Re[2]: [PEAR] Smarty vs PEAR::HTML_Template_IT

>> What is the main difference bewteen Smarty and PEAR::HTML_Template_IT ? >> Has anyone switched from one to the other and if so, why? MW> In short: Smarty allows adding program logic inside the template, MW> HTML_Template_IT does not. In addition, Smarty sort of compiles the MW> templates to PHP code, meaning that all template variables and logic MW> are being transformed to native PHP code, so no parsing of the MW> template is required at runtime -> speed increase. MW> Personally, I prefer HTML_Template_IT because of a) its ease of use MW> and b) I´m a strong believer in total separation of program logic and MW> presentation, so I think no logic should ever be inside a template. MW> Also, graphic designers often know only HTML (at best) and would have MW> a hard time learning some sort of template logic markup anyway. I'm not gonna write again the semi-book I usually write about why I prefer Smarty and why logic in templates is not that bad, but I'll summarize: I think that a good backend logic / design separation can not be achieved if you have in your backend code logic that is only used for presentation. A layout in a dynamic application is not limited to HTML, but is also made of code. Smarty is more a display engine than a template class. But I think that the best method is just to read what Monte Orth has written on Smarty's site about "Why use Smarty ?": http://smarty.php.net/whyuse.php Katana