In Drupal, Twig is a templating engine used for rendering and displaying the frontend of a website. It provides a flexible and secure way to separate the presentation layer from the business logic of a Drupal theme. Twig templates are written in a syntax that is both easy to read and write. Here are the key aspects of Twig in Drupal:
1. Syntax:
– Twig templates use a simple and intuitive syntax that is easy to understand and work with.
– Twig uses double curly braces (``) to output variables and expressions, and percent signs (``) for control structures like loops and conditionals.
– The syntax helps to maintain a clear separation between HTML markup and dynamic data.
2. Template Inheritance:
– Twig supports template inheritance, which allows you to define a base template and extend or override specific blocks within it.
– This enables the creation of reusable templates and promotes the DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle.
– Child templates can override blocks defined in parent templates, providing flexibility and modularity in template design.
3. Variables and Filters:
– Twig templates can access and manipulate variables passed from Drupal's theme system or custom code.
– Variables can be filtered and modified using Twig's built-in filters, such as date formatting, string manipulation, and number formatting.
– Filters provide a convenient way to transform and format data directly within the template.
4. Control Structures:
– Twig provides control structures like loops and conditionals, allowing you to iterate over lists, check conditions, and execute different code based on certain criteria.
– Loops, such as `for` and `foreach`, help in iterating through arrays and lists of data.
– Conditional statements like `if`, `else`, and `elseif` enable you to execute specific code blocks based on different conditions.
5. Functions and Extensions:
– Twig allows the use of custom functions and extensions to extend its capabilities.
– Drupal provides a set of built-in functions and filters specific to Drupal's theme system, such as rendering fields, displaying menus, and formatting dates.
– Modules and themes can define their own Twig functions and filters to enhance the functionality of their templates.
6. Security:
– Twig has built-in security features that help protect against common vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.
– Twig automatically escapes output by default, ensuring that user-submitted data is properly sanitized and displayed safely in templates.
– However, Twig also provides mechanisms to selectively disable or enable escaping when necessary.
7. Debugging:
– Twig includes debugging tools that assist in template development and troubleshooting.
– Developers can enable Twig's debugging mode to gain access to additional information about the template rendering process, including variable values and template paths.
Twig simplifies the process of creating and maintaining Drupal theme templates by providing a clear separation of concerns between markup and dynamic data. It offers a user-friendly syntax, template inheritance, and a range of powerful features to handle variables, control structures, and filters. By leveraging Twig in Drupal, developers can create flexible and reusable templates that enhance the visual presentation of their websites.