Volt: Template Engine¶

Overview¶

Volt is an ultra-fast and designer-friendly templating engine written in C for PHP. It offers a set of helpers to write views easily. Volt is highly integrated with other components of Phalcon but can be used as a stand-alone component in your application.

Volt is inspired by Jinja, originally created by Armin Ronacher.

Many developers will be in familiar territory, using the same syntax they have been using with similar template engines. Volt's syntax and features have been enhanced with more elements and of course with the performance that developers have been accustomed to while working with Phalcon.

Syntax¶

Volt views are compiled to pure PHP code, so basically they save the effort of writing PHP code manually:

{% for invoice in invoices %}
<div class='row'>
    <div>
        ID: {{ invoice.inv_id }}
    </div>
    <div>
        {%- if 1 === invoice.inv_status_flag -%}
        Paid
        {%- else -%}
        Unpaid
        {%- endif -%}
    </div>
    <div>
        {{ invoice.inv_description }}
    </div>
    <div>
        {{ invoice.inv_total }}
    </div>
</div>
{% endfor %}

compared to:

<?php foreach ($invoices as $invoice) { ?>
<div class='row'>
    <div>
        ID: <?= $invoice->inv_id; ?>
    </div>
    <div>
        <?php if (1 === $invoice->inv_status_flag) { ?>
        Paid
        <?php } else { ?>
        Unpaid
        <?php } ?>
    </div>
    <div>
        <?= $invoice->inv_description; ?>
    </div>
    <div>
        <?= $invoice->total; ?>
    </div>
</div>
<?php } ?>

Constructor¶

public function __construct(
    ViewBaseInterface $view, 
    DiInterface $container = null
)

The constructor accepts a Phalcon\Mvc\View or any component that implements the ViewBaseInterface, and a DI container.

Methods¶

There are several methods available in Volt. In most cases, only a handful of them are used in modern-day applications.

callMacro(string $name, array $arguments = []): mixed

Checks if a macro is defined and calls it

convertEncoding(string $text, string $from, string $to): string

Performs a string conversion

getCompiler(): Compiler

Returns the Volt's compiler

getContent(): string

Returns cached output on another view stage

getOptions(): array

Return Volt's options

getView(): ViewBaseInterface

Returns the view component related to the adapter

isIncluded(mixed $needle, mixed $haystack): bool

Check if the needle is included in the haystack

length(mixed $item): int

Length filter. If an array/object is passed a count is performed otherwise a strlen/mb_strlen

partial(string $partialPath, mixed $params = null): string

Renders a partial inside another view

render(string $templatePath, mixed $params, bool $mustClean = false)

Renders a view using the template engine

setOptions(array $options)

Set Volt's options

slice(mixed $value, int $start = 0, mixed $end = null)

Extracts a slice from a string/array/traversable object value

sort(array $value): array

Sorts an array

Activation¶

As with other templating engines, you may register Volt in the view component, using a new extension or reusing the standard .phtml:

<?php

use Phalcon\Di\FactoryDefault;
use Phalcon\Di\DiInterface;
use Phalcon\Mvc\ViewBaseInterface;
use Phalcon\Mvc\View;
use Phalcon\Mvc\View\Engine\Volt;

$container = new FactoryDefault();

$container->setShared(
    'voltService',
    function (ViewBaseInterface $view) use ($container) {
        $volt = new Volt($view, $container);
        $volt->setOptions(
            [
                'always'    => true,
                'extension' => '.php',
                'separator' => '_',
                'stat'      => true,
                'path'      => appPath('storage/cache/volt/'),
                'prefix'    => '-prefix-',
            ]
        );

        return $volt;
    }
);

$container->set(
    'view',
    function () {
        $view = new View();

        $view->setViewsDir('../app/views/');

        $view->registerEngines(
            [
                '.volt' => 'voltService',
            ]
        );

        return $view;
    }
);

To use the standard .phtml extension:

<?php

$view->registerEngines(
    [
        '.phtml' => 'voltService',
    ]
);

You don't have to specify the Volt Service in the DI; you can also use the Volt engine with the default settings:

<?php

use Phalcon\Mvc\View\Engine\Volt;


$view->registerEngines(
    [
        '.volt' => Volt::class,
    ]
);

If you do not want to reuse Volt as a service, you can pass an anonymous function to register the engine instead of a service name:

<?php

use Phalcon\Di\FactoryDefault;
use Phalcon\Di\DiInterface;
use Phalcon\Mvc\ViewBaseInterface;
use Phalcon\Mvc\View;
use Phalcon\Mvc\View\Engine\Volt;

$container = new FactoryDefault();

$container->set(
    'view',
    function () {
        $view = new View();

        $view->setViewsDir('../app/views/');
        $view->registerEngines(
            [
                '.volt' => function (ViewBaseInterface $view) {
                    $volt = new Volt($view, $this);

                    $volt->setOptions(
                        [
                            'always'    => true,
                            'extension' => '.php',
                            'separator' => '_',
                            'stat'      => true,
                            'path'      => appPath('storage/cache/volt/'),
                            'prefix'    => '-prefix-',
                        ]
                    );

                    return $volt;
                }
            ]
        );

        return $view;
    }
);

The following options are available in Volt:

Option	Default	Description
`autoescape`	`false`	Enables autoescape HTML globally
`always`	`false`	Whether templates must be compiled in each request or when they change
`extension`	`.php`	An additional extension appended to the compiled PHP file
`path`	`./`	A writeable path where the compiled PHP templates will be placed
`separator`	`%%`	Replace directory separators `/` and `\` with this separator in order to create a single file in the compiled directory
`prefix`	`null`	Prepend a prefix to the templates in the compilation path
`stat`	`true`	Whether Phalcon must check if there are differences between the template file and its compiled path

The compilation path is generated according to the options above. You, however, have total freedom in defining the compilation path as an anonymous function, including the logic used to generate it. The anonymous function receives the relative path to the template in the predefined views directory.

Appending extensions

Append the .php extension to the template path, leaving the compiled templates in the same directory:

<?php

$volt->setOptions(
    [
        'path' => function ($templatePath) {
            return $templatePath . '.php';
        }
    ]
);

Different directories

The following example will create the same structure in a different directory

<?php

$volt->setOptions(
    [
        'path' => function (string $templatePath) {
            $dirName = dirname($templatePath);

            if (true !== is_dir('cache/' . $dirName)) {
                mkdir(
                    'cache/' . $dirName,
                    0777,
                    true
                );
            }

            return 'cache/' . $dirName . '/' . $templatePath . '.php';
        }
    ]
);

Usage¶

Volt uses specific delimiters for its syntax. {%- raw -%}{% ... %} is used to execute statements such as for-loops or assign values and {%- raw -%}{{ ... }} prints the result of an expression to the template. The view files can also contain PHP and HTML should you choose to.

