Comments on: Why I use Smarty: PHP is an ugly templating language http://www.dotevan.com/2009/02/05/why-i-use-smarty-php-is-an-ugly-templating-language/ Confessions of a Technology Junkie Sat, 02 Apr 2011 14:16:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Maarten Tibau http://www.dotevan.com/2009/02/05/why-i-use-smarty-php-is-an-ugly-templating-language/comment-page-1/#comment-1006 Maarten Tibau Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:04:45 +0000 http://www.dotevan.com/?p=50#comment-1006 @Jesse Dhillon Quote "Did you know that you can use to echo a variable? That is the same as ." When working with the Zend Framework and if you follow the coding conventions, the use of short opening tag of PHP isn't allowed. I've been working with Smarty for 4 years now. I love it, but I hate it sometimes as well. Like some people already said, you should have to look at each project and see which choice is best. The idea of Smarty is giving people who don't have PHP skills the ability to change templates and for that it should be used. @Jesse Dhillon

Quote “Did you know that you can use to echo a variable? That is the same as .”

When working with the Zend Framework and if you follow the coding conventions, the use of short opening tag of PHP isn’t allowed.

I’ve been working with Smarty for 4 years now. I love it, but I hate it sometimes as well. Like some people already said, you should have to look at each project and see which choice is best.

The idea of Smarty is giving people who don’t have PHP skills the ability to change templates and for that it should be used.

]]> By: Paul Ellsworth http://www.dotevan.com/2009/02/05/why-i-use-smarty-php-is-an-ugly-templating-language/comment-page-1/#comment-1005 Paul Ellsworth Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:56:55 +0000 http://www.dotevan.com/?p=50#comment-1005 A small clarification... I don't code the HTML in PHP, and I do use standard but high speed text replacement logic in smaller HTML sections, which means that technically I am using templating. But it only takes about four functions, and is so simple I can teach it to a new programmer in less than an hour. A small clarification… I don’t code the HTML in PHP, and I do use standard but high speed text replacement logic in smaller HTML sections, which means that technically I am using templating. But it only takes about four functions, and is so simple I can teach it to a new programmer in less than an hour.

]]> By: Paul Ellsworth http://www.dotevan.com/2009/02/05/why-i-use-smarty-php-is-an-ugly-templating-language/comment-page-1/#comment-1004 Paul Ellsworth Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:54:08 +0000 http://www.dotevan.com/?p=50#comment-1004 I'm not sure that there is a tool out there I'd recommend, and that includes any of the main templating engines. My reasoning is simple: the amount of work that goes into making the engines perform has always outweighed the amount of work it takes to learn to break the construction of a good website and page into easily managed programming tasks. For example take the typical 3 column "blog, link, and article site" with the following components: A header bar, a footer bar, a top menu, a left side menu, stacked right side boxes, and a main area where all of the links in the main page place their results. Make it even more complex by making the top menu a "tab bar menu". Now decide to make the whole thing very dynamic and web 2.0 and how about the mobile site, the android version, and the iPhone app... Oh, and now that my CSS skills are coming up to snuff, I can really.... Do what? go back and redo all of my templates? perhaps double, triple, or quadruple the number of templates I have to use? It's not that I don't believe in the separation of user interface from business logic from pure programming. It's just that I can use nearly pure programming to build easily comprehensible components that output to pure HTML/JS-Ajax/css'd files (which is what the server sends out to the world anyway, and let CSS, etc. take care of the rest. I’m not sure that there is a tool out there I’d recommend, and that includes any of the main templating engines. My reasoning is simple: the amount of work that goes into making the engines perform has always outweighed the amount of work it takes to learn to break the construction of a good website and page into easily managed programming tasks.

For example take the typical 3 column “blog, link, and article site” with the following components: A header bar, a footer bar, a top menu, a left side menu, stacked right side boxes, and a main area where all of the links in the main page place their results. Make it even more complex by making the top menu a “tab bar menu”. Now decide to make the whole thing very dynamic and web 2.0 and how about the mobile site, the android version, and the iPhone app… Oh, and now that my CSS skills are coming up to snuff, I can really….

Do what? go back and redo all of my templates? perhaps double, triple, or quadruple the number of templates I have to use?

It’s not that I don’t believe in the separation of user interface from business logic from pure programming. It’s just that I can use nearly pure programming to build easily comprehensible components that output to pure HTML/JS-Ajax/css’d files (which is what the server sends out to the world anyway, and let CSS, etc. take care of the rest.

]]> By: williamjxj http://www.dotevan.com/2009/02/05/why-i-use-smarty-php-is-an-ugly-templating-language/comment-page-1/#comment-1003 williamjxj Thu, 02 Dec 2010 01:04:46 +0000 http://www.dotevan.com/?p=50#comment-1003 Things depend. smarty just a option. Currently developing includes html, css, js, maybe some libraries. the testing and debug is not a easy work. using php without template (in dreamweaver) is a total WYSIWYG (that's why dreamweaver is hot). the purpose of php is to make developing easier and rapidly. forget the templates and mvc framework, except you use some CMS or open-source framework. Smarty is only smart on present level template, but not smart on whole web developing at all! Things depend. smarty just a option.

Currently developing includes html, css, js, maybe some libraries. the testing and debug is not a easy work.
using php without template (in dreamweaver) is a total WYSIWYG (that’s why dreamweaver is hot).

the purpose of php is to make developing easier and rapidly. forget the templates and mvc framework, except you use some CMS or open-source framework.

