SoC template engine

(Return to the main idea page for the Google Summer of Code)

Overview

Geeklog currently uses an antique template system that does not compile templates, nor does it support modern template library features such as loops or compilation. The student selecting this project should research modern template libraries, choosing one to integrate into Geeklog.

Objective

The biggest concern replacing Geeklog's existing template engine is backwards compatibility. Existing templates should still be usable (or a conversion system created) and code modification to support the new template library should be kept to a minimum so plugins can be easily updated to use the new template library.

Geeklog currently uses a large number of (relatively) small template files. A big bonus would be a design that can reduce the number of template files to ease template development without sacrificing backwards compatibility.

Level of Difficulty

high

Mentor: Vinny Furia

Co-Mentor: Ben aka "Cordiste"

Further Reading

Some existing template libraries:

• HTML Template IT
• HTML Template Flexy
• Twig
• Smarty

Some relevant feature requests:

• Allow a Topic to have it's own Theme
• Allow a Theme to have a Base Theme
• Rework COM_siteHeader and COM_siteFooter
• Issue about $_CONF['left_blocks_in_footer' and hiding the blocks]