Below is a sample template that illustrates a few basics:

{%- raw -%}
{# app/views/posts/show.phtml #}
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <head>
        <title>{{ title }} - An example blog</title>
    </head>
    <body>
        {% if true === showNavigation %}
        <ul id='navigation'>
            {% for item in menu %}
                <li>
                    <a href='{{ item.href }}'>
                        {{ item.caption }}
                    </a>
                </li>
            {% endfor %}
        </ul>
        {% endif %}

        <h1>{{ post.title }}</h1>

        <div class='content'>
            {{ post.content }}
        </div>

    </body>
</html>

Using Phalcon\Mvc\View you can pass variables from the controller to the views. In the above example, four variables were passed to the view: showNavigation, menu, title, and post:

<?php

use MyApp\Models\Menu;
use MyApp\Models\Post;
use Phalcon\Mvc\Controller;
use Phalcon\Mvc\View;

/**
 * @property View $view
 */
class PostsController extends Controller
{
    public function showAction()
    {
        $post = Post::findFirst();
        $menu = Menu::findFirst();

        $this->view->showNavigation = true;
        $this->view->menu           = $menu;
        $this->view->title          = $post->title;
        $this->view->post           = $post;

        // Or...

        $this->view->setVar('showNavigation', true);
        $this->view->setVar('menu',           $menu);
        $this->view->setVar('title',          $post->title);
        $this->view->setVar('post',           $post);
    }
}

NOTE

The placeholders for Volt {{, }}, {%, and %} cannot be changed or set.

Vue.js¶

If you are using Vue you will need to change the interpolators in Vue itself:

new Vue(
    {
        el: '#app',
        data: data,
        delimiters: ["<%","%>"]
    }
);

Angular¶

If you are using Angular you can set the interpolators as follows:

  var myApp = angular.module('myApp', []);

  myApp.config(
    function ($interpolateProvider) {
        $interpolateProvider.startSymbol('<%');
        $interpolateProvider.endSymbol('%>');
    }
);

Variables¶

Object variables may have attributes that can be accessed using the syntax: foo.bar. If you are passing arrays, you have to use the square bracket syntax: foo['bar']

{%- raw -%}
{{ post.title }} {# for $post->title #}
{{ post['title'] }} {# for $post['title'] #}

Filters¶

Variables can be formatted or modified using filters. The pipe operator | is used to apply filters to variables:

{%- raw -%}
{{ post.title | e }}
{{ post.content | striptags }}
{{ name | capitalize | trim }}

The available built-in filters are:

Filter	Description
`abs`	Applies the `abs` PHP function to a value.
`capitalize`	Capitalizes a string by applying the `ucwords` PHP function to the value
`convert_encoding`	Converts a string from one charset to another
`default`	Sets a default value in case the evaluated expression is empty, not set, or evaluates to falsy value
`e`	Applies `Phalcon\Html\Escaper->html()` to the value
`escape`	Applies `Phalcon\Html\Escaper->html()` to the value
`escape_attr`	Applies `Phalcon\Html\Escaper->attributes()` to the value
`escape_css`	Applies `Phalcon\Html\Escaper->css()` to the value
`escape_js`	Applies `Phalcon\Html\Escaper->js()` to the value
`format`	Formats a string using `sprintf`
`json_encode`	Converts a value into its JSON representation
`json_decode`	Converts a value from its JSON representation to a PHP representation
`join`	Joins the array parts using a separator `join`
`keys`	Returns the array keys using `array_keys`
`left_trim`	Applies the `ltrim` PHP function to the value. Removing extra spaces
`length`	Counts the string length or how many items are in an array or object, the equivalent of `count`
`lower`	Change the case of a string to lowercase
`nl2br`	Changes newlines `\n` by line breaks (`<br />`). Uses the PHP function `nl2br`
`right_trim`	Applies the `rtrim` PHP function to the value. Removing extra spaces
`slashes`	Applies the `addslashes` PHP function to the value.
`slice`	Slices strings, arrays, or traversable objects
`sort`	Sorts an array using the PHP function `asort`
`stripslashes`	Applies the `stripslashes` PHP function to the value. Removing escaped quotes
`striptags`	Applies the `striptags` PHP function to the value. Removing HTML tags
`trim`	Applies the `trim` PHP function to the value. Removing extra spaces
`upper`	Applies the `strtoupper` PHP function to the value.
`url_encode`	Applies the `urlencode` PHP function to the value

Examples

{%- raw -%}
{# e or escape filter #}
{{ '<h1>Hello<h1>'|e }}
{{ '<h1>Hello<h1>'|escape }}

{# trim filter #}
{{ '   hello   '|trim }}

{# striptags filter #}
{{ '<h1>Hello<h1>'|striptags }}

{# slashes filter #}
{{ ''this is a string''|slashes }}

{# stripslashes filter #}
{{ '\'this is a string\''|stripslashes }}

{# capitalize filter #}
{{ 'hello'|capitalize }}

{# lower filter #}
{{ 'HELLO'|lower }}

{# upper filter #}
{{ 'hello'|upper }}

{# length filter #}
{{ 'invoices'|length }}
{{ [1, 2, 3]|length }}

{# nl2br filter #}
{{ 'some\ntext'|nl2br }}

{# sort filter #}
{% set sorted = [3, 1, 2]|sort %}

{# keys filter #}
{% set keys = ['first': 1, 'second': 2, 'third': 3]|keys %}

{# join filter #}
{% set joined = 'a'..'z'|join(',') %}

{# format filter #}
{{ 'My real name is %s'|format(name) }}

{# json_encode filter #}
{% set encoded = invoices|json_encode %}

{# json_decode filter #}
{% set decoded = '{'one':1,'two':2,'three':3}'|json_decode %}

{# url_encode filter #}
{{ post.permanent_link|url_encode }}

{# convert_encoding filter #}
{{ 'désolé'|convert_encoding('utf8', 'latin1') }}

Comments¶

Comments may also be added to a template using the {%- raw -%}{# ... #} delimiters. All text inside them is just ignored in the final output:

