A PHP library to support almost all features of handlebars ( http://handlebarsjs.com/ ) , target to run as fast as pure php.

• Logicless template: subset of mustache ( http://mustache.github.com/ ) or handlebars ( http://handlebarsjs.com/ ) .
• Compile template to pure php code.
  • Examples:
    • templateA: https://github.com/zordius/HandlebarsTest/blob/master/fixture/001-simple-vars.tmpl
    • compile as phpA: https://github.com/zordius/HandlebarsTest/blob/master/fixture/001-simple-vars.php
    • templateB: https://github.com/zordius/HandlebarsTest/blob/master/fixture/016-hb-eachthis.tmpl
    • compile as phpB: https://github.com/zordius/HandlebarsTest/blob/master/fixture/016-hb-eachthis.php
• Fast!
  • runs 4~6 times faster than https://github.com/bobthecow/mustache.php
  • runs 4~10 times faster than https://github.com/dingram/mustache-php
  • runs 10~30 times faster than https://github.com/XaminProject/handlebars.php
  • NOTE: Detail performance test reports can be found here: https://github.com/zordius/HandlebarsTest
• Context generation
  • Analyze used feature from your template
  • generate Json Schema
    • Do LightnCandy::getJsonSchema() right after LightnCandy::compile() to get jsonSchema
    • Know required data structure from your templates
    • Verify input data, or find out missing variables with any jsonSchema validator

// require the lib, compile template string
require('src/lightncandy.inc');
$template = "Welcome {{name}} , You win \${{value}} dollars!!\n";
$phpStr = LightnCandy::compile($template);

// Usage 1: One time compile then runtime execute
// Do not suggested this way, because it require php setting allow_url_fopen=1 and and allow_url_fopen=1, not secure.
// Or, prepare() will create tmp file then include it, you will need to add your tmp directory into open_basedir.
echo "Template is:\n$template\n\n";
echo "Rendered PHP code is:\n$php\n\n";
$renderer = LightnCandy::prepare($phpStr);

echo $renderer(Array('name' => 'John', 'value' => 10000));
echo $renderer(Array('name' => 'Peter', 'value' => 1000));


// Usage 2: One time save compiled php, later run with include
file_put_contents($php_inc, $phpStr)

$renderer = include($php_inc);
echo $renderer(Array('name' => 'John', 'value' => 10000));
echo $renderer(Array('name' => 'Peter', 'value' => 1000));

Template is:
Welcome {{name}} , You win ${{value}} dollars!!


Rendered PHP code is:
<?php return function ($in) {
    return 'Welcome ' . $in['name'] . ' , You win $' . $in['value'] . ' dollars!!
';
}
?>

Welcome John , You win $10000 dollars!!
Welcome Peter , You win $1000 dollars!!

You can apply more flags by running LightnCandy::compile($php, $flags) for example:

LightnCandy::compile($php, LightnCandy::FLAG_ERROR_LOG | LightnCandy::FLAG_STANDALONE);

Default is to compile the template as php which can be run as fast as possible, all flags are off.

• FLAG_ERROR_LOG : output error_log when found any template error
• FLAG_ERROR_EXCEPTION : throw exception when found any template error
• FLAG_STANDALONE : generate stand alone php codes which can be execute without include LightnCandy. It will contain scopped user function, somehow larger.
• FLAG_JSTRUE: generate 'true' when value is true (handlebars.js behavior). Otherwise, true will generate ''.
• FLAG_JSOBJECT: generate '[object Object]' for associated array, generate ',' seperated values for array (handlebars.js behavior). Otherwise, all php array will generate ''.
• FLAG_THIS: support {{this}} or {{.}} in template. Otherwise, {{this}} and {{.}} will cause template error.
• FLAG_WITH: support {{#with var}} . Otherwise, {{#with var}} will cause template error.
• FLAG_HANDLEBARSJS: align with handlebars.js behaviors, same as FLAG_JSTRUE + FLAG_JSOBJECT + FLAG_THIS + FLAG_WITH.

• partial (include another template inside a template)
• set delimiter (change delimiter from {{ }} to custom string, for example <% then %>)
• ../ (parent template scope)
• FLAG_STANDALONE (stand alone support for compiled php code, now FLAG_STANDALONE still depend on lightncandy.inc)

Go http://handlebarsjs.com/ to see more feature description about handlebars.js. All features align with it.

• Exact same CR/LF behavior with handlebars.js
• Exact same 'true' output with handlebars.js (require FLAG_JSTRUE)
• Exact same '[object Object]' output or join(',' array) output with handlebars.js (require FLAG_JSOBJECT)
• Can place heading/tailing space, tab, CR/LF inside {{ var }} or {{{ var }}}
• {{{value}}} : raw variable
  • true as 'true' (require FLAG_JSTRUE)
  • false as ''
• {{value}} : html encoded variable
  • true as 'true' (require FLAG_JSTRUE)
  • false as ''
• {{{path.to.value}}} : dot notation, raw
• {{path.to.value}} : dot notation, html encoded
• {{.}} : current context, html encoded
• {{this}} : current context, html encoded (require FLAG_THIS)
• {{{.}}} : current context, raw (require FLAG_THIS)
• {{{this}}} : current context, raw (require FLAG_THIS)
• {{#value}} : section
  • false, undefined and null will skip the section
  • true will run the section with original scope
  • All others will run the section with new scope (include 0, 1, -1, '', '1', '0', '-1', 'false', Array, ...)
• {{/value}} : end section
• {{^value}} : inverted section
  • false, undefined and null will run the section with original scope
  • All others will skip the section (include 0, 1, -1, '', '1', '0', '-1', 'false', ...)
• {{! comment}} : comment
• {{#each var}} : each loop
• {{/each}} : end loop
• {{#if var}} : run if logic with original scope
• {{/if}} : end if
• {{else}} : run else logic, should between {{#if var}} and {{/if}}
• {{#unless var}} : run unless logic with original scope
• {{#with var}} : change context scope. If the var is false, skip included section. (require FLAG_WITH)