[stringtemplate-interest] use template groups in a WAR

[Nate]

Hi Jean-Marie,

I think the question was misunderstood. If I put the skins on the 
classpath, whether in a JAR or in the classes directory of the WAR, then 
the only way to access the skins is by their absolute path in the 
classpath. To do this, I create a StringTemplateGroup with no rootDir. 
For example...

skinName = "redtheme";
group = new StringTemplateGroup("allSkins");
group.getInstanceOf("skins/" + skinName + "/page");
group.getInstanceOf("skins/" + skinName + "/etc");

This is not what I want. I want to use a StringTemplateGroup from the 
classpath just like I do from the filesystem. This is how I use it from 
the filesystem...

skinName = "redtheme";
group = new StringTemplateGroup(skinName, "skins");
group.getInstanceOf("page");
group.getInstanceOf ("etc");

I have the following three questions:

1. How can I use a StringTemplateGroup from the classpath just like I do 
from the filesystem?

2. If this is not possible, what is the workaround that people use? I 
cannot imagine this being a rare request.

3. If there is no workaround, will a reasonable patch be excepted? The 
current constructors would stay the same and function in the same way. 
My patch would add a constructor StringTemplateGroup(name, rootDir, 
isClasspath) that functions as expected.

Thanks,
-Nate


Jean-Marie Renouard wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Several solutions exist :
> 1) Use a jar for template in the WEB-INF/lib
> 2) place your templates in the classpath : WEB-INF/classes for example.
> so in your case,
> WEB-INF/classes/skins/...
>
> Have a nice week :)
> Jean-Marie
>
> On 11/11/06, *Nate* <misc at n4te.com <mailto:misc at n4te.com>> wrote:
>
>     I am writing a web application. I want to use StringTemplate to
>     generate
>     the HTML pages. I want users to be able to select a "skin" from a
>     list.
>     Each skin would use a different set of templates to display the HTML.
>
>     My initial impression is that I'd use a different StringTemplateGroup
>     for each skin. I imagined a file structure like this...
>
>     skins/redtheme/page.st
>     skins/redtheme/etc.st
>     skins/bluetheme/page.st
>     skins/bluetheme/etc.st
>
>     ...the code would be something like...
>
>     skinName = "redtheme";
>     group = new StringTemplateGroup(skinName, "skins");
>     group.getInstanceOf("page");
>     group.getInstanceOf ("etc");
>
>     This works fine on the filesystem. Now I zip my application up into a
>     WAR file and suddenly the templates cannot be found. Next I think I
>     should look up templates using the classpath. StringTemplate
>     documentation leads me to think I need to use code like this...
>
>     skinName = "redtheme";
>     group = new StringTemplateGroup("allSkins");
>     group.getInstanceOf("skins/" + skinName + "/page");
>     group.getInstanceOf("skins/" + skinName + "/etc");
>
>     There is no "rootDir" when using the classpath, so I cannot use the a
>     StringTemplateGroup for each skin, like I could on the filesystem.
>
>     What is the solution? How do other people do it? Why does it work so
>     differently when JARed or WARed?
>
>     Regards,
>     Nathan Sweet
>
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>
>
>
>
> -- 
> Cordialement,
> Jean-Marie Renouard