DOC Document changes to template layer

en/00_Getting_Started/04_Directory_Structure.md

@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ We use `app/` as the default folder.
 | `app/_config`    | YAML configuration specific to your application                    |
 | `app/src`        | PHP code specific to your application (subdirectories are optional)     |
 | `app/tests`      | PHP unit/functional/end-to-end tests                                                      |
-| `app/templates`  | HTML [templates](/developer_guides/templates) with `*.ss-extension` for the `$default` theme   |
+| `app/templates`  | [templates](/developer_guides/templates) for the `$default` theme   |
 | `app/client/src` | Conventional directory for source resources (images/CSS/JavaScript) for your CMS customisations |
 | `app/client/dist` | Conventional directory for transpiled resources (images/CSS/JavaScript) for your CMS customisations |
 | `app/client/lang` | Conventional directory for [JavaScript translation tables](/developer_guides/i18n/#translation-tables-in-javascript) |

en/02_Developer_Guides/01_Templates/01_Syntax.md

@@ -6,8 +6,7 @@ icon: code
 
 # Template syntax
 
-A template can contain any markup language (e.g HTML, CSV, JSON, etc) and before being rendered to the user, they're
-processed through [SSViewer](api:SilverStripe\View\SSViewer). This process replaces placeholders such as `$Var` with real content from your
+A template can contain any markup language (e.g HTML, CSV, JSON, etc). The rendering process replaces placeholders such as `$Var` with real content from your
 model (see [Model and Databases](../model)) and allows you to use logic like `<% if $Var %>` in your templates.
 
 An example of a Silverstripe CMS template is below:
@@ -69,32 +68,33 @@ This will result in trying to fetch a `Title` property from the data being displ
 Variables can be chained together, and include arguments.
 
 ```ss
-$Foo(param)
+$Foo("param")
 $Foo.Bar
 ```
 
 These variables will call a method / field on the object and insert the returned value as a string into the template.
 
+Arguments don't have to be literals - you can pass template variables as arguments as well.
+
 > [!WARNING]
-> If you wish to pass arguments to getter functions, you must use the full method name. e.g. `$Thing` will try to access `Thing` as a property, which will ultimately result in `getThing()` being called with no arguments To pass arguments you must use `$getThing('param')`.
->
-> Also, arguments must be literals, and cannot be other template variables (`$getThing($variable)` will pass the literal string `'$variable'` to the `getThing()` method).
+> Arguments cannot be literal arrays (e.g `$myMethod(["val1", "val2"])`). The behaviour for this is currently undefined.
 
 - `$Foo("param")` will call `$obj->Foo("param")`
 - `$Foo.Bar` will call `$obj->Foo()->Bar`
+- `$Foo($Bar)` will call `$obj->Bar` and then pass the result into `$obj->Foo($result)`
 
 > [!NOTE]
-> Arguments passed into methods can be any non-array literal type (not just strings), e.g:
+> Arguments passed into methods can be almost any type (not just strings), e.g:
 >
 > - `$Foo(1)` will pass `1` as an int
 > - `$Foo(0.5)` will pass `0.5` as a float
 > - `$Foo(true)` will pass `true` as a boolean
 > - `$Foo(null)` will pass `null` as a null primitive
-> - `$Foo("param")`, `$Foo('param')`, and `$Foo(param)` will all pass `'param'` as a string. It is recommended that you always use quotes when passing a string for clarity
+> - `$Foo("param")`, `$Foo('param')`, and `$Foo(param)` will all pass `'param'` as a string. It is recommended that you always use quotes when passing a string for clarity and for future-proofing.
 
 If a variable returns a string, that string will be inserted into the template. If the variable returns an object, then
 the system will attempt to render the object through its `forTemplate()` method. If the `forTemplate()` method has not
-been defined, the system will return an error.
+been defined, the system will attempt to cast the object to a string.
 
