From: James Edward Gray II <james@...>
Date: 2005-09-27T06:49:34+09:00
Subject: Re: Embedded Ruby and Tag Libs

On Sep 26, 2005, at 4:25 PM, Adam Van Den Hoven wrote:

> I tend to build a site once then provide a style guide and show  
> them how to update their content. There is no way I'm going to be  
> able to document for my client the mechanic how to create a table  
> on some arbitrary page using the code you have below.

I bet you could use ERb and some helper methods to great affect for  
something like this.

> Its a lot simpler, IMHO, if I just told them to write the following:
>
> <x:photo imghref="someurl">
>     <x:title>Fishermen at the <a href="/steveston.rsp">Steveston  
> docs</a>, circa 1843</x:title>
>     <x:caption><p>Yadda yadda yadda.</p><p>Blah blah blah</p></ 
> x:caption>
>     <x:cite photographer="James Tyson" publication="Steveston  
> Chronicle" year="1983" />
> </x:photo>
>
> I can then write my markup from that.

An example of what I'm thinking:

<%= photo :imgref       => "someurl",
           :title        => "Fishermen at the...",
           :caption      => "<p>Yadda yadda yadda...",
           :photographer => "James Tyson",
           :publication  => "Steveston Chronicle",
           :year         => 1983 %>

That's trivial to implement as a simple Ruby method call where you  
will have the full language at your command to build up whatever  
return value you need.

Just a thought.

James Edward Gray II