template rendering with node.js and backbone.js

Question

Has anyone found a good solution for developing templates for backbone.js that can be used on the server and the client?

This is really desirable with the backbone.js hi

Answer 1

Try jsrender at https://github.com/BorisMoore/jsrender.

It is a rewrote from jQuery tmpl, and does NOT requires jQuery or any DOM. It is self-contained in a single file and the author keep it very fresh.

jsrender is a string-replacement engine for templating. We use it for both dynamic and static page in NodeJS. We also use it for non-HTML templates, e.g. XML, CSV, and text-based email. Although it is not in production mode yet, we have been using it for few months and the development is so far very stable.

Look at some cool demos at http://borismoore.github.com/jsrender/demos/demos.html.

At its simplest, you can do foreach loop. But if you are going expert route or be adventurous, you can have JS code running (either inlined, or passed as a function, a.k.a. helpers). Sure it is bad to have code inside presentation layer, but sometimes it don't hurt to have simple odd()/even() or nth+1 calculation in your favorite language. Just make sure you have a good understanding between layers and take the risks.