[htmltmpl] HTML::Template and Locale::Maketext

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Hi,

This is a long post, so feel free to stop reading now. :-)

Anyone has used HTML::Template and Locale::Maketext together?
Or HTML::Template in any I18N project?

My doubts are mostly what approach I should use.
The application I planning to start is not that big, but I always liked=20
separating things:
a. .pl files - For the Perl programmer.
b. .html files - for the web designer
c. .po and/or .pm files containing just languages hashes - for the language=
=20
translator (ok, Perl hashes, but very readable even for a non-programmer)

To keep things separated, there is a problem:
1. If, on one hand, I want to use one single HTML::Template for the output =
in=20
different languages, the template itself cannot have any "fixed strings" in=
=20
one languages, but has to be filled up only with <TMPL_VAR NAME=3Dxxx> tags=
 for=20
every single message.
This makes the job tougher for the web designer (the web page preview will =
be=20
almost unreadable).
2. If, on the other hand, one HTML::Template per language, the translator h=
as=20
to know some HTML to create a HTML::Template with "fixed strings" in her/hi=
s=20
language. And this means that the web designer will end up with one templat=
e=20
per language, which also is undesirable.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

I will try explaining details of the problem by using a couple of examples:

Approach 1, using one template for all languages:
hello.pl
# ----------------------------------------
#!/usr/bin/perl -w
use HTML::Template;
use MyApp:I18N;
my $locale =3D $ARGV || 'en'; # Use English as default
my $lh =3D MyApp::I18N->get_handle($locale) || die "Can't get a language=20
handle!";
# open the html template
my $template =3D HTML::Template->new(filename =3D> 'hello.world.tmpl.html');
# fill in some parameters
$template->param(
	HELLO_WORLD =3D> $lh->maketext("Hello, world!"),
	WELCOME_TO_THIS_WEB_SITE =3D> $lh->maketext("Welcome to this web site."),
);
# send the obligatory Content-Type and print the template output
print "Content-Type: text/html\n\n", $template->output;
# ----------------------------------------
hello.world.tmpl.html
# ----------------------------------------
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//IETF//DTD HTML//EN">
<html>
<head>
<title><TMPL_VAR NAME=3DHELLO_WORLD></title>
</head>
<body>
<b><TMPL_VAR NAME=3DHELLO_WORLD></b>
<p><TMPL_VAR NAME=3DWELCOME_TO_THIS_WEB_SITE></p>
</body>
</html>
# ----------------------------------------
MyApp/I18N/en.pm
# ----------------------------------------
package MyApp::I18N::es;
# Spanish language messages
use base qw(MyApp::I18N);
use strict;
use vars qw(%Lexicon);
%Lexicon =3D (
  # Message to translator: Start here!
  "Hello, world!" =3D> "Hello, world!",
  "Welcome to this website." =3D> "Welcome to this website.",
  # Message to translator: Stop here!
);
# ----------------------------------------
MyApp/I18N/es.pm
# ----------------------------------------
package MyApp::I18N::es;
# Spanish language messages
use base qw(MyApp::I18N);
use strict;
use vars qw(%Lexicon);
%Lexicon =3D (
  # Mensaje a traductor: =A1Empieza aqu=ED!
  "Hello, world!" =3D> "=A1Hola, mundo!",
  "Welcome to this website." =3D> "Bienvenido a este sitio web.",
  # Mensaje a traductor: =A1Termina aqu=ED!
);
# ----------------------------------------
MyApp/I18N/se.pm
# ----------------------------------------
package MyApp::I18N::es;
# Swedish language messages
use base qw(MyApp::I18N);
use strict;
use vars qw(%Lexicon);
%Lexicon =3D (
  # Meddelande till  =F6vers=E4ttaren: B=F6rja h=E4r!
  "Hello, world!" =3D> "Hej, v=E4rlden!",
  "Welcome to this website." =3D> "V=E4lkommen till den h=E4r webbsajten.",
  # Meddelande till  =F6vers=E4ttaren: Sluta h=E4r!
);
# ----------------------------------------

Approach 2, using one template per language:
hello.pl
# ----------------------------------------
#!/usr/bin/perl -w
use HTML::Template;
my $locale =3D $ARGV || 'en'; # Use English as default
my $filename =3D 'hello.world.tmpl.html.' . $locale;
# open the html template
my $template =3D HTML::Template->new(filename =3D> $filename);
# send the obligatory Content-Type and print the template output
print "Content-Type: text/html\n\n", $template->output;
# ----------------------------------------
hello.world.tmpl.html.en
# ----------------------------------------
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//IETF//DTD HTML//EN">
<html>
<head>
<title>Hello, world!</title>
</head>
<body>
Hello, world!
Welcome to this website.
</body>
</html>
# ----------------------------------------
hello.world.tmpl.html.es
# ----------------------------------------
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//IETF//DTD HTML//EN">
<html>
<head>
<title>=A1Hola, mundo!</title>
</head>
<body>
=A1Hola, mundo!
Bienvenido a este sitio web.
</body>
</html>
# ----------------------------------------
hello.world.tmpl.html.se
# ----------------------------------------
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//IETF//DTD HTML//EN">
<html>
<head>
<title>Hej, v=E4rlden!</title>
</head>
<body>
Hej, v=E4rlden!
V=E4lkommen till den h=E4r webbsajten.
</body>
</html>
# ----------------------------------------

Best Regards,
Johan Kuuse