{%- raw -%}
{# note: this is a comment
    {% set price = 100; %}
#}

Control Structures¶

Volt provides a set of basic but powerful control structures for use in templates:

For¶

Loop over each item in a sequence. The following example shows how to traverse a set of invoices and print each title:

{%- raw -%}
<h1>Invoices</h1>
<ul>
    {% for invoice in invoices %}
    <li>
        {{ invoice.inv_title | e }}
    </li>
    {% endfor %}
</ul>

for-loops can also be nested:

{%- raw -%}
<h1>Invoices</h1>
{% for invoice in invoices %}
    {% for product in invoice.products %}
Product: {{ product.prd_title|e }} {{ product.prd_price|e }} USD <br />
    {% endfor %}
{% endfor %}

You can get the element keys as in the PHP counterpart using the following syntax:

{%- raw -%}
{% set numbers = ['one': 1, 'two': 2, 'three': 3] %}

{% for name, value in numbers %}
    Name: {{ name }} Value: {{ value }} <br />
{% endfor %}

An if evaluation can be optionally set:

{%- raw -%}
{% set numbers = ['one': 1, 'two': 2, 'three': 3] %}

{% for value in numbers if value < 2 %}
    Value: {{ value }} <br />
{% endfor %}

{% for name, value in numbers if name !== 'two' %}
    Name: {{ name }} Value: {{ value }} <br />
{% endfor %}

If an else is defined inside the for, it will be executed if the expression in the iterator results in zero iterations:

{%- raw -%}
<h1>Invoices</h1>
{% for invoice in invoices %}
    Invoice: {{ invoice.inv_number | e }} - {{ invoice.inv_title | e }} <br />
{% else %}
    There are no invoices to show
{% endfor %}

Alternative syntax:

{%- raw -%}
<h1>Invoices</h1>
{% for invoice in invoices %}
    Invoice: {{ invoice.inv_number | e }} - {{ invoice.inv_title | e }} <br />
{% elsefor %}
    There are no invoices to show
{% endfor %}

Loops¶

The break and continue statements can be used to exit from a loop or force an iteration in the current block:

{%- raw -%}
{# skip the even invoices #}
{% for index, invoice in invoices %}
    {% if index is even %}
        {% continue %}
    {% endif %}
    ...
{% endfor %}

{%- raw -%}
{# exit the foreach on the first even invoice #}
{% for index, invoice in invoices %}
    {% if index is even %}
        {% break %}
    {% endif %}
    ...
{% endfor %}

If¶

In PHP, an if statement checks if an expression is evaluated as true or false:

{%- raw -%}
<h1>Paid Invoices</h1>
<ul>
    {% for invoice in invoices %}
        {% if invoice.inv_paid_flag === 1 %}
            <li>{{ invoice.inv_title | e }}</li>
        {% endif %}
    {% endfor %}
</ul>

The else clause is also supported:

{%- raw -%}
<h1>Invoices</h1>
<ul>
    {% for invoice in invoices %}
        {% if invoice.inv_paid_flag === 1 %}
            <li>{{ invoice.inv_title | e }}</li>
        {% else %}
            <li>{{ invoice.inv_title | e }} [NOT PAID]</li>
        {% endif %}
    {% endfor %}
</ul>

The elseif control flow structure can be used together with if to emulate a switch block:

{%- raw -%}
{% if invoice.inv_paid_flag === constant('MyApp\Constants\Status::PAID') %}
    Invoice is paid
{% elseif invoice.inv_paid_flag === 2 %}
    Invoice is not paid
{% else %}
    Invoice is paid status is not defined
{% endif %}

Switch¶

An alternative to the if statement is switch, allowing you to create logical execution paths in your application:

{%- raw -%}
{% switch foo %}
    {% case 0 %}
    {% case 1 %}
    {% case 2 %}
        "foo" is less than 3 but not negative
        {% break %}
    {% case 3 %}
        "foo" is 3
        {% break %}
    {% default %}
        "foo" is {{ foo }}
{% endswitch %}

The switch statement executes statement by statement, therefore the break statement is necessary in some cases. Any output (including whitespace) between a switch statement and the first case will result in a syntax error. Empty lines and whitespaces can therefore be cleared to reduce the number of errors see here.

case without switch

{%- raw -%}
{% case EXPRESSION %}

Will throw Fatal error: Uncaught Phalcon\Mvc\View\Exception: Unexpected CASE.

switch without endswitch

{%- raw -%}
{% switch EXPRESSION %}

Will throw Fatal error: Uncaught Phalcon\Mvc\View\Exception: Syntax error, unexpected EOF in ..., there is a 'switch' block without 'endswitch'.

default without switch

{%- raw -%}
{% default %}

Will not throw an error because default is a reserved word for filters like {%- raw -%}{{ EXPRESSION | default(VALUE) }} but in this case, the expression will only output an empty char '' .

nested switch

{%- raw -%}
{% switch EXPRESSION %}
  {% switch EXPRESSION %}
  {% endswitch %}
{% endswitch %}

Will throw Fatal error: Uncaught Phalcon\Mvc\View\Exception: A nested switch detected. There is no nested switch-case statements support in ... on line ...

a switch without an expression

{%- raw -%}
{% switch %}
  {% case EXPRESSION %}
      {% break %}
{% endswitch %}

Will throw Fatal error: Uncaught Phalcon\Mvc\View\Exception: Syntax error, unexpected token {%- raw -%}%} in ... on line ...

