variable name inside 
the 'EXPR' tag if bracketed in ${}, as, for example, EXPR="${foo.bar} eq 'a'".
Note that old bracketing into {} is considered obsolete, as it will clash 
with JSON assignments like A = { "key" => "val" }.

COMPATIBILITY WARNING.
Currently, this extension is not present in HTML::Template::Expr (as of 0.04).

=head2 INCLUDE extension to Expr

With this extension, you can write something like <TMPL_INCLUDE EXPR="variable">
 or <TMPL_INCLUDE EXPR="function_call()">, or even
<TMPL_INCLUDE EXPR="function_call(VAR1,VAR2,func2()) DEFAULT='some_file'">

SECURITY WARNING.
Using of this extension with untrasted values of variables is a 
potential security leak (as in <TMPL_INCLUDE EXPR="USER_INPUT"> 
with USER_INPUT='/etc/passwd').
Omit it unless you know what you are doing.

COMPATIBILITY WARNING.
Currently, this extension is not present in HTML::Template::Expr (as of 0.04).

=head2 Constants

Numbers are unquoted strings of numbers and may have a single "." to
indicate a floating point number.  For example:

   <TMPL_VAR EXPR="10 + 20.5">

String constants must be enclosed in quotes, single or double.  For example:

   <TMPL_VAR EXPR="sprintf('%d', foo)">

Note that the original parser of HTML::Template::Expr is currently (0.04) 
rather simple, so if you need backward compatibility all compound 
expressions must be parenthesized. 

Backward compatible examples:

   <TMPL_VAR EXPR="(10 + foo) / bar">

   <TMPL_IF EXPR="(foo % 10) > (bar + 1)">

Nevertheless, in HTML::Template::Pro, you can safely write things like

   <TMPL_VAR EXPR="1+2*foo/bar^2 ">

with proper priority of operations.

Pattern in a regular expression must be enclosed with "/":

   <TMPL_VAR EXPR="foo =~ /bar/">

=head1 COMPARISON

Here's a list of supported comparison operators:

=over 4

=item * Numeric Comparisons

=over 4

=item * E<lt>

=item * E<gt>

=item * ==

=item * !=

=item * E<gt>=

=item * E<lt>=

=item * E<lt>=E<gt>

=back

=item * String Comparisons

=over 4

=item * gt

=item * lt

=item * eq

=item * ne

=item * ge

=item * le

=item * cmp

=back

=back

=head1 MATHEMATICS

The basic operators are supported:

=over 4

=item * +

=item * -

=item * *

=item * /

=item * %

=item * ^ (not supported in HTML::Template::Expr)

=back

There are also some mathy functions.  See the FUNCTIONS section below.

=head1 LOGIC

Boolean logic is available:

=over 4

=item * && (synonym: and)

=item * || (synonym: or)

=back

=head1 REGULAR EXPRESSION SUPPORT

regexp support is added to HTML::Template::Expr and
HTML::Template::Pro by Stanislav Yadykin <tosick at altlinux.ru>.
Currently it is not included in official distribution of HTML::Template::Expr.

Standard regexp syntax:

=over 4

=item * =~

=item * !~

=back

=head1 FUNCTIONS

The following functions are available to be used in expressions.  See
perldoc perlfunc for details.

=over 4

=item * sprintf

=item * substr (2 and 3 arg versions only)

=item * lc

=item * lcfirst

=item * uc

=item * ucfirst

=item * length

=item * defined

=item * abs

=item * atan2

=item * cos

=item * exp

=item * hex

=item * int

=item * log

=item * oct

=item * rand

=item * sin

=item * sqrt

=item * srand

=back

All functions must be called using full parenthesis.  For example,
this is a syntax error:

   <TMPL_IF expr="defined foo">

But this is good:

   <TMPL_IF expr="defined(foo)">

=head1 EXPR: DEFINING NEW FUNCTIONS

You may also define functions of your own.
See L<HTML::Template::PerlInterface> for details.










=begin comment

=head1 METHODS

=head2 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 C<< 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.

