Re: [WebMacro-user] A WM brain bender: DB-based template loader

[marcel.huijkman <mar...@ra...>]

Marc Palmer wrote:

>
> To address Marcel's complaint about the "abuse" of #include, multiple 
> databases containing templates would be configured using multiple 
> delegating template loader definitions, such as db1: and db2:
>
> However a DB-based template loader could work like the URL template 
> loading, and include the server and database name etc, with a JDBC 
> URL. There's no reason not to do this as far as I can see, otherwise 
> you're saying that http:// or https:// is a bad machanism.
>
Okay, A DB-based template loader could be handy.

However, I advise not to go this way with naming it db: and so on.

In a month, a persons stands up, and has an idea to have templates 
stored in property files,
or in xml files or or an ftp server. So it must not be a db: solution, 
but more generic.

It  should be a thing you could easily use in your servlet and adapt to 
whatever
happens in the future. Perhaps something like:
#include as location1 "$(TEMPLATE_DIR)_includes/init.inc"
and location1 as a property in the WebMacro.properties
I don't know, but let's think first and then program.


Alex Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes wrote:

>If we follow the #eval method that has been proposed then the inner template 
>has to magically know that the $templatePath that has been passed to it has 
>to be treated differently to other normal templates and the code switches 
>into something like:-
>
>	outer: #set $templatePath = <somethingUnknown>
>	inner: #if ($Magic.requiresEval($templatePath)) { 
>			#eval $templatePath 
>		} #else {
>			#include as template "$templatePath"
>		}
>
>which to me seems to be a disadvantage.
>  
>
This made me think......, perhaps the solution is to handle Magic like 
Magic, like this:

#include as magic "$templatePath"

I got your point, however I could imagine that a person recieving a template
from somewhere and don't know from where it came, could easily be confused.
But let's assume that is certainly not my problem.

As I positifly said before, think first, than act.
And my idea's are free, but may be used by others :-)