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This Template Engine compared to others...

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By: Mankiy
Date: 2003-05-20
Time: 05:05

This Template Engine compared to others...

Im coding some forum software and i need to know about this particular Template engine, i need to know specific things about it, what it does down to the last bone......

Im trying to figure out which Template Engine i should use on my forum software so i can complete it and get the template engine out of the way ASAP...
By: Skrol 29
Date: 2003-05-20
Time: 10:43

Re: This Template Engine compared to others...

Hello Mankiy,

I don't know well other template engine but I know what is special with TBS :
- it's database friendly
(you can merge data easily , and it is native with some database types)
- it's Html Visual Editors friendly
(locatore are not Html so that you can see them in preview mode, and it can include full Html pages into a main full Html page)

TBS is aslo quick. It is mature since many versions.
A new version is coming up soon.

I can't give urgent reply, but I will answer to your questions about specific thinks you'd like to know.
About what it does down to the last bone, you can consult the manual which is exhaustive.
By: Mankiy
Date: 2003-05-20
Time: 22:39

Re: This Template Engine compared to others...

I will take a look into it then :)

ty for the brief description :)
If i have any questions, i will ask u then ;)
ty :)
By: gprog
Date: 2004-09-26
Time: 12:01

Re: This Template Engine compared to others...

TBS is very strong but there is a feature that I'd like to find a way to implement it.
I can include a template in another template and I can show the final page at run time.
This is not full Html Visual Editor friendly because I've to edit the external template and the internal template separately.
Usually the external template contain css inclusion and the preview in the Html editor is perfect, but the internal template, when previewed alone, don't include the css (that is included from the external template) and so the preview of the internal is different from the final result.
Any idea to preview, in the Html Editor, the complete template (external+internal)?
Thanks
By: Skrol29
Date: 2004-09-27
Time: 02:34

Re: This Template Engine compared to others...

Hi,

Your sub-template can be a full Html file with <html>, <header> and <body> tags. If it's so, TBS will keep only the body part for the sub-template insertion.
This way, you can define the same css for the main template and its sub-template. You will be able to see the sub-template in design mode.
By: TheIdeaMan
Date: 2004-10-06
Time: 15:13

Re: This Template Engine compared to others...

Skrol,

What do you think about also including things from the sub-templates head tag and appending them to the main templates head tag?

Example:
Main Template:
<html>
<head>
   <link src="main.css"... />
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>

SubTemplate:
<html>
<head>
  <link src="main.css".../>
  <link src="extra-styles.css".../>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>

Result:
<html>
<head>
  <link src="main.css".../>
  <link src="sub-styles.css".../>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>

The same pattern could also be used to handle script tags, but it wouldn't need a comparitive function (as could be used in the case of the CSS). Since CSS files loaded last override CSS files loaded earlier, appending the sub-template's link tags would allow the sub-template to add to the styles of the site.

Just an idea.
By: Skrol29
Date: 2004-10-06
Time: 16:33

Re: This Template Engine compared to others...

Hi,

At first I was thinking about this kind of feature. But it is more difficult that it seams because it needs TBS to know some HTML.
TBS would have to found <head> blocks in both main and sub templates, then found <link> tags, compare them and add them.
Then it would have to do the same with <script> and probably other stuffs. This is too much.

TBS 2.0 brings a nice tool that enables you to do the same with a bit PHP code. Parameter 'tplvars' can collect kind of varibales from a sub-template. Then, you can bring them up to the main template.
By: TheIdeaMan
Date: 2004-10-06
Time: 16:36

Re: This Template Engine compared to others...

Good point about the overhead. I'm looking forward to TBS 2.0.

Thanks for your quick reply, Skrol.
By: gprog
Date: 2004-12-13
Time: 15:20

Re: This Template Engine compared to others...

I think TinyButStrong is the best template system.
Thank you for your support , Skrol.
By: Shawn
Date: 2004-12-20
Time: 00:31

Re: This Template Engine compared to others...

First let me tell you that I've tried all the other template engines.  And what template engine did I decide on?  TBS.  Now I'm not a programmer, never said I was and maybe if I was, I would have decided on another template engine.  If you want your form to be user friendly then I suggest you choose to use TBS.

I'm telling you from my experience.  I've tried the rest, and I stuck with TBS.  The others are more confusing than they should be.  I could go into a bunch of reasons and the differences from my view point, but I'm telling you, use TBS.  Of course you'll decide to use one, will it be TBS?  That's up to you and you alone.  If you don't use TBS, you'll wish you did.