Skip to content

Templates with Plates

Template

To separate HTML code and PHP code it's possible to use templates with markers for variable substitution. Variables are created in the PHP code and are passed to the template in the rendering phase. The server transmits only the index.php file to the user. The php file renders the templates as needed.

HTML
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
<html>
    <head>
        <title><?= $this->e($title)?></title>
    </head>

    <body>
        <?= $this->section('content')?>
    </body>
</html>

Plates

Plates is a template engine for PHP. A template engine permits to separate the PHP code (business logic) from the HTML pages.

Installation through composer: composer require league/plates.

PHP
 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
# index.php
require "vendor/autoload.php";

use League\Plates\Engine;

$templates = new Engine("path\\to\\templates");

echo $templates->render("template_name", [
    "key_1" => "value_1",
    "key_2" => "value_2"
]);
PHP
 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
# template.php
<html>
    <head>
        <title><?= $key_1?></title>
    </head>

    <body>
        <h1>Hello <?= $key_2 ?></h1>
    </body>
</html>

Variables in the template are created through an associative array key => value. The key ("key") becomes a variable ($key) in the template.

Layout

It's possible to create a layout (a model) for a group of pages to make that identical save for the contents. In a layout it's possible to create a section called content that identifies content that can be specified at runtime.

Note: Since only the template has the data passed eventual loops have to be done there.

PHP
1
2
3
4
5
# index.php
require 'vendor/autoload.php';
use League\Plates\Engine;
$template = new Engine('/path/to/templates');
echo $template->render('template_name', [ "marker" => value, ... ]);
PHP
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
# template.php

# set the layout used for this template
<?php $this->layout("layout_name", ["marker" => value, ...]) ?>  # pass values to the layout

# section contents
<p> <?= $this->e($marker) ?> </p>
PHP
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
# layout.php
<html>
    <head>
        <title><?= $marker ?></title>
    </head>
    <body>
        <?= $this->section('content')?>  # insert the section
    </body>
</html>

Escape

It's necessary to verify that the output is in the necessary format.

Plates offers $this->escape() or $this->e() to validate the output. In general the output validation allows to prevent Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).

Folders

PHP
1
2
3
# index.php
$templates->addFolder("alias", "path/to/template/folder");  # add a template folder
echo $templates->render("folder::template");  # use a template in a specific folder

Insert

It's possible to inject templates in a layout or template. It is done by using the insert() function.

PHP
 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
# layout.php
<html>
    <head>
        <title><?=$this->e($title)?></title>
    </head>
    <body>
        <?php $this->insert('template::header') ?>  # insert template

        <?= $this->section('content')?>  # page contents

        <?php $this->insert('template::footer') ?>  # insert template
    </body>
</html>

Sections

It's possible to insert page contest from another template with the section() function. The content to be inserted must be surrounded with by the start() and stop() functions.

PHP
 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
# template.php

<?php $this->start("section_name") ?>  # start section
#  section contents (HTML)
<?php $this->stop() ?>  # stop section

# append to section is existing, create if not
<?php $this->push("section_name") ?>
#  section contents (HTML)
<?php $this->end() ?>