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API Reference

template()​

Renders a PHP template file with variables and returns the output as a string.

function template($path, $variables)

Parameters​

ParameterTypeDescription
$pathstringPath to the PHP template file
$variablesarrayAssociative array of variables to make available in the template

Return Value​

Returns a string containing the rendered template output.

How It Works​

  1. Starts output buffering with ob_start()
  2. Extracts variables from the array into local scope using extract()
  3. Includes the template file with require
  4. Captures the output buffer contents
  5. Cleans the output buffer with ob_end_clean()
  6. Returns the captured output

Example​

// Template file: views/greeting.php
<h1>Hello, <?= $name ?>!</h1>
<p>You have <?= $count ?> new messages.</p>

// Usage
$html = template('views/greeting.php', array(
    'name' => 'Alice',
    'count' => 5
));

echo $html;
// Output:
// <h1>Hello, Alice!</h1>
// <p>You have 5 new messages.</p>

Nested Templates​

Templates can call template() to include other templates:

views/page.php
<html>
<body>
    <?= template('components/header.php', array('title' => $title)) ?>

    <main>
        <?= $content ?>
    </main>

    <?= template('components/footer.php', array()) ?>
</body>
</html>

Variable Scope​

Variables passed to template() are extracted into the local scope of the template file. This means:

  • Variables are available directly by name (e.g., $name, not $variables['name'])
  • The original $variables array is not available in the template
  • Variables do not leak back to the calling scope
// Calling code
$result = template('views/demo.php', array(
    'foo' => 'bar',
    'items' => array(1, 2, 3)
));

// In views/demo.php, these are available:
// $foo = 'bar'
// $items = array(1, 2, 3)

Error Handling​

If the template file does not exist, PHP will emit a warning and the function will return an empty string or partial output depending on where the error occurs.

For production use, consider wrapping with error handling:

function safe_template($path, $variables) {
    if (!file_exists($path)) {
        error_log("Template not found: $path");
        return '';
    }
    return template($path, $variables);
}

Source Code​

The complete implementation:

<?php
/**
 * Parse PHP template file
 *
 * @param string $path of the template
 * @param array $variables an associative array of variables which are available
 *                         in the PHP template
 * @return string the parsed template
 */
function template($path, $variables)
{
    ob_start();
    extract($variables);
    require $path;
    $output = ob_get_contents();
    ob_end_clean();
    return $output;
}