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Template Language Plugins +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Pylons supports a variety of template languages in addition to Myghty through the use of template engine plug-ins. This can be useful both for migrating web applications to Pylons, or in cases where you just would rather prefer some other templating solution. Template language plug-ins can be installed rather easily using setuptools. A current list of template engine plug-ins is at the `Buffet `_ website. Once you have installed one of these, using the new template language within Pylons is quite easy. As Pylons does not come pre-configured with this in mind, you will need to do a little more work yourself depending on which template language you're using. Example: Using Kid with Pylons ============================== If you didn't select the ``kid`` optional extra package when you installed Pylons (described on the `install page `_) you will need to install the appropriate Buffet plugin. In the case of Kid, this is called TurboKid and can be installed as follows: .. code-block:: Bash $ easy_install TurboKid To use Kid with Pylons, first we must setup a new template directory for the Kid templates. First, create a directory in ``yourproject`` called ``kidtemplates`` and add a controller: .. code-block:: Bash $ cd yourproject $ mkdir yourproject/kidtemplates $ paster controller kid You will now have a kid.py controller in your controllers directory. First, we will need to add Kid to the available template engines. Edit ``yourproject/config/middleware.py``, and add to 'config.init_app....': .. code-block:: Python kidopts = {'kid.assume_encoding':'utf-8', 'kid.encoding':'utf-8'} config.add_template_engine('kid', 'yourproject.kidtemplates', kidopts) Edit the KidController class so it looks like this: .. code-block:: Python class KidController(BaseController): def index(self): c.title = "Your Page" c.message = 'hi' return render_response('kid', 'test') Make sure to change ``yourproject.kidtemplates`` to reflect what your project is actually called. The first argument to ``render`` or ``render_response`` can be the template engine to use, while the second non-keyword argument is the template. If you don't specify a template engine, it will drop back to the default (Myghty, unless you change the default). Now let's add the Kid template to render, create the file ``yourproject/kidtemplates/test.kid`` with the following content: .. code-block:: Html+Genshi title

message

You made it to the following url: ${h.url_for()}

Since the template plug-ins currently expect paths to act as module imports, you will also need to create a ``__init__.py`` file inside ``yourproject/kidtemplates``. Loading ``/kid`` will now return the Kid template that you have created. Notice that all the same Pylons variables are made accessible to template engine plug-ins. You will have c, h, g, session, and request available in any template language you choose to use. This also makes it easier to switch later to Myghty or a different template language without having to update your controller action. Switching the Default Template Engine ===================================== In Pylons, customization is not just allowed but actively encouraged. It's quite easy to change the default engine from Myghty to your choice. Let's make Kid the default template engine. Edit ``yourproject/config/middleware.py``, right after the 'config.init_app....': .. code-block:: Python config.init_app(global_conf, app_conf, package='yourproject', template_engine='kid') This swaps Myghty out and uses Kid, making Kid the new default template engine. The above ``index`` method no longer needs to specify 'kid' now when rendering a template. The existing templates directory will be used, and you'll need to create the ``__init__.py`` file before adding Kid templates. Current template engine's that can be swapped in this manner are kid, mako, and genshi. .. Note:: For more details on the config object, check out the `extensive Config docs `_ from the Pylons Module API.