 > [!NOTE]
 > For more details around how variables are inserted and formatted into a template see
@@ -111,8 +111,7 @@ use SilverStripe\ORM\DataObject;
 class MyObject extends DataObject
 {
     // ...
-
-    public function UsersIpAddress()
+    public function usersIpAddress()
     {
         return $this->getRequest()->getIP();
     }
@@ -125,10 +124,11 @@ class MyObject extends DataObject
 ```
 
 > [!NOTE]
-> Method names that begin with `get` will automatically be resolved when their prefix is excluded. For example, the above method call `$UsersIpAddress` would also invoke a method named `getUsersIpAddress()`.
+> Method names that begin with `get` will automatically be resolved when their prefix is excluded. For example, if the method `usersIpAddress()` didn't exist, the above reference to `$UsersIpAddress` would invoke a method named `getUsersIpAddress()`.
+> Note that a method with the exact name you're referencing will always be used if it exists.
 
 The variables that can be used in a template vary based on the object currently in scope (see [scope](#scope) below). Scope defines what
-object the methods get called on. For the standard `Page.ss` template the scope is the current [`ContentController`](api:SilverStripe\CMS\Controllers\ContentController)
+object the methods get called on. For the standard `Page.ss` template the scope is usually the current [`ContentController`](api:SilverStripe\CMS\Controllers\ContentController)
 object. This object provides access to all the public methods on that controller, as well as the public methods, relations, and database fields for its corresponding [`SiteTree`](api:SilverStripe\CMS\Model\SiteTree) record.
 
 ```ss
@@ -141,6 +141,12 @@ $SilverStripeNavigator
 $Content
 ```
 
+### Case sensitivity
+
+Just like in PHP, method names are case insensitive, but property names are case sensitive.
+
+Using `$MyValue` in a template will successfully call a `myValue()` method, or a `getMyValue()` method even though the case doesn't match what you used in the template. But it *will not* match a `myValue` property or database field because the case doesn't match.
+
 ## Conditional logic
 
 The simplest conditional block is to check for the presence of a value. This effectively works the same as [`isset()`](https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.isset.php) in PHP - i.e. if there is no variable available with that name, or the variable's value is `0`, `false`, or `null`, the condition will be false.
@@ -206,7 +212,7 @@ For more nuanced conditions you can use the `!=` operator.
 
 ### Boolean logic
 
-Multiple checks can be done using `||`/`or`, or `&&`/ `and`.
+Multiple checks can be done using `||`/`or`, or `&&`/`and`.
 
 > [!NOTE]
 > `or` is functionally equivalent to `||` in template conditions, and `and` is functionally equivalent to `&&`.
@@ -564,39 +570,24 @@ refer directly to properties and methods of the [`Member`](api:SilverStripe\Secu
 
 ### `fortemplate()` and `$Me` {#fortemplate}
 
-If you reference some `ModelData` object directly in a template, the `forTemplate()` method on that object will be called.
-This can be used to provide a default template for an object.
-
-```php
-// app/src/PageType/HomePage.php
-namespace App\PageType;
-
-use Page;
-
-class HomePage extends Page
-{
-    public function forTemplate(): string
-    {
-        // We can also render a template here using $this->renderWith()
-        return 'Page: ' . $this->Title;
-    }
-}
-```
+If you reference some object directly in a template, the `forTemplate()` method on that object will be called. This can be used to provide a default template for an object.
+If the `forTemplate()` method isn't implemented, the system will attempt to cast your object to a string.
+The default implementation of this method on `ModelData` renders the model using templates named after the class or its superclasses.
 
 ```ss
-<%-- calls forTemplate() on the first page in the list and prints Page: Home --%>
+<%-- calls forTemplate() on the first page in the list --%>
 $Pages->First
 ```
 
 You can also use the `$Me` variable, which outputs the current object in scope by calling `forTemplate()` on the object.
 This is especially helpful when you want to directly render items in a list you're looping over.
 
 > [!WARNING]
-> If the object does not have a `forTemplate()` method implemented, this will throw an error.
+> If the object does not have an appropriate template, implement the `forTemplate()` method, or implement [`__toString()`](https://www.php.net/manual/en/language.oop5.magic.php#object.tostring), this will throw an error.
 
 ```ss
 <% loop $Pages %>
-    <%-- calls forTemplate() on the current object in scope and prints Page: Home --%>
+    <%-- calls forTemplate() on the current object in scope --%>
     $Me
 <% end_loop %>
 ```

en/02_Developer_Guides/01_Templates/02_Common_Variables.md

@@ -36,11 +36,11 @@ have a read of the [Formatting, Modifying and Casting Variables](casting) docume
 </head>
 ```
 
-The `<% base_tag %>` placeholder is replaced with the HTML base element. Relative links within a document (such as
+The `<% base_tag %>` placeholder is replaced with the HTML `<base>` element. Relative links within a document (such as
 `<img src="someimage.jpg" alt="">`) will become relative to the URI specified in the base tag. This ensures the
 browser knows where to locate your site’s images and CSS files.
 
