[stringtemplate-interest] accept simple expression language

[Terence Parr]

Yep, I like this idea of a transformation step. it's really the way I  
view things.  For MVC, I view the model as the database any business  
logic.  The controller is the webpage that pulls from a model,  
possibly filtering, and then pushing into the view (template).

Ter
On May 12, 2009, at 12:31 PM, Johan Stuyts wrote:

>> what I meant was a scenario where the webs app let end user create a
>> template, say a web page template
>> and upload it to the Java web server directory that hosting  
>> personal ST
>> based
>> web publishing CMS.  I could publish all the properties (say, O.a,  
>> O.b)
>> my current model provides for user to use in the ST file. But if one
>> user wants
>> to diplay the result of a+b, what should I do?  Of course, the user
>> could request
>> me to add a property "c" = a+b. but that would make this CMS quite
>> backward
>> compared to many other CMS.    The worse, it might not make sense
>> to add this property to the Java model just for one user, or it might
>> end up with thousands
>> of properties like this.    With a basic expression function in  
>> place,
>> the end user
>> could do basic "scripting" to get what they need without replying on
>> developer to provide
>> for them.,   I am talking about basic set of expressions such as  
>> simple
>> math, string maipulation,
>> alike, not a full blown languange. I know it "pollute" a little it  
>> would
>> make ST a complete solution to me.
>>
>> In other words, this is a scenario that the model might not be  
>> readily
>> able to provide author
>> with needed values.  It does not have to be "add".
>
> How about introducing another step in the rendering pipeline of your  
> CMS?
> Your current pipeline looks like this if I am correct:
> - CMS retrieves content
> - template renders HTML
>
> If you add a content transformation step you end up with this:
> - CMS retrieves content
> - content is transformed using script written by user
> - template renders HTML
>
> The script language could be any language, but I guess JavaScript  
> would be
> a good choice as a lot of people who know HTML also know the basics of
> JavaScript. And the people that don't should not have a problem  
> picking it
> up because they can also write templates.
>
> I think this will be more powerful because you can do so much more  
> with a
> scripting environment specifically for transformation. For example:
> processing collections will be so much easier than doing it inside a
> template.
>
> Regards,
>
> Johan Stuyts
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