Templates

[Dan Allen]

Hi, I am trying to understand templates in XF and I am not understanding. I thought templates where like what you see in Theme Forest (link) or HTML5Up (link). When I look at XF templates, they are nothing like those other "templates." So, I guess that means XF templates are a different kind of template than those other templates. Is there another example of the type of templates XF uses in another system or an article on XF-type templates I could read to get caught up? Does any other system have templates like XF templates?

 

[Chris D]

Well, templates are essentially HTML but they are enriched with additional tags which are compiled to execute certain special functions.

The following is a guide that explains some of the additional functions that can be used aside from HTML in XenForo templates:

https://xenforo.com/community/resources/template-syntax-xenforo-tags.2122/

 

[Dan Allen]

Thank you! That tag guide really helps out.

I hope I am not too far off when I tell people I work with that XF templates are not like any other templates. In fact, I would go so far as to say they are not templates. XF templates are part of an elaborate system for presentation of web pages. The main components of that system are:

1. Records in database containing html and a unique programming language (the XF tags), segmented into various parts of the web pages that are produced. In most systems, these kind of data is stored in files instead of database records. I understand that XF is an MVC system, but I have not seen another MVC system where so much of the View part of MVC is stored in a database and edited through an interface unique to that system. You cannot edit XF templates with a normal programming setup, such as Aptana or Visual Studio.
   
2. Other records in a database containing specifications for styles that are converted to css when pages are loaded, and combined with the html and xf tags. The specifications for styles include a color palette and style properties. The style properties are organized into property groups.
   
3. Advanced graphical user interfaces for editing the records in #1 and #2.
4. XF templates cannot be used in other systems and there is only one set of templates available for XF. This is in contrast to templates that can be applied to many systems and systems that can use a variety of templates.

The closest thing I can think of to this, outside of XF, would be something maybe like PeopleSoft, but I am not sure PeopleSoft stores its html in database records or not, I am only guessing.

 

[Dan Allen]

Rewrite of previous post, because the edit window is closed.

Thank you! That tag guide really helps out.

I hope I am not too far off when I tell people I work with that XF templates are not like any other templates.

I am sure this is wrong, so I am hoping for corrections, but this is my best shot at explaining XF templates.

For starters, it looks to me like XF templates might not be templates. Web templates usually are files, not database records. Templates typically can be adaopted to many systems and system that work with templates typically can swap one set of templates for another.

XF templates are nothing like that. They are part of an unusual implementation of the VIEW component of the MVC model. XF templates are a significant part of that uniqueness.

To understand XF templates, it is necessary to see them in the context of the XF View component. The XF View component has these major features:

1. XF Templates, which are records stored in a database, not files, containing html and a unique programming language (the XF tags). In most systems, this kind of data is stored in files instead of database records. I understand that XF is an MVC system, but I have not seen another MVC system where so much of the View part of MVC is stored in a database and edited through an interface unique to that system. You cannot edit XF templates with a normal programming setup, such as Aptana or Visual Studio. The interface between the View and the Model/Controllers is not typical, and XF templates are embeded within that.
   
2. STYLES Other records in a database containing specifications for styles that are converted to css when pages are loaded, and combined with the html and xf tags. The specifications for styles include a color palette and style properties. The style properties are organized into property groups.
   
3. Advanced graphical user interfaces for editing the "templates" and "styles" in #1 and #2. XF Templates can be edited only through the web-based XF interface.
   
4. XF templates cannot be used in other systems and there is only one set of templates available for XF. This is in contrast to templates that can be applied to many systems and systems that can use a variety of templates.