You can also read the template from an already opened filehandle,
either traditionally as a glob or as a FileHandle:

  my $t = HTML::Template->new( filehandle => *FH, option => 'value');

The four 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');

  my $t = HTML::Template->new_filehandle($fh, 
                                       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().  The options
are available:

=over 4

=item Error Detection Options

=over 4 

=item *

die_on_bad_params - if set to 0 the module will let you call
$template->param(param_name => 'value') even if 'param_name' doesn't
exist in the template body.  Defaults to 1.

=item *

strict - if set to 0 the module will allow things that look like they
might be TMPL_* tags to get by without dieing.  Example:

   <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.

HTML::Template::Pro always use strict => 0.

=item *

vanguard_compatibility_mode - if set to 1 the module will expect to
see <TMPL_VAR>s that look like %NAME% in addition to the standard
syntax.  Also sets die_on_bad_params => 0.  If you're not at Vanguard
Media trying to use an old format template don't worry about this one.
Defaults to 0.

vanguard_compatibility_mode is not supported in HTML::Template::Pro.

=back

=item Caching Options

HTML::Template use many caching options such as 
cache, shared_cache, double_cache, blind_cache, file_cache,
file_cache_dir, file_cache_dir_mode, double_file_cache
to cache preparsed html templates.

Since HTML::Template::Pro parses and outputs templates at once,
it silently ignores those options.

=back

=item Filesystem Options

=over 4

=item *

path - you can set this variable with a list of paths to search for
files specified with the "filename" option to 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.  Also, if
HTML_TEMPLATE_ROOT is set then an attempt will be made to prepend
HTML_TEMPLATE_ROOT onto paths in the path array.  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 ('/').

=item *

search_path_on_include - if set to a true value the module will search
from the top of the array of paths specified by the path option on
every <TMPL_INCLUDE> and use the first matching template found.  The
normal behavior is to look only in the current directory for a
template to include.  Defaults to 0.

=back

=item Debugging Options

=over 4

=item *

debug - if set to 1 the module will write random debugging information
to STDERR.  Defaults to 0.

=item *

HTML::Template use many cache debug options such as 
stack_debug, cache_debug, shared_cache_debug, memory_debug.
Since HTML::Template::Pro parses and outputs templates at once,
it silently ignores those options.

=back

=item Miscellaneous Options

=over 4

=item *

associate - this option allows you to inherit the parameter values
from other objects.  The only requirement for the other object is that
it have a C<param()> method that works like HTML::Template's C<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, C<< $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 C<< $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.

=item *

case_sensitive - setting this option to true causes HTML::Template to
treat template variable names case-sensitively.  The following example
would only set one parameter without the "case_sensitive" option:

  my $template = HTML::Template->new(filename => 'template.tmpl',
                                     case_sensitive => 1);
  $template->param(
    FieldA => 'foo',
    fIELDa => 'bar',
  );

This option defaults to off.

NOTE: with case_sensitive and loop_context_vars the special loop
variables are available in lower-case only.

=item *

loop_context_vars - when this parameter is set to true (it is false by
default) four loop context variables are made available inside a loop:
__first__, __last__, __inner__, __odd__.  They can be used with
<TMPL_IF>, <TMPL_UNLESS> and <TMPL_ELSE> to control how a loop is
output.  

In addition to the above, a __counter__ var is also made available
when loop context variables are turned on.

Example:

   <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_UNLESS>

      <TMPL_IF NAME="__inner__">
        This outputs on passes that are neither first nor last.
      </TMPL_IF>

      This is pass number <TMPL_VAR NAME="__counter__">.

      <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 C<param()> call, of course.  NOTE: A loop with only
a single pass will get both __first__ and __last__ set to true, but
not __inner__.

=item *

no_includes - set this option to 1 to disallow the <TMPL_INCLUDE> tag
in the template file.  This can be used to make opening untrusted
templates B<slightly> less dangerous.  Defaults to 0.

=item *

max_includes - set this variable to determine the maximum depth that
includes can reach.  Set to 10 by default.  Including files to a depth
greater than this value causes an error message to be displayed.  Set
to 0 to disable this protection.

