PHP vs template engine [closed]

Answer 1

Savant is what you are looking for. Its a nice wrapper class that allows you to use the PHP operators in your templates instead of interpreting an new template language on top of PHP.

Pros:

It makes sense not to add extra work to the system.
No learning curve for developers If you everyone is disciplined then this is the way to go. (Savant)

Cons:

Although Savant encourages you to separate properly it doesn't force the developer to separate business logic from development code. I have a rule that should never be broken. You can only output variables, use conditions and loops in your templates. You must never allow a developer to create variables in the template. Unfortunately developers never seem to do this no matter how many times you tell them. So, using a engine like Smarty then becomes worth it because the developers are forced to completely keep business and design apart.

If I'm doing a project for myself or one that doesn't have many developers I tend to use Savant. If its a project that is much bigger than just me then in the Architecture I'll go for something like Smarty.

Either way, the separation in the code is important weather you use Savant or Smarty. I'm sure there are other good options out there too.

Answer 2

I found building a light-weight template engine in PHP worked best for us. Allows for good code separation, and our graphic designer could learn a few simple rules to follow, but most writes HTML/CSS not PHP. I can write the heavy lifting code without having the think much about the interface.

Answer 3

PHP isn't a templating engine its a scripting language.

Answer 4

I wrote a blog post about this recently.

For the security sake alone, definitely use a templating engine ( Twig is secure ).

A good templating engine (such as Twig) offers:

• Security (most important what so ever )
• Not verbose (like php)
• More templating features

Answer 5

PHP as template engine will not complain when you mix up your HTML syntax. It will let you forget to close tags, mis-nest them, etc.

PHP's output is not escaped by default, so unless you remember to rigorously add htmlspecialchars() everywhere, your site will have HTML injection (XSS) vulnerabilities.

<p>Hello <?= $name ?></b>
<!-- Simple template full of errors -->

These problems are much worse when you try to generate XHTML properly. It's not that you can't do that with plain PHP - of course you can - but that requires more effort and diligence.

That's why my recommendation is PHPTAL. OPT2 is OK too.

Answer 6

PHP is perfectly suitable for most tasks, but a templating engine can help a project to scale more easily.

Off the shelf ones like Smarty or PHPTAL are great if you do not have the time to roll your own (and do not require more than they offer). Also, you can fairly easily replace/modify them with your own implementation later on if you find you need something more specialised.

I've personally had a good experience with PHPTAL, primarily because it keeps out of your way and is simple.