smarty set template dir

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getting-started.md

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Smarty can be run with PHP 7.2 to PHP 8.3.

Installation

Smarty can be installed with Composer .

To get the latest stable version of Smarty use:

To get the latest, unreleased version, use:

To get the previous stable version of Smarty, Smarty 4, use:

Here's how you create an instance of Smarty in your PHP scripts:

Now that the library files are in place, it's time to set up the Smarty directories for your application.

Smarty requires four directories which are by default named templates , configs , templates_c and cache relative to the current working directory.

The defaults can be changed as follows:

The compile dir and cache dir need to be writable for the user running the PHP script.

Note This is usually user "nobody" and group "nobody". For OS X users, the default is user "www" and group "www". If you are using Apache, you can look in your httpd.conf file to see what user and group are being used.

You can verify if your system has the correct access rights for these directories with testInstall() :

Basic usage

Now, let's create the index.tpl file that Smarty will display. This needs to be located in the $template_dir .

Note {* Smarty *} is a template comment . It is not required, but it is good practice to start all your template files with this comment. It makes the file easy to recognize regardless of the file extension. For example, text editors could recognize the file and turn on special syntax highlighting.

Now lets edit our php file. We'll create an instance of Smarty, assign() a template variable and display() the index.tpl file.

Note In our example, we are setting absolute paths to all the Smarty directories. If /web/www.example.com/guestbook/ is within your PHP include_path, then these settings are not necessary. However, it is more efficient and (from experience) less error-prone to set them to absolute paths. This ensures that Smarty is getting files from the directories you intended.

Now, run your PHP file. You should see "Hello Ned, welcome to Smarty!"

You have completed the basic setup for Smarty!

You may have noticed that the example template above renders the $name variable using the escape modifier . This modifier makes string 'safe' to use in the context of an HTML page.

If you are primarily using Smarty for HTML-pages, it is recommended to enable automatic escaping. This way, you don't have to add |escape to every variable you use on a web page. Smarty will handle it automatically for you!

Enable auto-escaping for HTML as follows:

PHP and Smarty: Creating Template-Based Websites

Table of contents.

• Introduction to Smarty

Setting up Smarty

• Creating a Basic Template

Assigning Variables to Templates

• Conditional Statements and Loops
• Template Inheritance
• Plugins and Filters
• Best Practices

1. Introduction to Smarty

Smarty is a PHP template engine that separates the presentation (HTML/CSS) from the application logic (PHP). This helps in maintaining a clean and organized codebase, enabling easy collaboration between designers and developers. Key features of Smarty include:

• Easy syntax and template management
• Flexible, extensible, and highly customizable
• High performance with caching support
• Secure with sandboxing and trusted directory features

2. Setting up Smarty

First, download the latest version of Smarty from the official website and extract it to a folder in your project. Next, include the Smarty class in your PHP file:

Create a new Smarty object and set the necessary directories:

The directories are used for the following purposes:

• templates/ - Contains the template files (.tpl)
• templates_c/ - Stores the compiled templates
• cache/ - Contains cached pages for better performance
• configs/ - Holds configuration files

3. Creating a Basic Template

Create a new file named index.tpl in your templates/ directory. This file will contain the HTML and Smarty tags needed to create your template:

Notice the use of {$variable_name} syntax for displaying variables. These variables will be assigned values in your PHP files and will be replaced by their respective values when the template is rendered.

4. Assigning Variables to Templates

Assign values to the variables in your PHP file using the assign() method:

When the template is rendered, the variables {$page_title} and {$page_description} will be replaced with the assigned values.

5. Conditional Statements and Loops

Smarty supports conditional statements and loops using its custom syntax. Let's see an example:

Loops can be performed using {foreach} or {section} tags:

6. Template Inheritance

Smarty supports template inheritance, allowing you to create a base template with common elements and extend it in other templates. Create a new file named base.tpl in your templates/ directory:

Extend the base template in your index.tpl file:

The {block} tags define placeholders that can be overridden in child templates.

7. Plugins and Filters

Smarty supports custom plugins and filters for extending its functionality. You can create custom functions, modifiers, and output filters to suit your needs. Consult the official documentation for more information on creating and using plugins.

8. Best Practices

• Keep your templates clean and organized by using template inheritance and including partials.
• Don't mix PHP code with your templates. Use Smarty tags and modifiers for presentation logic.
• Cache your templates for better performance.
• Secure your templates by using sandboxing and trusted directories.

In conclusion, Smarty is a powerful and flexible template engine for PHP that allows you to create clean, organized, and maintainable websites. By separating the application logic from the presentation layer, you can easily collaborate with designers and hire PHP developers to build high-quality web applications.

If you're interested in enhancing this article or becoming a contributing author, we'd love to hear from you.

Please contact Sasha at [email protected] to discuss the opportunity further or to inquire about adding a direct link to your resource. We welcome your collaboration and contributions!

In Smarty , you assign values to the variables in your PHP file using the 'assign()' method. When the template is rendered, these variables will be replaced with their assigned values.

Best Practices in Smarty

There are several best practices when working with Smarty . These include keeping your templates clean and organized by using template inheritance and including partials, not mixing PHP code with your templates and using Smarty tags and modifiers for presentation logic, caching your templates for better performance, and securing your templates by using sandboxing and trusted directories.

Conditional Statements and Loops in Smarty

Smarty supports conditional statements and loops using its custom syntax. For instance, 'if' conditions are written as '{if $variable}...{/if}', and loops can be performed using '{foreach}' or '{section}' tags.

Creating a Basic Template in Smarty

Creating a basic template in Smarty involves creating a new file with .tpl extension in your 'templates/' directory. This file will contain the HTML and Smarty tags needed to create your template. Variables in Smarty are displayed using the '{$variable_name}' syntax. These variables are assigned values in your PHP files and are replaced by their respective values when the template is rendered.

Plugins and Filters in Smarty

Smarty supports custom plugins and filters for extending its functionality. You can create custom functions, modifiers, and output filters to suit your needs. The official Smarty documentation provides more information on creating and using plugins.

To set up Smarty in your project, download the latest version from the official website and extract it into your project folder. Then, include the Smarty class in your PHP code. Create a new Smarty object and set necessary directories such as 'templates/', 'templates_c/', 'cache/', and 'configs/' which respectively contain template files (.tpl), store compiled templates, contain cached pages for better performance, and hold configuration files.

Smarty is a widely-used PHP template engine that separates the presentation layer (HTML/CSS) from the application logic (PHP). This separation allows for cleaner, more organized code and makes collaboration between designers and developers easier. Key features of Smarty include easy syntax and template management, flexibility and high customizability, performance enhancements with caching support, and secure operation with sandboxing and trusted directory features.

Template Inheritance in Smarty

Smarty supports template inheritance, which allows you to create a base template with common elements and extend it in other templates. The placeholders within the base template that can be overridden in child templates are defined by '{block}' tags.

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• Combining Modifiers
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getTemplateDir()

return the directory where templates are stored

Description

string|array

getTemplateDir

See also setTemplateDir() , addTemplateDir() and $template_dir .