Client Side Templating Tools

Templating in Ajax and JavaScript based applications have become useful for many developers. Those who wanted to implement an application that implements strong data binding usually considers client side templating because it offers stability online. Instead of coding to keep the data intact in every webpage, developers can use client side templating to keep the codes intact and perform as expected.

But client side templating is not for the faint of heart. While a working client side template can do wonders for the online application, a buggy template will could result to continuous caching of data. To avoid this problem, it's highly recommended to use tools that can aid for an efficient client side templating.

Sticking to JSON

Before looking into the tools for efficient templates, it's important to consider the data format. Although using Ajax or JavaScript would be beneficial with XML because it can work with various browsers. However, client side templating will work better when used with JSON. Client side templates are not necessarily Ajax based but they are focused on using extensive functions in JavaScript. Because it uses JavaScript, the data format should be fully compatible with JavaScript. JSON fits the bill for this requirement.

JQote vs. Trimpath

When using JSON to implement client side templates there are two tools that can cut the extensive coding and focus on data streaming: JQote and Trimpath. JQote is the newer tool in creating client side templates but that doesn't mean it’s inferior. In fact, many developers are adapting this tool because it's easier to understand and works well with jQuery as a plug-in. Trimpath on the other hand is used by developers because of its familiarity. Trimpath is a JavaScript class which means it's a standalone and will work with various frameworks.

Micro-Templates

Client side templates, in itself, could be a big heavy and will require resources from the gadget and the server. Developers have to be careful where they implement client side templates so that other functions will work as expected. Client side templates are an important tool but it should not eat up the resources of the application.

Because of the possibility of client side template to be heavy, John Resig of jQuery has come up with a small but useful tool: micro-templating. Instead of coming up with extensive coding for micro-templating it would be a better idea to focus on the important data.

Downside of Client Side Templating

Client-side templating is not something that can be implemented anytime, anywhere. Aside from requiring JavaScript and complementing libraries (such as jQuery), developers have to remember that client side templating will need a lot from the gadget. For that reason, it's not recommended to implement client side templates in smaller applications such as widgets or APIs. On the other hand, micro-templating could be a good replacement.

Client side templating is a powerful tool for gathering data and carefully processing them throughout the application. But careful consideration should be exercised especially in selecting the right tools in order to build the expected application.