| Among the many different approaches to "templating" with Perl - such as Embperl, Mason, HTML::Template, and hundreds of other lesser known systems - the Template Toolkit is widely recognized as one of the most versatile. Like other templating systems, the Template Toolkit allows programmers to embed Perl code and custom macros into HTML documents in order to create customized documents on the fly. But unlike the others, the Template Toolkit is as facile at producing HTML as it is at producing XML, PDF, or any other output format. And because it has its own simple templating language, templates can be written and edited by people who don't know Perl. In short, the Template Toolkit combines the best features of its competitors, with ease-of-use and flexibility, resulting in a technology that's fast, powerful and extensible, and suited to the production and maintenance of web content and other dynamic document systems.
The book guides you through the process of installing, configuring, using, & extending the Template Toolkit. It begins with a tutorial on building web content with the Template Toolkit, and then walks you through generating and using data files, particularly with XML. It also provides information on the Template Toolkit's modules, libraries, & tools in addition to a reference manual. Topics in the book include: Getting started; The Template language; Template directives; Filters; Plugins; Extending the Template Toolkit; Accessing databases; XML; Advanced static web page techniques; Dynamic web content and web applications. | |