Storemorph

Built into the MivaScript language is a "page template" compiler that can be used to build web pages with a subset of the full Miva Script language. This compiler within a compiler is accessed through the function miva_template_compile(). This commands forms the basis of the page template system used in Miva Merchant called Store Morph Technology.

Page Templates

A page template is simply an html web page that contains language elements allowing a single template to form the basis for many different web pages. When compiled, the template will render much faster than similer systems that use an interpreted language like.

The template system contains a subset of the Miva Script Mv tags and follows most of the same rules regarding variables, expressions, operators, and use of built in language functions.

Template language.

Language statements

  • assign Executes an expression and saves the results to a variable.
  • comment Allows the addition of notes or block lines of code from compilation and execution.
  • eval Executes an expression and outputs the results directly to the page.
  • do Provides access to functions contained within external compiled Miva Script .mvc files.
  • call Uses the HTTP/1.1 protocol to emulate a browser and contact a remote or local host, posting or retreiving data.

Conditional expressions

  • if Use if to specify a block of code to be executed, if a specified condition is true
  • else Use else to specify a block of code to be executed, if the same condition is false.
  • else if Use elseif to specify a new condition to test, if the first condition is false.

Operators

  • Operators Use these to build expressions and are the same as Miva Script. They include operators for arithmetic, comparison, logic, text/string, and bitwise operations, Use conditional operators in if, else and endif expressions.

Loops

  • foreach Loops or iterates through each record in an array structure, providing each record for processing.
  • while While loops can execute a block of code as long as a specified condition is true.

Language Elements

Syntax Assign 
<mvt:assign name="variable" value="expression, string, variable, function(), or number" />
Executes the expression contained within value and saves that value to the variable defined in the name attribute.
  • name = any valid variable name prefixed with g. (global) l. (local) or l.settings: (a template structure)
  • value = The value can either be an expression, a string, a number, variable or used in combination as shown below
  • literal stings  = contained with single quotes (e.g. 'Bob ' $ 'White' )
  • numbers = a number or numeric expression (e.g. 2 * g.quantity)

There are some differences with the MvAssign tag. It does not support INDEX or MEMBER attributes and the name variable can NOT be an array with a variable as an index. This will fail. name="l.settings:products[ g.index ]:code"

See related: MvASSIGN.
See examples: mvt:assign.

Syntax Comment 
<mvt:comment> Your comment here. </mvt:comment>
Allows the addition of program notes and block lines of code from compilation and execution. Comments are always ended with a closing comment tag and can span a single or multiple lines. Comments can not be nested.

See related: Comments.

Syntax Call 
<mvt:call action = "expression | 'literal'"
    method = "'GET|POST|HEAD|XML|RAW|OPTIONS|PUT|DELETE|TRACE|CONNECT'"
    content-type = "expression | 'literal'"
    fields = " expression | 'variable list'"
    files = " expression | 'literal'"
    certfile = "expression | 'literal'"
    certtype = "expression | 'literal'"
    certpass = "expression | 'literal'"
    timeout = "expression | 'literal'"
    headers = "expression | 'literal'">

    <mvt:callstop />
    <mvt:callcontinue /> 
</mvt:call>

This example loads content from an external website and displays it on the page. 

<mvt:call ACTION="'http://www.content_server.com/incude/X_Files_Cast.html'" METHOD="'GET'">
    <mvt:eval expr= "s.callvalue " />
</mvt:call>

Uses the HTTP/1.1 protocol to emulate a browser and contact (i.e. Call) a remote or local host. HTML, XML, JSON and other pages can be requested from or posted to the remote URI. Page data is returned one tag at a time inside the loop.

Due to the number of attributes a available methods, it's best to refer to the Miva Script documentation for a complete guide to this command.

See related: MvCALL.
See examples: mvt:call.

Syntax Do 
<mvt:do file="'/path/filename.mvc" name="return_variable" value="function(param1, param2)" />
Provides access to call native MivaScript functions inside compiled .mvc files. This allows access to any built in function.
  • file = The path and filename of a compile .mvc file that contains the function.
  • name = The name of the variable that will hold the returned function result.
  • value = The named function to be executed and parameters it accepts.

See related: MvDO.
See examples: mvt:do.

Syntax Eval 
<mvt:eval expr="expression, variable, function(), string, or number" />
Executes the expression contained within expr attribute and outputs the expression's value directly to the page.
  • expr = This can either be an expression, function(), variable, string, a number, or a combination.

See related: MvEVAL.
See examples: mvt:eval.

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