Loop Context¶

A special variable is available inside for loops providing you with information about

Variable	Description
`loop.first`	True if in the first iteration.
`loop.index`	The current iteration of the loop. (1 indexed)
`loop.index0`	The current iteration of the loop. (0 indexed)
`loop.length`	The number of items to iterate
`loop.last`	True if in the last iteration.
`loop.revindex`	The number of iterations from the end of the loop (1 indexed)
`loop.revindex0`	The number of iterations from the end of the loop (0 indexed)

Example:

{%- raw -%}
{% for invoice in invoices %}
    {% if loop.first %}
        <table>
            <tr>
                <th>#</th>
                <th>Id</th>
                <th>Title</th>
            </tr>
    {% endif %}
            <tr>
                <td>{{ loop.index }}</td>
                <td>{{ invoice.inv_id }}</td>
                <td>{{ invoice.inv_title }}</td>
            </tr>
    {% if loop.last %}
        </table>
    {% endif %}
{% endfor %}

Assignments¶

Variables may be changed in a template using the instruction set:

{%- raw -%}
{% set fruits = ['Apple', 'Banana', 'Orange'] %}

{% set title = invoice.inv_title %}

Multiple assignments are allowed in the same instruction:

{%- raw -%}
{% set fruits = ['Apple', 'Banana', 'Orange'], name = invoice.inv_title, active = true %}

Additionally, you can use compound assignment operators:

{%- raw -%}
{% set price += 100.00 %}

{% set age *= 5 %}

The following operators are available:

Operator	Description
`=`	Standard Assignment
`+=`	Addition assignment
`-=`	Subtraction assignment
`\*=`	Multiplication assignment
`/=`	Division assignment

Expressions¶

Volt provides a basic set of expression support, including literals and common operators. An expression can be evaluated and printed using the {%- raw -%}{{ and {%- raw -%}}} delimiters:

{%- raw -%}
{{ (1 + 1) * 2 }}

If an expression needs to be evaluated without being printed the do statement can be used:

{%- raw -%}
{% do (1 + 1) * 2 %}

Literals¶

The following literals are supported:

Filter	Description
`'this is a string'`	Text between double quotes or single quotes are handled as strings
`100.25`	Numbers with a decimal part are handled as doubles/floats
`100`	Numbers without a decimal part are handled as integers
`false`	Constant `false` is the boolean `false` value
`true`	Constant `true` is the boolean `true` value
`null`	Constant `null` is the `null` value

Arrays¶

You can create arrays by enclosing a list of values in square brackets:

{%- raw -%}
{# Simple array #}
{{ ['Apple', 'Banana', 'Orange'] }}

{# Other simple array #}
{{ ['Apple', 1, 2.5, false, null] }}

{# Multi-Dimensional array #}
{{ [[1, 2], [3, 4], [5, 6]] }}

{# Hash-style array #}
{{ ['first': 1, 'second': 4/2, 'third': '3'] }}

Curly braces also can be used to define arrays or hashes:

{%- raw -%}
{% set myArray = {'Apple', 'Banana', 'Orange'} %}
{% set myHash  = {'first': 1, 'second': 4/2, 'third': '3'} %}

Math¶

You may make calculations in templates using the following operators:

Operator	Description
`+`	Perform an adding operation. `{%- raw -%}{{ 2 + 3 }}` returns 5
`-`	Perform a subtraction operation `{%- raw -%}{{ 2 - 3 }}` returns -1
`*`	Perform a multiplication operation `{%- raw -%}{{ 2 * 3 }}` returns 6
`/`	Perform a division operation `{%- raw -%}{{ 10 / 2 }}` returns 5
`%`	Calculate the remainder of an integer division `{%- raw -%}{{ 10 % 3 }}` returns 1

Comparisons¶

The following comparison operators are available:

Operator	Description
`==`	Check whether both operands are equal
`!=`	Check whether both operands aren't equal
`<>`	Check whether both operands aren't equal
`>`	Check whether the left operand is greater than the right operand
`<`	Check whether the left operand is less than the right operand
`<=`	Check whether the left operand is less or equal to the right operand
`>=`	Check whether the left operand is greater or equal to the right operand
`===`	Check whether both operands are identical
`!==`	Check whether both operands aren't identical

Logic¶

Logic operators are useful in the if expression evaluation to combine multiple tests:

Operator	Description
`or`	Return true if the left or right operand is evaluated as true
`and`	Return true if both left and right operands are evaluated as true
`not`	Negates an expression
`( expr )`	Parenthesis groups expressions

Other Operators¶

Additional operators seen the following operators are available:

Operator	Description
`~`	Concatenates both operands `{%- raw -%}{{ 'hello ' ~ 'world' }}`
`\|`	Applies a filter in the right operand to the left `{%- raw -%}{{ 'hello' \| uppercase }}`
`..`	Creates a range `{%- raw -%}{{ 'a'..'z' }}` `{%- raw -%}{{ 1..10 }}`
`is`	Same as == (equals), also performs tests
`in`	To check if an expression is contained into other expressions `if 'a' in 'abc'`
`is not`	Same as != (not equals)
`'a' ? 'b' : 'c'`	Ternary operator. The same as the PHP ternary operator
`++`	Increments a value
`--`	Decrements a value

The following example shows how to use operators:

{%- raw -%}
{% set fruits = ['Apple', 'Banana', 'Orange', 'Kiwi'] %}

{% for index in 0..fruits | length %}
    {% if invoices[index] is defined %}
        {{ 'Name: ' ~ invoices[index] }}
    {% endif %}
{% endfor %}

Tests¶

Tests can be used to test if a variable has a valid expected value. The operator is is used to perform the tests:

{%- raw -%}
{% set invoices = ['1': 'Apple', '2': 'Banana', '3': 'Orange'] %}

{% for position, name in invoices %}
    {% if position is odd %}
        {{ name }}
    {% endif %}
{% endfor %}

The following built-in tests are available in Volt:

Test	Description
`defined`	Checks if a variable is defined (`isset()`)
`divisibleby`	Checks if a value is divisible by another value
`empty`	Checks if a variable is empty
`even`	Checks if a numeric value is even
`iterable`	Checks if a value is iterable. Can be traversed by a 'for' statement
`numeric`	Checks if value is numeric
`odd`	Checks if a numeric value is odd
`sameas`	Checks if a value is identical to another value
`scalar`	Checks if the value is scalar (not an array or object)
`type`	Checks if a value is of the specified type

More examples:

{%- raw -%}
{% if invoice is defined %}
    The invoice variable is defined
{% endif %}

{% if invoice is empty %}
    The invoice is null or is not defined
{% endif %}

{% for key, name in [1: 'Apple', 2: 'Banana', 3: 'Orange'] %}
    {% if key is even %}
        {{ name }}
    {% endif %}
{% endfor %}

{% for key, name in [1: 'Apple', 2: 'Banana', 3: 'Orange'] %}
    {% if key is odd %}
        {{ name }}
    {% endif %}
{% endfor %}

{% for key, name in [1: 'Apple', 2: 'Banana', 'third': 'Orange'] %}
    {% if key is numeric %}
        {{ name }}
    {% endif %}
{% endfor %}

