Justin Wells wrote:
>
> I think this analysis misses the main point. Templates don't save time
> by eliminating the need to type println(), the advantages are more
> fundamental than that:
I don't think he was talking about the println. The point is that many
template systems, "not just for Java/HTML" as the original poster says,
attempt to sell as an advantage the fact that you don't need to use the
main language (in this case, Java), but then you must learn their own
scripting oddities.
Webmacro's constructs are probably the most useful out there, but nobody
saves you from having to learn the "#foreach", etc. In your web pages I
find things like "No programming issues in the template", and then
"Script language easy to learn and use by page designers". But writing
scripts is programming.
A good separation of layout (style sheets), document structure (XML),
and programming logic (Java) would be perfect, but we still do not have
it.
Meanwhile, if I had to write applications that only comprise the kind of
things where your excellent webmacro is appropriate, I certainly would
use it, but for many uses I find it easier to go for other solutions
that do not require you to have yet another scripting language (even a
simple one) hanging around.
And a very important thing: templates tie you to a certain kind of
document (HTML in this case). But I want to be able to exchange HTML by
PDF, for example. A typical case is returning invoice information as an
HTML document but also creating a PDF with the formal invoice document
and then print it.
It is just a matter of different needs, and not of templates being
always superior to something.
Carlos
___________________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and include in the body
of the message "signoff SERVLET-INTEREST".
Archives: http://archives.java.sun.com/archives/servlet-interest.html
Resources: http://java.sun.com/products/servlet/external-resources.html
LISTSERV Help: http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/user/user.html
