Comparison

This page compares CandidTemplate with popular templating engines like Twig and Blade.

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1. Overview

Feature	CandidTemplate	Blade (Laravel)	Twig
Approach	DOM-based	String / compiled	String / compiled
Syntax	Pure HTML + PHP API	Custom directives	Custom syntax
Learning Curve	Low (HTML-based)	Medium	Medium
Nested Layouts	✔ Native	✔	✔
Component System	Includes + Slots	Components	Includes
Loop Handling	DOM cloning	Template loops	Template loops
Vue Compatibility	✔ Safe	⚠ Needs care	⚠ Needs care
HTML Safety	✔ DOM enforced	⚠ string-based	⚠ string-based
Separation of Logic	✔ Data files	✔ Controllers	✔ Controllers

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2. Syntax Comparison

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CandidTemplate

$tpl->pick('title')->content('Hello');

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Blade

{{ $title }}

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Twig

{{ title }}

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3. Loop Comparison

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CandidTemplate

foreach ($users as $u) {
    $item = $tpl->addLoopItem('users');
    $item->pick('name')->content($u['name']);
}

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Blade

@foreach ($users as $u)
  {{ $u->name }}
@endforeach

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Twig

{% for u in users %}
  {{ u.name }}
{% endfor %}

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4. Layout Comparison

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CandidTemplate

<div data-slot="content"></div>

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Blade

@yield('content')

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Twig

{% block content %}{% endblock %}

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5. Key Differences

• CandidTemplate: Manipulates real DOM structure
• Blade/Twig: Generate HTML using string parsing

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6. When to Use Each

Use Case	Recommended Engine
Laravel app	Blade
Symfony app	Twig
Structured UI with Vue	CandidTemplate
Simple PHP templating	CandidTemplate

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7. Strengths of CandidTemplate

• ✔ Real DOM manipulation (no string hacks)
• ✔ Clean API (pick())
• ✔ Vue-safe rendering
• ✔ Nested layout system
• ✔ Separation via data files

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8. Limitations

• Requires valid HTML
• Not a full framework (like Laravel)
• DOM processing overhead

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9. Summary