-It renders in the template as `<base href="https://www.example.com" /><!--[if lte IE 6]></base><![endif]-->`
+It renders in the template as `<base href="https://www.example.com/">`
 
 > [!CAUTION]
 > A `<% base_tag %>` is nearly always required or assumed by Silverstripe CMS to exist.
@@ -117,20 +117,20 @@ on a per-page basis.
 
 By default `$MetaTags` renders (assuming 5.1.0 is the current version of `silverstripe/framework`):
 
-```ss
+```html
 <title>Title of the Page</title>
 <meta name="generator" content="Silverstripe CMS 5.1">
 <meta http-equiv="Content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
 ```
 
 `$MetaTags(false)` will render
 
-```ss
+```html
 <meta name="generator" content="Silverstripe CMS 5.1">
 <meta http-equiv="Content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
 ```
 
-If using `$MetaTags(false)` we can provide a more custom `title`.
+If using `$MetaTags(false)` we can provide a custom `<title> tag`.
 
 ```ss
 $MetaTags(false)

en/02_Developer_Guides/01_Templates/03_Requirements.md

@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ Also see [Direct resource urls](#direct-resource-urls) below if you need to incl
 ## PHP requirements API
 
 It is common practice to include most Requirements either in the `init()` method of your [controller](../controllers/), or
-as close to rendering as possible (e.g. in [FormField](api:SilverStripe\Forms\FormField)).
+as close to rendering as possible (e.g. in [`FormField::Field()`](api:SilverStripe\Forms\FormField::Field())).
 
 ```php
 namespace App\Control;
@@ -451,7 +451,7 @@ If you want to get a resource for a *specific* theme or from somewhere that is n
 ```
 
 > [!TIP]
-> Notice the `vendor/module:some/path/to/file.jpg` syntax (used to get a resource from a specific module) is only valid for the `$resourceURL()` helper method. It won't work for `themedResourceURL()`.
+> Notice the `vendor/module:some/path/to/file.jpg` syntax (used to get a resource from a specific module) is only valid for the `$resourceURL()` helper method. It won't work for `$themedResourceURL()`.
 
 ### Resource URLs or filepaths from a PHP context
 

en/02_Developer_Guides/01_Templates/04_Rendering_Templates.md

@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ icon: code
 
 # Rendering data to a template
 
+> [!NOTE]
+> The template syntax, file extensions, and specifics about which templates are chosen from a set as described on this page are specific to the default [`SSTemplateEngine`](api:SilverStripe\View\SSTemplateEngine) - but many of the concepts here (especially the PHP code) should work with any template engine you choose to use.
+
 Templates do nothing on their own. Rather, they are used to generate markup - most typically they are used to generate HTML markup, using variables from some `ModelData` object.
 All of the `<% if %>`, `<% loop %>` and other variables are methods or parameters that are called on the current object in
 scope (see [scope](syntax#scope) in the syntax section).
@@ -19,6 +22,9 @@ The following will render the given data into a template. Given the template:
 
 Our application code can render into that view using the [`renderWith()`](api:SilverStripe\Model\ModelData) method provided by `ModelData`. Call this method on any instance of `ModelData` or its subclasses, passing in a template name or an array of templates to render.
 
+> [!IMPORTANT]
+> Don't include the `.ss` file extension when referencing templates.
+
 ```php
 namespace App\Model;
 
@@ -44,6 +50,11 @@ class MyModel extends DataObject
 
 If you want to render an arbitrary template into the `$Layout` section of a page, you need to render your layout template and pass that as the `Layout` parameter to the Page template.
 
+These examples assume you have moved the `templates/Coach_Message.ss` template file to `templates/Layout/Coach_Message.ss`
+
+> [!WARNING]
+> While a lot of the concepts on this page apply for any template engine, the `$Layout` functionality is specific to the default [`SSTemplateEngine`](api:SilverStripe\View\SSTemplateEngine).
+
 ```php
 namespace App\Model;
 
@@ -71,7 +82,6 @@ class MyModel extends DataObject
 In this case it may be better to use an *implicit* `Layout` type template, and rely on template inheritance to figure out which templates to use.
 
