Aurora | Control Structures

Control Structures in the Template Engine

`if`, `else if`, `else`

The `if`, `else if`, `else` control structures in the template engine provide a powerful way to control the flow of rendering based on conditions. This flexibility is key in creating dynamic templates that respond to varying data conditions.

if: This is the primary conditional statement. It evaluates an expression, and if the expression is true, the code within the {if}...{/if} block is executed. For example, {if $a == $b} checks if $a is equal to $b.
else if: This offers an alternate condition to if. It is evaluated only if the preceding `if` (or another else if) condition fails. It allows for multiple conditional checks within the same `if` structure.
else: This acts as the default block of code that executes when none of the preceding if or else if conditions are met. It’s a catch-all for scenarios where all other conditions are false.


    {layout}
        {$a = "1"}
        {$b = "1"}
        {$c = "2"}

        {if $a == $b}
            $a is equal to $b
        {else if $a == $c}
            $a is equal to $c
        {else}
            $a is not equal to $b nor $c
        {/if}
    {/layout}

The proper closure of these blocks with {/if} is crucial for the correct functioning of the template logic.

Foreach

foreach in this template engine is especially useful for iterating over arrays and objects. It's used to loop through each element in a collection, rendering HTML or other template code for each item.

The syntax {foreach $array as $key => $value} loops through the array $array. For each iteration, the current element's key and value are assigned to $key and $value, respectively.
This structure is ideal for displaying items in lists, tables, or any repeating pattern. It simplifies the task of rendering complex data structures into user-friendly formats.
Closing the loop with {/foreach} is necessary to define the end of the iteration block.


    {layout}
        {$arr = [0 => "A", 1 => "B", 2 => "C"]}

        <ul>
        {foreach $arr as $key => $value}
            <li>Key: {$key} Value: {$value}</li>
        {/foreach}
        </ul>
    {/layout}

In summary, these control structures bring logical and iterative processing capabilities into the templating engine, akin to standard PHP, but with a syntax that is streamlined for template design. They play a vital role in building templates that are both dynamic and efficient in responding to different data scenarios