File: README

README |
Path: | README
Modified: | Tue Nov 12 21:30:47 JST 2002

# amrita - a html/xhtml template library for Ruby

## Summary

Amrita is a a html/xhtml template library for Ruby. It makes html documents from a template and a model data.

Key feature

- The template for amrita is a pure html/xhtml document without no special tag like <?...?> or <% .. %>
- The template can be written by designers using almost any HTML Editor.
- Need no change on Ruby code to change the view of dynamic part (not only static part) of the template
- The model data may be standard Ruby data, Hash, Array, String... or an instance of a classes you made.
- The output is controlled by data not by logic. So It's easy to write, test, debug code. (Good for eXtreamPrograming)
- HTML template can be compiled into Ruby code before execution with a little effort.

Amrita mixes a template and model data up to a html document naturally matching the `id` attribute of HTML element to model data.

template:

       <table border="1">
         <tr><th>name</th><th>author</th></tr>
         <tr id="table1">
           <td id="name"><td id="author">
         </tr>
       </table>

data:

       data = {
          :table1=>[
             { :name=>"Ruby", :author=>"matz" },
             { :name=>"perl", :author=>"Larry Wall" },
             { :name=>"python", :author=>"Guido van Rossum" },
          ]
       }

template + data = output:

      <table>
        <tr>
        <th>name</th>
        <th>author</th>
        </tr>
        <tr>
        <td>Ruby</td>
        <td>matz</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
        <td>perl</td>
        .......

## Installation

Amrita is a l00% pure Ruby library. You can install it three ways.

- Edit Makefile and type ...

        $ make
        # make install

- Use install.rb

        # ruby install.rb

- Copy lib/* to Ruby's library directory manually

## Documents and sample

docs/QuickStart
  Quick start guide
docs/QuickStart_ja
  Quick start guide(Japanese version)
docs/Tour
  Show various function of amrita
docs/Tour2
  Show experimental features of amrita
docs/XML
  XML support of amrita
docs/Cgi
  using amrita for cgi
sample/hello/*
  basic samples described in docs/QuickStart docs/XML
sample/tour/*
  samples described in docs/Tour
sample/cgi/*
  using amrita for cgi
sample/cgikit/*
  using amrita with cgikit
sample/bbs/*
  a moderate size sample: BBS with "theme"

## Credits

- Thanks for many suggestions and contribution of Kaoru Shirai.
- The html parser in amrita/parser.rb is based on work of MoonWolf.
- sample/tour/rexml_doc.xml (sample data for sample/tour/xml3.rb) was editted from documentation.xml in rexml archive and xml format of docs/index.xml is based on it.
- ams(AmritaScript) is based on the idea and sugestion by Mr.Beyond

## License

Amrita is Copyright (c) 2002 Taku Nakajima. It is free software, and may be redistributed under the terms specified in the README file of the Ruby distribution.

If you want to use Amrita in other license form, I will give you a BSD-like special license for only specified person and specified purpose. Please mail me about it in JAPANESE for detail.

## ToDos and plans

- AnyData doesn't work well when it was used with other Hint.
- a compiler that produces code with more speed and less flexibility

  (It's difficult to take an appropriate trade-off and make a good interface)

# Other stuff

Author: | Taku Nakajima <tnakajima@brain-tokyo.jp>
Requires: | Ruby 1.6.7 or later strscan 0.6.5 or later
License: | Copyright (c) 2002 Taku Nakajima Released under Ruby's License