Templates

Blazing fast PHP templating with zero dependencies.

A lightweight, high-performance template engine that leverages PHP's native output buffering for maximum speed. No parsing overhead, no compilation step, no caching layer needed — just pure PHP execution at full speed.

Why Templates?

• Zero overhead — Uses PHP's native require and output buffering. No regex parsing, no AST compilation, no runtime interpretation
• Instant rendering — Templates execute as native PHP code. What you write is what runs
• No dependencies — A single function. No framework required. No external libraries
• Legacy compatible — Works on PHP 5.5 through 8.x. Modernize your legacy codebase without breaking compatibility
• Familiar syntax — It's just PHP. No new template language to learn

Quick Start

composer require php-compatible/templates

<?php
require 'vendor/autoload.php';

$html = template('views/hello.php', array(
    'title' => 'Hello World',
    'message' => 'Welcome to my site!'
));

echo $html;

How It Works

The template() function loads a PHP file and executes it with the provided variables in scope. Variables are passed as an associative array and automatically extracted, making them available as local variables within the template.

// Calling template() with variables
template('views/user.php', array('name' => 'Alice'));

// Inside views/user.php, $name is available
<h1>Hello, <?= $name ?>!</h1>

Template Organization

Organize your templates into logical directories:

Directory	Purpose
layouts/	Page wrappers containing header/footer markup
pages/	Complete page templates
components/	Reusable UI elements

Requirements

• PHP 5.5 or higher