Smarty is only smart on present level template, but not smart on whole web developing at all!

]]> By: dek bryon http://www.dotevan.com/2009/02/05/why-i-use-smarty-php-is-an-ugly-templating-language/comment-page-1/#comment-1002 dek bryon Mon, 29 Nov 2010 05:53:11 +0000 http://www.dotevan.com/?p=50#comment-1002 Had to fix a site made with Smarty, my first experience and a bad one - it's an admirable effort but pointless. They're years behind MVC and anyway, I think the task is so large a small team will always play catch-up. Version 3 is horrendously buggy and anyway, replacing php tags with their own is only going to lead to a new language (IF it continues), perl verses php and so on. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone I like. Had to fix a site made with Smarty, my first experience and a bad one – it’s an admirable effort but pointless. They’re years behind MVC and anyway, I think the task is so large a small team will always play catch-up. Version 3 is horrendously buggy and anyway, replacing php tags with their own is only going to lead to a new language (IF it continues), perl verses php and so on. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone I like.

]]> By: BeSmart http://www.dotevan.com/2009/02/05/why-i-use-smarty-php-is-an-ugly-templating-language/comment-page-1/#comment-1000 BeSmart Wed, 24 Nov 2010 12:10:42 +0000 http://www.dotevan.com/?p=50#comment-1000 Smarty is the number one choice for templates. I don't know how many hours - these so called programmers - have spent doing webpages, but I've done it for like 10+ years and the ugly php code just makes me vomit. Smarty is easy, everyone can learn it and I don't have to type my ass out to output a variable. {$var} SHIFT+{}, LEFT ARROW, $var - Isnt this easier to type? THAN: SHIFT+ - Gimme a break - Gimme a break Every other template: Gimme a break... I don't like to be a robot, so redundant php tags make me going crazy. Smarty is the number one choice for templates. I don’t know how many hours – these so called programmers – have spent doing webpages, but I’ve done it for like 10+ years and the ugly php code just makes me vomit.

Smarty is easy, everyone can learn it and I don’t have to type my ass out to output a variable.

{$var}

SHIFT+{}, LEFT ARROW, $var – Isnt this easier to type? THAN:

SHIFT+

– Gimme a break
– Gimme a break

Every other template: Gimme a break…

I don’t like to be a robot, so redundant php tags make me going crazy.

]]> By: Tom http://www.dotevan.com/2009/02/05/why-i-use-smarty-php-is-an-ugly-templating-language/comment-page-1/#comment-998 Tom Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:10:38 +0000 http://www.dotevan.com/?p=50#comment-998 I've been having a discussion about Smarty lately also. I told them one thing: Meta-data. You don't have ANY Meta-Data NOR skins or themes whatsoever. JSP has _some_ but PHP is _not_ JSP. So unless you plan on going through some trouble to mimic this behavior, you should stick with Smarty. I’ve been having a discussion about Smarty lately also. I told them one thing: Meta-data. You don’t have ANY Meta-Data NOR skins or themes whatsoever.
JSP has _some_ but PHP is _not_ JSP. So unless you plan on going through some trouble to mimic this behavior, you should stick with Smarty.

]]> By: anon http://www.dotevan.com/2009/02/05/why-i-use-smarty-php-is-an-ugly-templating-language/comment-page-1/#comment-997 anon Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:46:28 +0000 http://www.dotevan.com/?p=50#comment-997 nosmarty site is outdated and innaccurate. its just propaganda. think for yourself. nosmarty site is outdated and innaccurate. its just propaganda. think for yourself.

]]> By: Markus Wright http://www.dotevan.com/2009/02/05/why-i-use-smarty-php-is-an-ugly-templating-language/comment-page-1/#comment-690 Markus Wright Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:58:15 +0000 http://www.dotevan.com/?p=50#comment-690 Actually, the examples on nosmarty are much more extensive than that, and detail smarty's terrible syntax for variable assignment and function calls. I recommend using H20 templates or even better, just use Django and you're better of in every imaginable way. Actually, the examples on nosmarty are much more extensive than that, and detail smarty’s terrible syntax for variable assignment and function calls.

I recommend using H20 templates or even better, just use Django and you’re better of in every imaginable way.

]]> By: FettesPS http://www.dotevan.com/2009/02/05/why-i-use-smarty-php-is-an-ugly-templating-language/comment-page-1/#comment-659 FettesPS Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:38:36 +0000 http://www.dotevan.com/?p=50#comment-659 I agree with your article, I've been using Smarty for 3 or 4 years and still love it. Mixing PHP and HTML makes for some serious ugly code. As for I also find that very ugly, and like the author I always type the full <?php part in the tag because back in my Dreamweaver days I was quite annoyed by people who didn't (if it's just <? then Dreamweaver doesn't recognize it as PHP, and I'm sure other IDEs have this fault too). I agree with your article, I’ve been using Smarty for 3 or 4 years and still love it. Mixing PHP and HTML makes for some serious ugly code.

As for I also find that very ugly, and like the author I always type the full <?php part in the tag because back in my Dreamweaver days I was quite annoyed by people who didn't (if it's just <? then Dreamweaver doesn't recognize it as PHP, and I'm sure other IDEs have this fault too).

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