HTML generator script (in Ruby) - what do yout think about it?

g0ju · 2009-09-21 21:39:31

Hi folks,

since I have a lot of time recently, I decided to create a little (non-dynamic) website with HTML and CSS.
So, when I began writing I noticed that there is a lot of "typing overhead" what really went on my nerves.
Be it as this may... I was thinking about how I could shorten the whole process of writing HTML-code.

I began writing a little ruby-script, wich reads a HTML file line by line, searches for a certain pattern, interprets this pattern and generates HTML-code out of it.
I hope you get what I mean. Here is the code (it's still experimental... )

# Command class - contains the "template"-code
class Commands
  
  # generate a list
  def Commands.list(args)
    s = "<ul>\n"
    args.each { |arg| s += "<li>#{arg}</li>\n" }
    s += "</ul>\n"
  end

  # generate a headline
  def Commands.h2 (args)
    "<h2>#{args.join(" ")}</h2>"
  end

  # generate an image
  def Commands.img(args)
    "<img src='#{args[0]}' width='#{args[1]}' height='#{args[2]}'/>"
  end
end


# Searches for pattern and executes them
def execute_rubyfoo(content)
  content = content.map { |line| line.strip }
  new_content = content
  success = 0
  errors = 0

  puts "Generating..."

  new_content.each_with_index { |line, i|
    # line matches pattern
    if line =~ /^\$\$\s*rfoo.*/
      command = new_content[i].sub(/\$\$rfoo\s*/, "")
      command = command.sub(/\s*\$\$/, "")
      command = command.split(" ")
      
      begin
        method = Commands.method(command[0])
        new_content[i] = method.call command[1..-1]
        success += 1
      rescue NameError => e
        puts "--> Line #{i + 1}: Command not found: #{command[0]}"
        errors += 1
      end
    end
  }

  puts "\n---"
  puts "Finished: #{success} successfully, #{errors} errors."
  new_content
end


file = File.new("foo.html", "r+")
new_content = execute_rubyfoo(file.readlines)
file.close

new_file = File.new("foo.html.bla", "w+")
new_file.puts new_content
new_file.close

An example HTML-file could look like that:

<html>
    <body>
        <h1>Hallo</h1>
        $$rfoo list 1 2 3 4 5$$
        $$rfoo h2$$
        $$rfoo img bla.png 100 100$$
    </body>
</html>

And a generated HTML-file like that:

<html>
<body>
<h1>Hallo</h1>
<ul>
<li>1</li>
<li>2</li>
<li>3</li>
<li>4</li>
<li>5</li>
</ul>
<h2>foo</h2>
<img src='bla.png' width='100' height='100'/>
</body>
</html>

So, now what I want to know is:
What do you think about this idea in general and the way I implemented it? Is there already something like that?

Thanks,
g0ju

myrkiada · 2009-09-21 21:44:48

I don't know any Ruby so I cannot comment on your approach, but for the last question, there is Nanoc which does the same thing I believe.

Last edited by myrkiada (2009-09-21 21:49:42)

firecat53 · 2009-09-21 22:11:34

Also txt2tags...pretty similar.

g0ju · 2009-09-22 08:53:31

Ah, I suspected it... like many times before somebody already did it.
Nonetheless it was a nice practice. Thanks for the links.

hbekel · 2009-09-22 09:02:23

ERB is even part of the standard ruby libraries. See the Notes for other alternatives.

I have to admit that I'm guilty of reinventing that wheel, too

Last edited by hbekel (2009-09-22 09:04:57)

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#1 2009-09-21 21:39:31

HTML generator script (in Ruby) - what do yout think about it?

#2 2009-09-21 21:44:48

Re: HTML generator script (in Ruby) - what do yout think about it?

#3 2009-09-21 22:11:34

Re: HTML generator script (in Ruby) - what do yout think about it?

#4 2009-09-22 08:53:31

Re: HTML generator script (in Ruby) - what do yout think about it?

#5 2009-09-22 09:02:23

Re: HTML generator script (in Ruby) - what do yout think about it?

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