{% set invoices = [1: 'Apple', 2: 'Banana'] %}
{% if invoices is iterable %}
    {% for invoice in invoices %}
        ...
    {% endfor %}
{% endif %}

{% set world = 'hello' %}
{% if world is sameas('hello') %}
    {{ 'it's hello' }}
{% endif %}

{% set external = false %}
{% if external is type('boolean') %}
    {{ 'external is false or true' }}
{% endif %}

Macros¶

Macros can be used to reuse logic in a template, they act as PHP functions, can receive parameters and return values:

{%- raw -%}
{# Macro 'display a list of links to related topics' #}
{%- macro related_bar(related_links) %}
    <ul>
        {%- for link in related_links %}
        <li>
            <a href='{{ url(link.url) }}' 
               title='{{ link.title|striptags }}'>
                {{ link.text }}
            </a>
        </li>
        {%- endfor %}
    </ul>
{%- endmacro %}

{# Print related links #}
{{ related_bar(links) }}

<div>This is the content</div>

{# Print related links again #}
{{ related_bar(links) }}

When calling macros, parameters can be passed by name:

{%- raw -%}
{%- macro error_messages(message, field, type) %}
    <div>
        <span class='error-type'>{{ type }}</span>
        <span class='error-field'>{{ field }}</span>
        <span class='error-message'>{{ message }}</span>
    </div>
{%- endmacro %}

{# Call the macro #}
{{ 
    error_messages(
        'type': 'Invalid', 
        'message': 'The name is not valid', 
        'field': 'name'
    ) 
}}

Macros can return values:

{%- raw -%}
{%- macro my_input(name, class) %}
    {% return text_field(name, 'class': class) %}
{%- endmacro %}

{# Call the macro #}
{{ '<p>' ~ my_input('name', 'input-text') ~ '</p>' }}

And receive optional parameters:

{%- raw -%}
{%- macro my_input(name, class='input-text') %}
    {% return text_field(name, 'class': class) %}
{%- endmacro %}

{# Call the macro #}
{{ '<p>' ~ my_input('name') ~ '</p>' }}
{{ '<p>' ~ my_input('name', 'input-text') ~ '</p>' }}

Tag Helpers¶

Volt is highly integrated with Phalcon\Html\TagFactory, so it's easy to use the helpers provided by that component in a Volt template:

{%- raw -%}
{{ script().add('js/jquery.js') }}

{{ form(['action' : 'products/save', 'method': 'post']) }}

    <label for='name'>Name</label>
    {{ inputText('name', null, ['size': 32]) }}

    <label for='type'>Type</label>
    {% for productType in productTypes }}
    {{ inputSelect().addPlaceholder('...').add(productType.name, productType.id) }}
    {% endfor %}

    {{ inputSubmit('Send') }}

{{ close('form') }}

The following PHP is generated:

<?= $this->tag->script("\t", "\n\n") ?>

<?= $this->tag->form(['products/save', 'method' : 'post']); ?>

    <label for='name'>Name</label>
    <?= $this->tag->inputText(['name', 'size' : 32]); ?>

    <label for='type'>Type</label>
    <?php foreach ($productTypes as $productType) { ?>
    <?= $this->tag->addPlaceholder('...').add(productType.name, productType.id); ?>
    <?php } ?>

    <?= $this->tag->inputSubmit('Send'); ?>

<?= $this->tag->close('form'); ?>

You can call any of the helpers that Phalcon\Html\TagFactory provides directly in Volt.

Volt Function	Class
`a`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Anchor`
`base`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Base`
`body`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Body`
`button`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Button`
`close`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Close`
`doctype`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Doctype`
`element`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Element`
`form`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Form`
`img`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Img`
`inputCheckbox`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Checkbox`
`inputColor`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Color`
`inputDate`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Date`
`inputDateTime`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\DateTime`
`inputDateTimeLocal`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\DateTimeLocal`
`inputEmail`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Email`
`inputFile`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\File`
`inputHidden`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Hidden`
`inputImage`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Image`
`inputInput`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Input`
`inputMonth`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Month`
`inputNumeric`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Numeric`
`inputPassword`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Password`
`inputRadio`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Radio`
`inputRange`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Range`
`inputSearch`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Search`
`inputSelect`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Select`
`inputSubmit`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Submit`
`inputTel`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Tel`
`inputText`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Text`
`inputTextarea`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Textarea`
`inputTime`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Time`
`inputUrl`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Url`
`inputWeek`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Input\Week`
`label`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Label`
`link`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Link`
`meta`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Meta`
`ol`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Ol`
`script`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Script`
`style`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Style`
`title`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Title`
`ul`	`Phalcon\Html\Helper\Ul`

Also, you can use the Phalcon\Tag helper methods. You only need to call an uncamelized version of the method:

Volt function	Method
`check_field`	`Phalcon\Tag::checkField`
`date_field`	`Phalcon\Tag::dateField`
`email_field`	`Phalcon\Tag::emailField`
`end_form`	`Phalcon\Tag::endForm`
`file_field`	`Phalcon\Tag::fileField`
`form_legacy`	`Phalcon\Tag::form`
`friendly_title`	`Phalcon\Tag::friendlyTitle`
`get_title`	`Phalcon\Tag::getTitle`
`hidden_field`	`Phalcon\Tag::hiddenField`
`image`	`Phalcon\Tag::image`
`javascript_include`	`Phalcon\Tag::javascriptInclude`
`link_to`	`Phalcon\Tag::linkTo`
`numeric_field`	`Phalcon\Tag::numericField`
`password_field`	`Phalcon\Tag::passwordField`
`radio_field`	`Phalcon\Tag::radioField`
`select`	`Phalcon\Tag::select`
`select_static`	`Phalcon\Tag::selectStatic`
`stylesheet_link`	`Phalcon\Tag::stylesheetLink`
`submit_button`	`Phalcon\Tag::submitButton`
`text_area`	`Phalcon\Tag::textArea`
`text_field`	`Phalcon\Tag::textField`

Functions¶

The following built-in functions are available in Volt:

Name	Description
`constant`	Reads a PHP constant
`content`	Includes the content produced in a previous rendering stage
`date`	Calls the PHP function with the same name
`dump`	Calls the PHP function `var_dump()`
`get_content`	Same as `content`
`partial`	Dynamically loads a partial view in the current template
`static_url`	Generate a static url using the `url` service
`super`	Render the contents of the parent block
`time`	Calls the PHP function with the same name
`url`	Generate a URL using the `url` service
`version`	Returns the current version of the framework
`version_id`	Returns the current version id of the framework

