> i had looked at many other modules, and i
> know other people who have as well but want a simpler
> alternative.
Simpler in terms of how quickly it can be learned? Text::Template and
Apache::ePerl are both pretty trivial. In fact, most of these packages are
pretty easy if you just want to use their basic features.
> most of the mod_perl/template packages out there are
> not basic building blocks-- they lie in some
> uncomfortable area between building blocks and full
> content-management systems.
There are templating modules, like Text::Template and Template Toolkit, and
then there are systems that tie those together with mod_perl and some basic
application architecture, like Embperl and Mason. Yours seems more like the
latter, but with fewer features.
> Text::Template probably is the most similar existing
> package, but it is not made for mod_perl. someone well-
> versed in mod_perl could build a mod_perl wrapper of it
> fairly quickly, but they or especially someone new to
> mod_perl shouldn't have to. (i don't know of any such
> wrapper existing in CPAN...)
Don't you think your time would be better spent writing that wrapper, and
getting it onto CPAN, than maintaining your own duplicate package?
Text::Template is very popular, and that means it's been well-debugged and
covers most of the things people are likely to need.
> if i'm not mistaken, Apache::ePerl builds a new
> interpreter, which also seems like overkill for many
> needs.
It's pretty easy to install, really. However, it's not very popular these
days because it doesn't have all the features people end up needing.
> i can't say that no features will ever be added, but i
> think it is fair to say that it will always remain much
> lighter and smaller.
All of these packages started out lighter and smaller. They grew because
people NEEDED these features. Any module will evolve to meet people's needs
or lose popularity, as ePerl has.
Please understand that my criticism is not personal or in any way implying
that your module is not well implemented. I've written templating modules
too, and I understand why people are tempted to do it: "I don't understand
why these have so many features. I just want something simple. I'll write
it myself." The thing is, there are _MANY_ simple templating modules on
CPAN. They usually don't catch on because they ultimately don't do enough
for real-world use.
I remember Randal posted his take on a templating module a few years ago.
It did pretty much the same things yours does, was only a few lines long,
and was very simple. You can find it in the mail archive here:
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/epigone/modperl/beldkhinfol/8ciuhsney0.fsf@gadge
t.cscaper.com.
I think it's very telling that he ultimately dropped it in favor of using
other tools like Mason and Template Toolkit.
If you're going to be at the upcoming Perl conference in San Diego, you
might enjoy my session called "Choosing a Perl Templating System." I'll be
surveying the popular options and explaining some of the things that
differentiate them.
- Perrin
