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Perl Template Toolkit


Book Review byScalable Templating for the Web

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 can produce PDF, XML, or any other output format as easily as it produces HTML. 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 ideally suited to the production and maintenance of web content and other dynamic document systems.

The book begins with a fast-paced but thorough tutorial on building web content with the Template Toolkit, and then walks readers through the process of generating and using data files, particularly with XML. It also provides detailed information on the Template Toolkit's modules, libraries, and tools in addition to a complete reference manual.

Readers will learn to: Write templates in simple template language; Populate templates from Perl scripts of the command line; Design applications around templates to simplify development and maintenance; Use template filters for reusable postprocessing; Create "skins" for web sites; and more.

The "Perl Template Toolkit" is essential reading for any Perl programmer who wants to create dynamic web content that is remarkably easy to maintain. This book is a surefire guide to implementing this fast, flexible, and powerful templating system.

Perl Template Toolkit
Darren Chamberlain, David Cross, and Andy Wardley; 574 pages, $39.95 US, $57.95 CA; 0402-09; Click above for more details or to purchase.

Reviewed by Kathryn Barrett

 
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