View¶

Also, Volt is integrated with Phalcon\Mvc\View, so you can play with the view hierarchy and include partials as well:

{%- raw -%}
{{ content() }}

<div id='footer'>
    {{ partial('partials/footer') }}
    {{ partial('partials/footer', ['links': links]) }}
</div>

A partial is included in runtime, Volt also provides include, which compiles the content of a view and returns its contents as part of the view that was included:

{%- raw -%}
<div id='footer'>
    {% include 'partials/footer' %}
    {% include 'partials/footer' with ['links': links] %}
</div>

Include¶

include has a special behavior that will help us improve performance a bit when using Volt, if you specify the extension when including the file, and it exists when the template is compiled, Volt can inline the contents of the template in the parent template where it's included. Templates aren't inlined if the include have variables passed with with:

{%- raw -%}
<div id='footer'>
    {% include 'partials/footer.volt' %}
</div>

Partial Vs Include¶

Keep the following points in mind when choosing to use the partial function or include:

Type	Description
`partial`	allows you to include templates made in Volt and in other template engines. As well allows you to pass an expression like a variable allowing you to include the content of another view dynamically. It's better if the content that you have to include changes frequently
`includes`	copies the compiled content into the view which improves the performance. Only allows to include templates made with Volt. Requires an existing template at compile time

Inheritance¶

With template inheritance, you can create base templates that can be extended by other templates allowing you to reuse code. A base template defines blocks that can be overridden by a child template. Let's pretend that we have the following base template:

{%- raw -%}
{# templates/base.volt #}
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <head>
        {% block head %}
            <link rel='stylesheet' href='style.css' />
        {% endblock %}

        <title>{% block title %}{% endblock %} - My Webpage</title>
    </head>

    <body>
        <div id='content'>{% block content %}{% endblock %}</div>

        <div id='footer'>
            {% block footer %}
                &copy; Copyright 2012-present. 
                All rights reserved.
            {% endblock %}
        </div>
    </body>
</html>

From other template we could extend the base template by replacing the blocks:

{%- raw -%}
{% extends 'templates/base.volt' %}

{% block title %}Index{% endblock %}

{% block head %}<style>.important { color: #336699; }</style>{% endblock %}

{% block content %}
    <h1>Index</h1>
    <p class='important'>Welcome on my awesome homepage.</p>
{% endblock %}

Not all blocks must be replaced at a child template, only those that are needed. The final output produced will be the following:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <head>
        <style>.important { color: #336699; }</style>

        <title>Index - My Webpage</title>
    </head>

    <body>
        <div id='content'>
            <h1>Index</h1>
            <p class='important'>Welcome on my awesome homepage.</p>
        </div>

        <div id='footer'>
            &copy; Copyright 2012-present. 
            All rights reserved.
        </div>
    </body>
</html>

Multiple Inheritance¶

Extended templates can extend other templates. The following example illustrates this:

{%- raw -%}
{# main.volt #}
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <head>
        <title>Title</title>
    </head>

    <body>
        {% block content %}{% endblock %}
    </body>
</html>

Template layout.volt extends main.volt

{%- raw -%}
{# layout.volt #}
{% extends 'main.volt' %}

{% block content %}

    <h1>Table of contents</h1>

{% endblock %}

Finally, a view that extends layout.volt:

{%- raw -%}
{# index.volt #}
{% extends 'layout.volt' %}

{% block content %}

    {{ super() }}

    <ul>
        <li>Some option</li>
        <li>Some other option</li>
    </ul>

{% endblock %}

Rendering index.volt produces:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <head>
        <title>Title</title>
    </head>

    <body>

        <h1>Table of contents</h1>

        <ul>
            <li>Some option</li>
            <li>Some other option</li>
        </ul>

    </body>
</html>

Note the call to the function super(). With that function, it is possible to render the contents of the parent block. As partials, the path set to extends is a relative path under the current views directory (i.e. app/views/).

NOTE

By default, and for performance reasons, Volt only checks for changes in the children templates to know when to re-compile to plain PHP again, so it is recommended to initialize Volt with the option 'always' => true. Thus, the templates are compiled always taking into account changes in the parent templates.

Autoescape Mode¶

You can enable auto-escaping of all variables printed in a block using the auto escape mode:

{%- raw -%}
Manually escaped: {{ invoice.inv_title|e }}

{% autoescape true %}
    Autoescaped: {{ invoice.inv_title }}
    {% autoescape false %}
        No Autoescaped: {{ invoice.inv_title }}
    {% endautoescape %}
{% endautoescape %}

Extending Volt¶

Unlike other template engines, Volt itself is not required to run the compiled templates. Once the templates are compiled there is no dependence on Volt. With performance independence in mind, Volt-only acts as a compiler for PHP templates.

The Volt compiler allows you to extend it by adding more functions, tests, or filters to the existing ones.

Functions¶

Functions act as normal PHP functions, a valid string name is required as function name. Functions can be added using two options, returning a simple string or using an anonymous function. Whichever option you use, you must return a valid PHP string expression.

The following example binds the function name shuffle in Volt to the PHP function str_shuffle:

<?php

use Phalcon\Mvc\View\Engine\Volt;

$volt = new Volt($view, $container);

$compiler = $volt->getCompiler();

$compiler->addFunction('shuffle', 'str_shuffle');

and in Volt:

{{ shuffle('abcdefg') }}

The example below registers the function with an anonymous function. Here we use $resolvedArgs to pass the arguments exactly when calling the method from the view:

<?php

$compiler->addFunction(
    'widget',
    function ($resolvedArgs, $exprArgs) {
        return 'MyLibrary\Widgets::get(' . $resolvedArgs . ')';
    }
);

and in Volt:

{{ widget('param1', 'param2') }}

You can also treat the arguments independently and also check for unresolved parameters. In the example below, we retrieve the first parameter and then check for the existence of a second parameter. If present, we store it, otherwise, we use the default 10. Finally, we call the str_repeat PHP method on the first and second parameters.

