NAME

Data::Template - Generate data structures from templates

SYNOPSIS

    use Data::Template;

    $dt = Data::Template->new();
    $tt = {
        who => 'me',
        to => '${a}',
        subject => 'Important - trust me',
        body => <<'BODY',
    
            When I was ${b}, I realized that
            I had not ${c}. Do you?
    BODY
    };
    $data = $dt->process($tt, { a => 'someone', b => 'somewhere', c => '100$' });

DESCRIPTION

Templates usually convert text templates to text. This module goes further by converting data structure templates to data structures.

Beyond that, nothing new. I am lazy and the Template Toolkit is here today - so I use it.

The current implementation handles hash refs, array refs and non-ref scalars (strings). The processing rules are:

(outdated) Each non-ref scalar starting with '=' is processed as a template.
(outdated) Other non-ref scalars are left as they are. Except, those starting with '\=' for which s/^\\=/=/ is done (a way to have strings starting with '=').
Array refs have their elements recursively processed.
Hash refs have keys processed as non-ref scalars and values recursively processed.

(The implementation so far is so naïve that causes laughs. But laughing may be good.)