NAME

       HTML::Template::FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about HTML::Template

SYNOPSIS

       In the interest of greater understanding I've started a FAQ section of the perldocs.
       Please look in here before you send me email.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

   Is there a place to go to discuss HTML::Template and/or get help?
       There's a mailing-list for discussing HTML::Template at
       html-template-users@lists.sourceforge.net. Join at:

          http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/html-template-users

       If you just want to get email when new releases are available you can join the
       announcements mailing-list here:

           http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/html-template-announce

   Is there a searchable archive for the mailing-list?
       Yes, you can find an archive of the SourceForge list here:

           http://dir.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.perl.modules.html-template

   I want support for <TMPL_XXX>! How about it?
       Maybe. I definitely encourage people to discuss their ideas for HTML::Template on the
       mailing list. Please be ready to explain to me how the new tag fits in with
       HTML::Template's mission to provide a fast, lightweight system for using HTML templates.

       NOTE: Offering to program said addition and provide it in the form of a patch to the most
       recent version of HTML::Template will definitely have a softening effect on potential
       opponents!

   I found a bug, can you fix it?
       That depends. Did you send me the VERSION of HTML::Template, a test script and a test
       template? If so, then almost certainly.

       If you're feeling really adventurous, HTML::Template is publicly available on GitHub
       (https://github.com/mpeters/html-template). Please feel free to fork it and send me a pull
       request with any changes you have.

   <TMPL_VAR>s from the main template aren't working inside a <TMPL_LOOP>! Why?
       This is the intended behavior. "<TMPL_LOOP>" introduces a separate scope for "<TMPL_VAR>s"
       much like a subroutine call in Perl introduces a separate scope for "my" variables.

       If you want your "<TMPL_VAR>"s to be global you can set the "global_vars" option when you
       call "new()". See above for documentation of the "global_vars" "new()" option.

   How can I pre-load my templates using cache-mode and mod_perl?
       Add something like this to your startup.pl:

           use HTML::Template;
           use File::Find;

           print STDERR "Pre-loading HTML Templates...\n";
           find(
               sub {
                   return unless /\.tmpl$/;
                   HTML::Template->new(
                       filename => "$File::Find::dir/$_",
                       cache    => 1,
                   );
               },
               '/path/to/templates',
               '/another/path/to/templates/'
           );

       Note that you'll need to modify the "return unless" line to specify the extension you use
       for your template files - I use .tmpl, as you can see. You'll also need to specify the
       path to your template files.

       One potential problem: the /path/to/templates/ must be EXACTLY the same path you use when
       you call "HTML::Template->new()". Otherwise the cache won't know they're the same file and
       will load a new copy - instead getting a speed increase, you'll double your memory usage.
       To find out if this is happening set "cache_debug =" 1> in your application code and look
       for "CACHE MISS" messages in the logs.

   What characters are allowed in TMPL_* names?
       Numbers, letters, '.', '/', '+', '-' and '_'.

   How can I execute a program from inside my template?
       Short answer: you can't. Longer answer: you shouldn't since this violates the fundamental
       concept behind HTML::Template - that design and code should be separate.

       But, inevitably some people still want to do it. If that describes you then you should
       take a look at HTML::Template::Expr. Using HTML::Template::Expr it should be easy to write
       a "run_program()" function. Then you can do awful stuff like:

           <tmpl_var expr="run_program('foo.pl')">

       Just, please, don't tell me about it. I'm feeling guilty enough just for writing
       HTML::Template::Expr in the first place.

   What's the best way to create a <select> form element using HTML::Template?
       There is much disagreement on this issue. My personal preference is to use CGI.pm's
       excellent "popup_menu()" and "scrolling_list()" functions to fill in a single "<tmpl_var
       select_foo>" variable.

       To some people this smacks of mixing HTML and code in a way that they hoped HTML::Template
       would help them avoid. To them I'd say that HTML is a violation of the principle of
       separating design from programming. There's no clear separation between the programmatic
       elements of the "<form>" tags and the layout of the "<form>" tags.  You'll have to draw
       the line somewhere - clearly the designer can't be entirely in charge of form creation.

       It's a balancing act and you have to weigh the pros and cons on each side. It is certainly
       possible to produce a "<select>" element entirely inside the template. What you end up
       with is a rat's nest of loops and conditionals. Alternately you can give up a certain
       amount of flexibility in return for vastly simplifying your templates. I generally choose
       the latter.

       Another option is to investigate HTML::FillInForm which some have reported success using
       to solve this problem.