Design templates, perhaps the most important function of a Web content-management system, is an old idea that we often revisit and revise as Web production technology evolves. You probably already know that templates basically separate design from page content. This division eases the content update process while maintaining a standard appearance across all pages on the site. Modern template systems must also deal with separating program logic (source code) from both presentation and content. It's difficult to discuss template function separately from other functional areas of content management, because many such functions go hand in hand. For example, commercial packages often implement repositories capable of holding both design templates and page content. Nevertheless, I'll describe some template-only mechanisms for those of you looking to solve specific problems.
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