1. Introduction

Blockie is a lightweight, fast, universal and easy to use low-level Python-based template engine. It was developed as an expandable solution with uncluttered templates for the generation of any type of text-based content, including a standard text, markup language, source code, and various data files.

Blockie uses simple logicless templates consisting of two types of elements: variables and blocks. In most cases, the logic of filling the template can be driven by the input data structure and values. No custom script-like statements are needed. However, an additional logic can be implemented directly in the Python script running the template filling process.

1.1. Installation

The Blockie package can be installed from the Python Package Index using the pip console command:

> pip install blockie

1.2. Quickstart

The content generation follows the sequence below:

template + input data -> Python filling script -> generated content

In the simplest form, the user-defined Python filling script can be a set of just three commands illustrated in the example below that shows the most important principles of the data-driven template filling used by Blockie for the input data provided in form of an appropriately structured Python dictionary or a struct-like object.

import blockie

template = """
                SHOPPING LIST
  Items                             Quantity
--------------------------------------------
<ITEMS>
* <ITEM><+>                         <QTY><UNIT> kg<^UNIT> l</UNIT>
</ITEMS>

Short list: <ITEMS><ITEM><.>, <^.></.></ITEMS>
"""

data = {
    "items": [
        {"item": "potatoes", "qty": 2, "unit": 0},
        {"item": "rice", "qty": 1, "unit": 0},
        {"item": "orange juice", "qty": 1, "unit": 1},
        {"item": "cooking magazine", "qty": None, "unit": None},
    ]
}

# User-defined template filling script:
blk = blockie.Block(template)   # 1. Create the primary block and load its template.
blk.fill(data)                  # 2. Fill the template blocks and variables with data values.
print(blk.content)              # 3. Get the generated content from the primary block.

Output:

                SHOPPING LIST
  Items                             Quantity
--------------------------------------------
* potatoes                          2 kg
* rice                              1 kg
* orange juice                      1 l
* cooking magazine

Short list: potatoes, rice, orange juice, cooking magazine

Any required additional template filling logic can be implemented within the Python script either by restructuring the original input data and/or using the low-level manual filling functions provided by the Blockie module to precisely control the content generation. The script can also configure a different format of template tags.