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README.md

File:	`README.md`
Role:	Auxiliary data
Content type:	`text/markdown`
Description:	new repo
Class:	Div PHP Template Engine Template processing engine that replaces tags
Author:	By Rafa Rodriguez
Last change:	minor spellcheck improvements for cop function and unit tests update
Date:	8 months ago
Size:	`7,919 bytes`

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Div PHP Template Engine 6.0.2

Div is a [template] engine and [code generator tool] written in PHP and developed since 2011, that allows the separation of labor between developers and designers, and improve the software development based on [Generative Programming], [Model Driven Architecture] and [Meta programming].

As the designer or developer built templates with some specific tags, other developers or designers uses the template to replace these tags with data or more template code. Div have a compact, flexible and descriptive syntax for templates:

"compact" means "a minimum of code for template language"
"flexible" means "you can create dialects of template language"
"descriptive" means "template language talk by herself"

This project is the main piece of the organization Div Software Solutions, following the philosophy of "build more with less" and "divide the problem and not to the people". To obtain this goal, Div propose the [code generation based on templates], following this rules:

1. The model will have all information about _"what do you want to do"_ 2. The templates will have all information about _"what results you expect"_ 3. The engine if the black-box that achieve the _"how to make it"_.

Then, exists these basics operations: - Operation #1. Compile a template with models and save the result - Operation #2. Transform a model to another, reusing Operation #1. - Operation #3. Compose different results, using the engine and other tools.

When you have white these rules, then you will be able to use your imagination and you will be able to achieve the following results, and any combination of them:

1. Avoid repetitive tasks in the programming 2. Save your models and reuse them in another project 3. Scaling your project based in your models. 4. Migrate your project to different technology 5. Take advantage of your models and develop parallel versions 6. Expand your application in other platforms and devices 7. Improve the performance of your application 9. Make a documentation of your work 10. Involve the "non technician" people in the development of the project

Install

composer require divengine/div

Upgrade

composer upgrade

Basic example:

index.php

<?php

use divengine;

include "vendor/autoload.php";
// include "path/to/div.php";

echo new div('index.tpl', ['message' => 'Hello Universe']);

index.tpl

{$message}

Your own dialect:

index.php

<?php

define ("DIV_TAG_REPLACEMENT_PREFIX", "<");
define ("DIV_TAG_REPLACEMENT_SUFFIX", "/>");
define ("DIV_TAG_MODIFIER_SIMPLE", "show:");

include "div.php";

echo new div('index.tpl', ['message' => 'Hello Universe']);

index.tpl

<show:message/>

Of course, the replacement of tags is a basic functionality. More extensions of the substitutions exist, for example, replace repeatedly N times, replace conditionally, among others.

Loops:

[$products]
	Name: {$name}
	Price: ${#price:2#}
[/$products]

Conditions

?$login
	Show login form
@else@
	Show content
$login?

Include

<html>
	<head>
		{% head %}
	</head>
	<body>
		{% body %}
	</body>
</html>

Locations and inheritance

layout.tpl:

<html>
	<head>
		(( head-top ))
		{% head %}
		(( head-bottom ))
	</head>
	<body>
		(( body-top ))
		{% body %}
		(( body-bottom ))
	</body>
</html>

home.tpl:

{% layout.tpl %}

{{head-top {% google-analitycs.tpl %} head-top}}

{{head-bottom {% home-css-files.tpl %} head-bottom}}

{{body-bottom {% home-js-files.tpl %} body-bottom}}

The programmer creates an instance of a class with 2 parameters: the first is the designer's code or name of the file that he built, and the second is the information represented by an array, objects, or a combination of arrays and objects to replace the design's tags. The array's indexes, array's keys and object's properties must correspond with the design's tags.

The designer work in text files and use various types of tags: simple replacements, lists or loops, iterations, conditional parts, separating the design into different files, default replacements, and so on.

The parser

Div's parser work with 3 ideas:

Parse only that can be parse, else, don't touch.

If in the template exists a tag, for example, a simple replacement {$name}, and the programmer don't especify data for the variable $name, the engine will ignore this template's code, and don't show an error.

Parsing until exists a template's code that can be parsed

The parser don't stop until in the code some piece need be parsed.

Parsing with some syntax's rules

Some piece of codes will be parsed before others piece of codes.

The syntaxis

The syntax of Div is compact and adaptable. If the programmer wants to do a loop, the designer only needs to know a name for that loop, and if he wants to hide a part of the GUI, the designer is only responsible for tag the part that will be hidden or displayed conditionally. If the designer is a expert in other template engine, he can use a dialect to facilitate their work.

Reasons

Our reasons? Div is developed with the philosophy of the knowledge reused. Of course, Div is released in time of recognized template engines that are widely used. For this reason, Div develop a minimum new knowledge so that the developers can quickly become familiar with this engine and they can understand when, how and why to use it.

The features are added if it is really necessary. That is, if there is a need to add another functionality, we first analyzed whether there is a mechanism to resolve this functionality, and then we publish an article that explains how to implement this mechanism.

The argument to develop Div was obtained from various tests with PHP and we concluded that it is faster replace the portions of string than includes of PHP scripts.

The fact remains, that the replacement of substrings is a fast process but it require more memory. However, this consumption is so small that it is worthwhile the sacrifice.

Div development is to avoid creating a cache system because we believe that it is unnecessary according to their characteristics as an engine. A learning system can be sufficient: it can prevent the repeated processing of the same templates.

Finally, it is known that the most popular engines are composed of more than one file, classes and libraries. Div sought since its inception, the implementation of everything in one class, in a single file. This allows easy adaptation to existing development platforms.

Goals?

One class, one file!, considering the template like an object, create a minimum of highly descriptive syntax, avoid a cache system, improve the algorithms, reuse the knowledge, write mechanisms and extend!.

Possibilities for developers? The designer carries out its work in text files and then the designer can use different tags. Div does not provide for the design obtrusive code. All that is programmed in the templates has a single goal: design.

Possibilities for the programmer? The programmer creates an instance of div class, specifying in its constructor, the template created by the designer and the information that will be displayed.