Re: [PHP Template] template system requirements

On Mon, 10 Apr 2000, Andrei Zmievski wrote:

> Truthfully, we did not have a requirements document. I mainly took what
> FastTemplate had and expanded on it. The main goals, I guess, were to be
> designer friendly but still flexible enough to have template logic.

How would those involved in this project define "designer friendly," both
on a general level (easy to learn, HTML-like) and in very specific terms
(must avoid getting munged by Dreamweaver)?

What about "template logic?"  What specific requirements does such logic
fulfill?  What are its bounds?

> If someone wants to work with me to come up with requirements document,
> it'd be a good project.

I may not be reading this statement correctly.  Are you saying that the
requirements doc should be written in isolation, by the designer and
perhaps a collaborator, after the spec has been defined?  I do want to
make sure I'm interpreting your words as you intend them.

> The spec certainly is not good for documentation
> either, it's just a reference. One of the reasons I've created this
> mailing list is to ask people's opinions on the design of the engine.

I understand that the stated intent of this list is to solicit input.  
However, the discussion began with a spec.  It did not begin with a public
discussion of high-level goals and concrete requirements for achieving
those goals (perhaps using the spec as a guide).  As a result, proposals
that differred significantly from the original design were dismissed as
"too complex" or "not powerful enough" without a solid definition of the
target middle ground.  And those who argued vehemently against adding
conditionals could not be pointed to the well-defined set of requirements
that informed this decision.

These are things that genuinely concern and interest me, and are why I
inquired about a requirements doc.

michael