For more information see the Templating Documentation. Goals:

• Separate program logic from presentation.

• It should be possible for site designers (HTML people) to work on the presentation layer in terms that make sense to them, and with the possibility of using WYSIWYG tools like dreamweaver.

• The intention is that all pages in the system be generated using the templating system. Therefore it must be efficient.

• Forms should be templated, and by default should present the user a standard look and feel (including error message handling). It should be possible to change the look and feel of all forms in a given OpenACS website by rewriting a handful of standard form templates.

• It should be possible to build tables and other complex HTML structures using standard templates and tools. As with forms, this will lead to a standard look-and-feel throughout the system.