=item *

global_vars - normally variables declared outside a loop are not
available inside a loop.  This option makes <TMPL_VAR>s like global
variables in Perl - they have unlimited scope.  This option also
affects <TMPL_IF> and <TMPL_UNLESS>.

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.

The global_vars option also allows you to access the values of an
enclosing loop within an inner loop.  For example, in this loop the
inner loop will have access to the value of OUTER_VAR in the correct
iteration:

   <TMPL_LOOP OUTER_LOOP>
      OUTER: <TMPL_VAR OUTER_VAR>
        <TMPL_LOOP INNER_LOOP>
           INNER: <TMPL_VAR INNER_VAR>
           INSIDE OUT: <TMPL_VAR OUTER_VAR>
        </TMPL_LOOP>
   </TMPL_LOOP>

B<NOTE>: C<global_vars> is not C<global_loops> (which does not exist).
That means that loops you declare at one scope are not available
inside other loops even when C<global_vars> is on.

=item *

path_like_variable_scope - this option switches on a Shigeki Morimoto 
extension to HTML::Template::Pro that allows access to variables that
are outside the current loop scope using path-like expressions.

Example:
{{{
<TMPL_LOOP NAME=class>
  <TMPL_LOOP NAME=person>
    <TMPL_VAR NAME="../teacher_name">  <!-- access to class.teacher_name -->
    <TMPL_VAR NAME="name">
    <TMPL_VAR NAME="/top_level_value"> <!-- access to top level value -->
    <TMPL_VAR NAME="age">
      <TMPL_LOOP NAME="../../school">  <!-- enter loop before accessing its vars -->
        <TMPL_VAR NAME="school_name">  <!-- access to [../../]school.school_name -->
      </TMPL_LOOP>
  </TMPL_LOOP>
</TMPL_LOOP>
}}}

=item *

filter - this option allows you to specify a filter for your template
files.  A filter is a subroutine that will be called after
HTML::Template reads your template file but before it starts parsing
template tags.

In the most simple usage, you simply assign a code reference to the
filter parameter.  This subroutine will recieve a single argument - 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 C<sub> key and
the desired argument format using the C<format> key.  The available
formats are C<scalar> and C<array>.  Using the C<array> format will incur
a performance penalty but may be more convenient in some situations.

   my $template = HTML::Template->new(filename => 'zap.tmpl',
                                      filter => { sub => $filter,
                                                  format => 'array' });

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.

=item * 

default_escape - Set this parameter to "HTML", "URL" or "JS" and
HTML::Template will apply the specified escaping to all variables
unless they declare a different escape in the template.

=back

=cut
















=head2 param()

C<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.  The sub will recieve the template object as a
      # parameter.
      $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, ... } 
                        ...
                      ]
                    }
                   );






=head2 clear_params()

Sets all the parameters to undef.  Useful internally, if nowhere else!



=head2 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 C<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 C<print_to> option.


=head2 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 C<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 C<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'.

C<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 C<loop> option returns a list of parameter
names and both C<name> and C<loop> take array refs in order to refer
to parameters inside loops.  It is an error to use C<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 C<param()>, C<query()> with no arguments returns all the
parameter names in the template at the top level.



=head1 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

In the interest of greater understanding I've started a FAQ section of
the perldocs.  Please look in here before you send me email.

=over 4

=item 1

Q: Is there a place to go to discuss HTML::Template and/or get help?

A: There's a mailing-list for discussing HTML::Template at
html-template-users@lists.sourceforge.net.  To join:

   http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/html-template-users

If you just want to get email when new releases are available you can
join the announcements mailing-list here:

   http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/html-template-announce
    
=item 2

Q: Is there a searchable archive for the mailing-list?

A: Yes, you can find an archive of the SourceForge list here:

  http://www.geocrawler.com/lists/3/SourceForge/23294/0/

For an archive of the old vm.com list, setup by Sean P. Scanlon, see:

   http://bluedot.net/mail/archive/

=item 3

Q: I want support for <TMPL_XXX>!  How about it?