 ```php
-// This assumes you have moved the Coach_Message template to `templates/Layout/Coach_Message.ss`
 $this->customise($data)->renderWith(['Coach_Message', 'Page']);
 ```
 
@@ -157,16 +167,15 @@ class MyPageController extends PageController
 
 ## Rendering arbitrary data in templates
 
-Any data you want to render into the template that does not extend `ModelData` should be wrapped in an object that
-does, such as `ArrayData` or `ArrayList`.
+While `ModelData` has some methods on it you may find useful for reprensenting complex data, you should be able to use just about anything as a model in a template.
+
+To actually render the data, you can use the `customise()` method to add your arbitrary data on top of an existing model:
 
 ```php
 namespace App\PageType;
 
 use PageController;
 use SilverStripe\Control\Director;
-use SilverStripe\Model\ArrayData;
-use SilverStripe\Model\List\ArrayList;
 
 class MyPageController extends PageController
 {
@@ -178,14 +187,14 @@ class MyPageController extends PageController
             return $this->customise([
                 'Name' => 'John',
                 'Role' => 'Head Coach',
-                'Experience' => ArrayList::create([
-                    ArrayData::create([
+                'Experience' => [
+                    [
                         'Title' => 'First Job',
-                    ])
-                    ArrayData::create([
+                    ],
+                    [
                         'Title' => 'Second Job',
-                    ]),
-                ]),
+                    ],
+                ],
             ])->renderWith('AjaxTemplate');
         } else {
             return $this->httpError(400);
@@ -194,5 +203,62 @@ class MyPageController extends PageController
 }
 ```
 
-> [!WARNING]
-> A common mistake is trying to loop over an array directly in a template - this won't work. You'll need to wrap the array in some `ModelData` instance as mentioned above.
+Or wrap the data in a `ModelData` subclass such as `ArrayList`:
+
+```php
+namespace App\PageType;
+
+use PageController;
+use SilverStripe\Model\ArrayData;
+
+class MyPageController extends PageController
+{
+    // ...
+
+    public function getMyRenderedData()
+    {
+        return ArrayData::create([
+            'Name' => 'John',
+            'Role' => 'Head Coach',
+            'Experience' => [
+                [
+                    'Title' => 'First Job',
+                ],
+                [
+                    'Title' => 'Second Job',
+                ],
+            ],
+        ])->renderWith('MyTemplate');
+    }
+}
+```
+
+Or you can hand the data to `SSViewer` directly:
+
+```php
+namespace App\PageType;
+
+use PageController;
+use SilverStripe\View\SSViewer;
+
+class MyPageController extends PageController
+{
+    // ...
+
+    public function getMyRenderedData()
+    {
+        return SSViewer::create('MyTemplate')->process([
+            'Name' => 'John',
+            'Role' => 'Head Coach',
+            'Experience' => [
+                [
+                    'Title' => 'First Job',
+                ],
+                [
+                    'Title' => 'Second Job',
+                ],
+            ],
+        ]);
+    }
+}
+```

en/02_Developer_Guides/01_Templates/05_Template_Inheritance.md

@@ -103,21 +103,6 @@ to determine resolution priority. This search is based on the following three co
    the module author, and does not normally need to be customised. This includes the `$project` and
    `$other_modules` placeholder values.
 
-### ThemeResourceLoader
-
-The resolution of themes is performed by a [ThemeResourceLoader](api:SilverStripe\View\ThemeResourceLoader)
-instance, which resolves a template (or list of templates) and a set of themes to a system template path.
-
-For each path the loader will search in this order:
-
-- Loop through each theme which is configured.
-- If a theme is a set (declared with the `$` prefix, e.g. `$default`) it will perform a nested search within
-   that set.
-- When searching the `$default` set, all modules will be searched in the order declared via the `module_priority`
-   config, interpolating keys `$project` and `$other_modules` as necessary. By default, your project's templates should
-   be checked before any vendor modules.
-- When the first template is found, it will be immediately returned, and will not continue to search.
-
 ### Declaring themes
 
 All themes can be enabled and sorted via the `SilverStripe\View\SSViewer.themes` config value. For reference