Templating

jazee

I'm a seasoned Perl programmer that is a recent PHP convert. A couple things have puzzled me.

First, a more general issue. One of the inherent 'benefits' with PHP was that you could co-mingle it with HTML. After programming for a few weeks now I don't see any big benefit verus how I had to do things in Perl.

When you are displaying a form that you need to embed the values of many variables you still have to basically have PHP print the page out. Actually I see several option:

1) Use $form .= <<< EOFORM to append code to a variable and than print the variable.

2) Use echo <<< EOFORM to basically do the same thing.

3) Put the form in a separate file and place markers like {{variable_name}} and then read the file and replace the markers with the appropriate variable values.

4) Where where ever you need a variable value insert a <?php echo $this_variable ?>

None of these options offer any significant benefits when comparing the available options of how you would achieve this in Perl. Am I missing a better way?

Finally, it puzzles me that I can do this:

$posted_field = $_POST['some_field'];
echo "The value of the field is $posted_field";

But you can't do this:

echo "The value of the field is $_POST['some_field']";

Creates a lot of extra work. Again, am I missing a better way?

Thanks

LordShryku

echo "The value of the field is ".$_POST['some_field'];
//or
echo "The value of the field is {$_POST['some_field']}";

jazee

Good point, but on a large form where I need to redisplay the form with all the posted values, I still have to:

$form_data = $_POST;

to use it in the context of:

echo <<< EOHTMLFORM

You missed someting. Here's the big form again with all your previous values....

EOHTMLFORM;

It's just really odd that you can use any other variable except a superglobal within double quotes.

LordShryku

It's always good practice to remove all of your vars from your strings. PHP is "loose" in the way that it will let you do that. But you'll have to adopt your own style.

Moonglobe

the heredoc (<<<) syntax is exactly like double quotes, with out the need to escape them. so it's a simple matter of using the brace ({$_POST['var']}) syntax inside the delimeters.

hth
moon

drawmack

Originally posted by jazee
I'm a seasoned Perl programmer that is a recent PHP convert. A couple things have puzzled me.

I came from the same place, maybe I can help you out.

First, a more general issue. One of the inherent 'benefits' with PHP was that you could co-mingle it with HTML. After programming for a few weeks now I don't see any big benefit verus how I had to do things in Perl.

This is very nice for small and simple things. Like if it's just something that puts a hit counter on a page or maybe the date or something I can just stick a line of php into my existing html change the extension and it's done - but I don't charge the client any less for it.

When you are displaying a form that you need to embed the values of many variables you still have to basically have PHP print the page out. Actually I see several option:

1) Use $form .= <<< EOFORM to append code to a variable and than print the variable.

2) Use echo <<< EOFORM to basically do the same thing.

3) Put the form in a separate file and place markers like {{variable_name}} and then read the file and replace the markers with the appropriate variable values.

4) Where where ever you need a variable value insert a <?php echo $this_variable ?>

you're missing my favorite one.

create a .php file and everywhere you want to echo a variable type <?=$variable?>. Then in your workhorse (I call them workhorses and templates) just do this include('template_file.php'); and all of the work to parse and print the variables is done for you.
None of these options offer any significant benefits when comparing the available options of how you would achieve this in Perl. Am I missing a better way?

Finally, it puzzles me that I can do this:

$posted_field = $_POST['some_field'];
echo "The value of the field is $posted_field";

But you can't do this:

echo "The value of the field is $_POST['some_field']";

Creates a lot of extra work. Again, am I missing a better way?

actually it is recommended that you do this:
echo "The value of the field is " . $_POST['some_field'];

the reason is this. If you allow the engine to interpolate the string for you it must make three passes through the string
1) pull out the variables
2) replace the variables with the values
3) glue it all back together

If you so as I posted then it only makes a single pass because it can replce the variables with their names on the first pass and append them to the string immediately. When it gets to the end and has no variables to interpolate it says I'm done after just one pass. On very large strings this creates a vast speed improvement.

If you're really hung up on interpolating then check this out http://www.php.net/extract

My favorite thing about php is it's robustness and it's flexibility. I also love it's support of oo programming which in the long run saves inumerable hours.