<?php

$compiler->addFunction(
    'repeat',
    function ($resolvedArgs, $exprArgs) use ($compiler) {
        $firstArgument = $compiler->expression($exprArgs[0]['expr']);

        if (isset($exprArgs[1])) {
            $secondArgument = $compiler->expression($exprArgs[1]['expr']);
        } else {
            $secondArgument = '10';
        }

        return 'str_repeat(' . $firstArgument . ', ' . $secondArgument . ')';
    }
);

and in Volt:

{{ repeat('Apples', 'Oranges') }}

You can also check the availability of functions in your system and call them if present. In the following example, we will call mb_stripos if the mbstring extension is present. If present, then mb_stripos will be called, otherwise stripos:

<?php

$compiler->addFunction(
    'contains_text',
    function ($resolvedArgs, $exprArgs) {
        if (true === function_exists('mb_stripos')) {
            return 'mb_stripos(' . $resolvedArgs . ')';
        } else {
            return 'stripos(' . $resolvedArgs . ')';
        }
    }
);

You can also override built-in functions by using the same name in the defined function. In the example below, we replace the built-in Volt function dump() with PHP's print_r.

<?php

$compiler->addFunction('dump', 'print_r');

Filters¶

A filter has the following form in a template: leftExpr|name(optional-args). Adding new filters is similar to the functions.

Add a new filter called hash using the sha1 method:

<?php

$compiler->addFilter('hash', 'sha1');

Add a new filter called int:

<?php

$compiler->addFilter(
    'int',
    function ($resolvedArgs, $exprArgs) {
        return 'intval(' . $resolvedArgs . ')';
    }
);

Built-in filters can be overridden by adding a function with the same name. The example below will replace the built-in capitalize filter with PHP's lcfirst function:

<?php

$compiler->addFilter('capitalize', 'lcfirst');

Extensions¶

With extensions, the developer has more flexibility to extend the template engine, override the compilation of instructions, change the behavior of an expression or operator, add functions/filters, and more.

An extension is a class that implements the events triggered by Volt as a method of itself. For example, the class below allows to use any PHP function in Volt:

<?php

namespace MyApp\View\Extensions;

class PhpFunctionExtension
{
    public function compileFunction(string $name, string $arguments)
    {
        if (true === function_exists($name)) {
            return $name . '('. $arguments . ')';
        }
    }
}

The above class implements the method compileFunction which is invoked before any attempt to compile a function call in any template. The purpose of the extension is to verify if a function to be compiled is a PHP function allowing to call the PHP function from the template. Events in extensions must return valid PHP code, which will be used as a result of the compilation instead of code generated by Volt. If an event does not return a string the compilation is done using the default behavior provided by the engine.

Volt extensions must be registered in the compiler making them available in compile time:

<?php

use MyApp\View\Extensions\PhpFunctionExtension;

$compiler->addExtension(
    new PhpFunctionExtension()
);

Compiler¶

The Volt compiler depends on the Volt parser. The parser parses the Volt templates and creates an Intermediate Representation (IR) from it. The compiler uses that representation and produces the compiled PHP code.

<?php

use Phalcon\Mvc\View\Engine\Volt\Compiler;

$compiler = new Compiler();

$compiler->compile("views/partials/header.volt");

require $compiler->getCompiledTemplatePath();

The Phalcon\Mvc\View\Engine\Volt\Compiler offers a number of methods that can be extended to suit your application needs.

public function __construct(ViewBaseInterface $view = null)

Constructor

public function addExtension(mixed $extension): Compiler

Registers an extension

public function addFilter(
    string $name, 
    mixed definition
): Compiler

Register a new filter

public function addFunction(
    string $name, 
    mixed $definition
): Compiler

Register a new function

public function attributeReader(array $expr): string

Resolves attribute reading

public function compile(
    string $templatePath, 
    bool $extendsMode = false
)

Compiles a template into a file by applying the compiler options. This method does not return the compiled path if the template was not compiled

$compiler->compile("views/layouts/main.volt");

require $compiler->getCompiledTemplatePath();

public function compileAutoEscape(
    array $statement, 
    bool $extendsMode
): string

Compiles an "autoescape" statement returning PHP code

/**
 * @deprecated Will be removed in 5.0
 */
public function compileCache(
    array $statement, 
    bool $extendsMode = false
): string

(DEPRECATED) Compiles a cache statement returning PHP code

public function compileCall(array $statement, bool $extendsMode)

Compiles calls to macros

public function compileCase(
    array $statement, 
    bool $caseClause = true
): string

Compiles a case/default clause returning PHP code

public function compileDo(array $statement): string

Compiles a do statement returning PHP code

public function compileEcho(array $statement): string

Compiles a {{ }} statement returning PHP code

public function compileElseIf(array $statement): string

Compiles a elseif statement returning PHP code

public function compileFile(
    string $path, 
    string $compiledPath, 
    bool $extendsMode = false
): string | array

Compiles a template into a file also creating the destination path

$compiler->compileFile(
    "views/layouts/main.volt",
    "views/layouts/main.volt.php"
);

public function compileForeach(
    array $statement, 
    bool $extendsMode = false
): string

Compiles a foreach statement returning PHP code

public function compileForElse(): string

Compiles a forelse statement returning PHP code

public function compileIf(
    array $statement, 
    bool $extendsMode = false
): string

Compiles a if statement returning PHP code

public function compileInclude(array $statement): string

Compiles a include statement returning PHP code

public function compileMacro(
    array $statement, 
    bool $extendsMode
): string

Compiles a macro

public function compileReturn(array $statement): string

Compiles a return statement returning PHP code

public function compileSet(array $statement): string

Compiles a "set" statement returning PHP code. The method accepts an array produced by the Volt parser and creates the set statement in PHP. This method is not particularly useful in development, since it requires advanced knowledge of the Volt parser.

