A new section has been added to the InformIT Web Design Guide on Template Engines.

You hear about the separation of content from style when it comes to CSS and XHTML. Meet another type of separation courtesy of template engines and XML/XSLT. These separate business logic from presentation logic rather than separating markup from server programming as some believe. One person describes template engines as a way to do MVC (model, view, controller) style application.

Using a template engine makes it easier to make changes and avoid duplication. Proponents, however, say most template engines are generic and too complex, especially for anyone managing a couple of sites. [ Read more ]