Tim (previously):
> You'll need to change the ASP page 
> (assuming you've added or removed dynamic content from the 
> output page), and you'll have to change the HTML template.  

Ben:
Ahh, well yes.  For example if you've added/removed some fields from the
datasource then you would have to modify both.  It wouldn't be anymore
time consuming than doing it in the conventional way, I still believe
the time spent flipping between the two files would be a LOT less than
having your HTML and ASP developers trying to work on the same file at
the same time, which does happen in some outfits.  Not all HTML guys do
server-side dev, and vice-versa.

Tim:
Ah! I see.  Sorry, everywhere I've worked the developers do everything,
except for perhaps graphics.  It hadn't occurred to me that they might
be split out into specializations (some doing HTML, some doing ASP).
This setup makes a lot more sense in that context.

Tim, previously:
> Seems like a lot of management to me; there might also be a 
> time cost in hitting the hard drive twice (?).

Ben:
I can't say I've noticed any noticable speed difference.  I don't
believe opening a text file and reading it in to be a particualrly
costly exercise. Hell, if it bothers you why not cache the HTML
templates in the application layer?

Tim:
It wasn't bothering me :-), I was just considering some of the
ramifications.  I don't think it would be particularly expensive either,
since the hard drive's maybe already cached the file.

Tim, previously:
>  Second, can 
> this method handle variable-length lists?  For instance, I 
> query a database for a list of users, and want to display 
> them...but the HTML page doesn't know how many there are so I 
> can't put in a series of "[username]" TDs to replace...

Ben:
I use a separate template for that row of data.  THe page itself being
built up of multiple shared templates.  Yes, not as nice as the one file
but it *does* properly separate the data-code from the presentation
code.

Tim:
So you would usually have several HTML files as building blocks for a
single template?  Sorry to keep beating this horse, it's a completely
different way of looking at things than I'm used to, so I'm trying to
follow it through.  The crews I've worked with always embed ASP and HTML
together in the same file - one webpage, one file.  I can see how your
approach might be more consistent with a multilayer abstraction scheme
(ah, "n-tier", to use MS's verbiage).

Thanks,
Tim
___________________________ 
Tim Furry
Web Developer 
Foulston Siefkin LLP 




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