A: 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!

=item 4

Q: I found a bug, can you fix it?

A: 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 Subversion server.  See below for more information in the PUBLIC
SUBVERSION SERVER section.

=item 5

Q: <TMPL_VAR>s from the main template aren't working inside a
<TMPL_LOOP>!  Why?

A: 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.

=item 6

Q: Why do you use /[Tt]/ instead of /t/i?  It's so ugly!

A: 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.

=item 7

Q: How can I pre-load my templates using cache-mode and mod_perl?

A: 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.

=item 8

Q: What characters are allowed in TMPL_* NAMEs?

A: Numbers, letters, '.', '/', '+', '-' and '_'.

=item 9

Q: How can I execute a program from inside my template?  

A: 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.  If that describes
you then you should take a look at
L<HTML::Template::Expr|HTML::Template::Expr>.  Using
HTML::Template::Expr it should be easy to write a run_program()
function.  Then you can do awful stuff like:

  <tmpl_var expr="run_program('foo.pl')">

Just, please, don't tell me about it.  I'm feeling guilty enough just
for writing HTML::Template::Expr in the first place.

=item 10

Q: Can I get a copy of these docs in Japanese?

A: Yes you can.  See Kawai Takanori's translation at:

   http://member.nifty.ne.jp/hippo2000/perltips/html/template.htm

=item 11

Q: What's the best way to create a <select> form element using
HTML::Template?

A: There is much disagreement on this issue.  My personal preference
is to use CGI.pm's excellent popup_menu() and scrolling_list()
functions to fill in a single <tmpl_var select_foo> variable.  

To some people this smacks of mixing HTML and code in a way that they
hoped HTML::Template would help them avoid.  To them I'd say that HTML
is a violation of the principle of separating design from programming.
There's no clear separation between the programmatic elements of the
<form> tags and the layout of the <form> tags.  You'll have to draw
the line somewhere - clearly the designer can't be entirely in charge
of form creation.

It's a balancing act and you have to weigh the pros and cons on each side.
It is certainly possible to produce a <select> element entirely inside the
template.  What you end up with is a rat's nest of loops and conditionals.
Alternately you can give up a certain amount of flexibility in return for
vastly simplifying your templates.  I generally choose the latter.

Another option is to investigate HTML::FillInForm which some have
reported success using to solve this problem.

=back

=head1 BUGS

I am aware of no bugs - if you find one, join the mailing list and
tell us about it.  You can join the HTML::Template mailing-list by
visiting:

  http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/html-template-users

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 Subversion server.  See below for more information in the
PUBLIC SUBVERSION SERVER section.

=head1 CREDITS

This module was the brain child of my boss, Jesse Erlbaum
( jesse@vm.com ) at Vanguard Media ( http://vm.com ) .  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
   Lance Thomas
   Roland Giersig
   Jere Julian
   Peter Leonard
   Kenny Smith
   Sean P. Scanlon
   Martin Pfeffer
   David Ferrance
   Gyepi Sam  
   Darren Chamberlain
   Paul Baker
   Gabor Szabo
   Craig Manley
   Richard Fein
   The Phalanx Project
   Sven Neuhaus

Thanks!

=head1 WEBSITE

You can find information about HTML::Template and other related modules at:

   http://html-template.sourceforge.net

=head1 PUBLIC SUBVERSION SERVER

HTML::Template now has a publicly accessible Subversion server
provided by SourceForge (www.sourceforge.net).  You can access it by
going to http://sourceforge.net/svn/?group_id=1075.  Give it a try!

=end comment

=head1 AUTHOR

Sam Tregar, sam@tregar.com (Main text)

I. Vlasenko, E<lt>viy@altlinux.orgE<gt> (Pecularities of HTML::Template::Pro)

=head1 LICENSE

  HTML::Template : A module for using HTML Templates with Perl
  Copyright (C) 2000-2008 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 2, 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

=cut
libhtml-template-pro-perl 0.9510-1build1 / usr / lib / perl5 / HTML / Template / SYNTAX.pod
