Smarty

Description #

Smarty is a template engine for PHP that separates presentation (HTML/CSS) from application logic. It uses its own clean syntax to embed variables, loops, and conditionals in template files.

History #

Smarty was created by Monte Ohrt and first released in 2001 as a project of the PHP development company New Digital Group. It became one of the earliest and most popular PHP templating systems.

Hello World Code #

<h1>{$message}</h1>

With backend PHP:

$smarty->assign('message', 'Hello, World!');
$smarty->display('hello.tpl');

How to Run #

Option 1: Online
Try via hosted demo (limited availability) or test PHP+Smarty locally.

Option 2: Local
Install via Composer:

composer require smarty/smarty

Basic setup:

require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';
$smarty = new Smarty();
$smarty->assign('message', 'Hello, World!');
$smarty->display('hello.tpl');

Key Concepts #

• Uses .tpl template files
• Variables with {$variable} syntax
• {foreach}, {if}, {include} for logic and layout
• Clean separation of logic and design
• Supports modifiers, custom functions, and plugins
• Caches compiled templates for performance
• Built-in security filters
• Widely used in legacy PHP apps and CMSs
• Integrates easily with MVC PHP frameworks
• Open-source under the LGPL

Try It Online #

Most easily tested via local PHP setup
Smarty examples and demos: https://www.smarty.net/

Fun Facts #

• One of the first PHP template engines to gain mainstream adoption.
• Still used in legacy systems and platforms like Prestashop and CMS Made Simple.
• Known for its balance of power, safety, and ease of use.

Resources #

Official site
Docs or tutorial
GitHub or interpreter
Community or learning resources