Template engine recommendations

Question

I'm looking for a template engine. Requirements:

Runs on a JVM. Java is good; Jython, JRuby and the like, too...
Can be used outside of servlets (unlike JSP)
Is flexible wrt. to where the templates are stored (JSP and a lot of people require the templates to be stored in the FS). It should provide a template loading interface which one can implement or something like that
Easy inclusion of parameterized templates- I really like JSP's tag fragments
Good docs, nice code, etc., the usual suspects

I've looked at JSP- it's nearly perfect except for the servlet and filesystem coupling, Stringtemplate- I love the template syntax, but it fails on the filesystem coupling, the documentation is lacking and template groups and stuff are confusing, GXP, TAL, etc.

Ideas, thoughts?

possible duplicate of [Suggestions for a Java-based templating engine?](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/174204/suggestions-for-a-java-based-templating-engine) — ripper234, Nov 22 '11 at 15:20

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 10 '10 at 12:56

How about Velocity?

full Java
does not require servlets
it has file, jar, classpath & URL resource loaders (and maybe more)
templates can include other templates (if this is what you mean)
has good tutorials, so far I could get what I needed from the docs

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 10 '10 at 15:19

2

If my memory serves, FreeMaker is decent - Suppose to be some sort of "Velocity, the next generation".

answered Apr 10 '10 at 15:19

Little Bobby Tables

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score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 01 '12 at 14:28

What about Snippetory?

It's full java, (even your logic is written in java!)
Templates are loaded by the UriResolver, with implementations for calsspath, file system and URL.
It can be used outside Servlets, for example as ad hoc template like String.format.
It's entirely based on parametrized inclusion of templates.
The docs are ok and it's much simpler than the script based engines, so you really don't need that much.
And a new version with great new freatures is coming soon, I think

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Oct 09 '13 at 07:49

0

Try Mixer2. http://mixer2.org/ Mixer2 has no dependency for servlet-API. You can store the template on String, java.io.File, and java.io.InputStream.

answered Oct 09 '13 at 07:49

nabedge

1

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Oct 26 '13 at 03:50

Chunk, my no-nonsense template engine for Java, would be a good choice.

Lightweight.
Great docs with examples and recipes: http://www.x5software.com/chunk
Standalone - no servlets required.
Templates from filesystem, classpath, strings, a webserver, or write your own template provider.
Based on simple templates with {$tags}.
Templates can include other templates or even execute them as macros with a json-formatted dictionary of tag values.
Looping, conditionals, filters, all the typical goodies.

score 0 · Answer 6 · edited Apr 13 '23 at 23:10

0

I'm the author of Pebble which fits your criteria quite well.

edited Apr 13 '23 at 23:10

zb226

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answered Jul 11 '14 at 01:21

mbosecke

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I suggest elaborating on why this library would work for the user, at this time this is basically a link-only answer which is considered low quality. – Taryn Jul 24 '14 at 23:38

score 0 · Answer 7 · answered Apr 11 '10 at 04:54

maybe check out "JSTP", http://jstp.sourceforge.net/manual.html

its syntax is subset of JSP, therefore IDE support is excellent.

a "jstp" template is translated into a plain java class at build time. there is no runtime dependency.

"parameters" to a template should be passed by member fields. static typing all the way.

Bar.jstp

<%!                                        
    public String name;                    
%>

Hello <%= name %>

build converts it into Bar.java

public class Bar                                        
{                                                       
    public String name;                                 
    public void render(java.io.PrintWriter out)         
    {                                                   
        out.print("Hello ");                            
        out.print(String.valueOf(name));                
        ...                                             
    }                                                   
}

and you invoke the template by

Bar bar = new Bar();                              
bar.name = "John";                               
bar.render(..);

with typical "hotswap" you shouldn't have to restart serve when editing the template.

Template engine recommendations

7 Answers7

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