====== Quick Start ====== ===== Basics ===== - [[http://phptal.org/download.html|Download]] latest version - Unpack it in your project or includes directory - Create PHP and template files ''index.php'': who_to_greet = "World"; // execute() returns result of template echo $phptal->execute(); ''hello.xhtml'':

Hello !

 ===== Gathering of data ===== This is not a requirement, but good advice: avoid passing PHPTAL object (or template abstraction wrapper) around your entire program. MVC programs should be independent of their views (mental exercise: would your application break if there was no view?). Instead of setting variables directly on PHPTAL object, make your methods //return// all required information. You can also pass helper objects to PHPTAL which will load data on demand. $v) $phptal->set($k,$v); ===== Layout template ====== ''[[http://phptal.org/manual/en/split/phptal-blocks.html|]]'' is an invisible element you can use anywhere. It's useful when you want some TAL functionality, but don't want to litter markup with unnecessary ''
'' or ''''. [[http://phptal.org/manual/en/#metal|METAL]] macros can be used to execute code from other templates. Conceptually macros are very similar to PHP functions: | function name() {…} |
…
 | | name(); |
| | function name($argument_name) {…} |
| | name("argument data"); |
argument data
 | ''main.xhtml'': \\ \\ <tal:block metal:define-slot="other-stuff-in-head"/> </head> <body> <div id="main"><tal:block metal:define-slot="maincontent"/></div>\\ </body> </html> </code> ''subpage.xhtml'': <code xml> <tal:block metal:use-macro="main.xhtml/layout" tal:define="title 'title of the page'"> <p metal:fill-slot="maincontent">Hello world</p> </tal:block> </code> Note that the code didn't use ''metal:*-slot'' to set title of the page. Macros "see" variables [[http://phptal.org/manual/en/split/tal-define.html|defined]] in templates that call them, so simple values can be easily passed using variables. You don't have to fill all slots. Here ''main.xhtml'' defines ''other-stuff-in-head'' slot, which you could use e.g. for adding JavaScript or link to CSS, but you don't have to.