<?php

use Phalcon\Mvc\View\Engine\Volt\Compiler;

$compiler = new Compiler();

// {% set a = ['first': 1] %}
$source = [
    "type" => 306,
    "assignments" => [
        [
            "variable" => [
                "type" => 265,
                "value" => "a",
                "file" => "eval code",
                "line" => 1
            ],
            "op" => 61,
            "expr" => [
                "type" => 360,
                "left" => [
                    [
                        "expr" => [
                            "type" => 258,
                            "value" => "1",
                            "file" => "eval code",
                            "line" => 1
                        ],
                        "name" => "first",
                        "file" => "eval code",
                        "line" => 1
                    ]
                ],
                "file" => "eval code",
                "line" => 1
            ],
            "file" => "eval code",
            "line" => 1
        ]
    ]
];

echo $compiler->compileSet($source);
// <?php $a = ['first' => 1]; ?>

public function compileString(
    string $viewCode, 
    bool $extendsMode = false
): string

Compiles a template into a string

echo $compiler->compileString('{{ "hello world" }}');

public function compileSwitch(
    array $statement, 
    bool $extendsMode = false
): string

Compiles a switch statement returning PHP code

final public function expression(array $expr): string

Resolves an expression node in an AST volt tree

final public function fireExtensionEvent(
    string $name, 
    array $arguments = null
)

public function functionCall(array $expr): string

Resolves function intermediate code into PHP function calls

public function getCompiledTemplatePath(): string

Returns the path to the last compiled template

public function getExtensions(): array

Returns the registered extensions

public function getFilters(): array

Returns the registered user filters

public function getFunctions(): array

Returns the registered user functions

public function getOption(string $option): string

Returns an option of the compiler

public function getOptions(): array

Returns the compiler options

public function getTemplatePath(): string

Returns the path that is currently being compiled

public function getUniquePrefix(): string

Return a unique prefix to be used as a prefix for compiled variables and contexts

public function parse(string $viewCode): array

Parses a Volt template returning its intermediate representation

print_r(
    $compiler->parse("{{ 3 + 2 }}")
);

public function resolveTest(array $test, string $left): string

Resolves filter intermediate code into a valid PHP expression

public function setOption(string $option, mixed $value)

Sets a single compiler option

public function setOptions(array $options)

Sets the compiler options

public function setUniquePrefix(string $prefix): Compiler

Set a unique prefix to be used as a prefix for compiled variables

Events¶

The following compilation events are available to be implemented in extensions:

Event/Method	Description
`compileFunction`	Triggered before trying to compile any function call in a template
`compileFilter`	Triggered before trying to compile any filter call in a template
`resolveExpression`	Triggered before trying to compile any expression. This allows the developer to override operators
`compileStatement`	Triggered before trying to compile any statement. This allows the developer to override any statement

Services¶

If a service container (DI) is available for Volt. Any registered service in the DI container is available in volt, with a variable having the same name as the one that the service is registered with. In the example below we use the flash service as well as the security one:

{%- raw -%}
<div id='messages'>{{ flash.output() }}</div>
<input type='hidden' name='token' value='{{ security.getToken() }}'>

Stand-alone¶

You can use Volt as a stand-alone component in any application.

Register the compiler and set some options:

<?php

use Phalcon\Mvc\View\Engine\Volt\Compiler as VoltCompiler;

$compiler = new VoltCompiler();
$compiler->setOptions(
    [
        // ...
    ]
);

Compilation of templates or strings:

<?php

echo $compiler->compileString(
    "{{ 'hello' }}"
);

$compiler->compileFile(
    'layouts/main.volt',
    'cache/layouts/main.volt.php'
);

$compiler->compile(
    'layouts/main.volt'
);

You can finally include the compiled template if needed:

<?php

require $compiler->getCompiledTemplatePath();

Compiling¶

Every time you deploy your application to production, you will need to delete the pre-compiled .volt files, so that any changes you made in your templates are displayed to your users. A very easy way to do this is to clean the volt/ folder using a CLI script or manually delete all files.

If we assume that your volt path is located at: /app/storage/cache/volt/ then the following script will allow you to clear that folder anytime you run it, usually after a deployment.

<?php

use RecursiveDirectoryIterator;
use RecursiveIteratorIterator;
use function in_array;
use function substr;

$fileList    = [];
$whitelist   = ['.', '..', '.gitignore'];
$path        = appPath('storage/cache');
$dirIterator = new RecursiveDirectoryIterator($path);
$iterator    = new RecursiveIteratorIterator(
    $dirIterator,
    RecursiveIteratorIterator::CHILD_FIRST
);

foreach ($iterator as $file) {
    if (true !== $file->isDir() && 
        true !== in_array($file->getFilename(), $whitelist)) {
        $fileList[] = $file->getPathname();
    }
}

echo sprintf('Found %s files', count($fileList)) . PHP_EOL;
foreach ($fileList as $file) {
    echo '.';
    unlink($file);
}

echo PHP_EOL . 'Folder cleared' . PHP_EOL;

In the example above, we use PHP's RecursiveDirectoryIterator and RecursiveIteratorIterator to iterate through a folder recursively and create a list of files in the $fileList array. After that, we iterate through that array and unlink each file in turn.

As mentioned above, based on the options provided during setup, Volt can check whether the compiled files exist and generate them accordingly. Additionally, Volt can check if the files have been changed and if yes, generate them.

These checks are performed when the always and stat options are set to true. For any project, checking the file system multiple times per request (one time per Volt file), is consuming resources. Additionally, you need to ensure that the folder used by Volt to compile the templates is writeable by your web server.

You can create a script or a CLI task (using the CLI Application) to compile and save all the Volt files when you deploy code. This way, you will be able to instruct Volt not to compile or stat each file in turn, increasing performance. Additionally, since these files are compiled during the deployment process, the volt folder will not need to be writeable, increasing security. Since the compiled Volt templates are phtml fragments, not allowing the webserver to generate executable code is always a good idea.

Remember this script will be executed at the command line, but in order to compile our templates we will need to bootstrap our web application. In the example below, we will need to get the DI container that has all the services registered for our web application. Then we can use the Volt compiler to compile all the templates to the relevant folder.

In the example below, we assume that we have a Bootstrap\Web class that is responsible for setting up all of our services for the Web application. The class returns the DI container using getContainer(). Your implementation might vary.

<?php

use MyApp\Library\Bootstrap\Web;
use RecursiveDirectoryIterator;
use RecursiveIteratorIterator;
use function in_array;
use function substr;

if (php_sapi_name() !== "cli") {
    throw new Exception(
        'You need to run this script from the command line'
    );
}

$bootstrap = new Web();
$container = $bootstrap->getContainer();
$view      = $container->getShared('view'); 
$viewPath  = $view->getViewsDir();
$volt      = $container->getShared('volt');

$fileList    = [];
$whitelist   = ['.', '..', '.gitignore'];
$path        = $viewPath;
$dirIterator = new RecursiveDirectoryIterator($path);
$iterator    = new RecursiveIteratorIterator(
    $dirIterator,
    RecursiveIteratorIterator::CHILD_FIRST
);

foreach ($iterator as $file) {
    if (true !== $file->isDir() && 
        true !== in_array($file->getFilename(), $whitelist)) {
        $fileList[] = $file->getPathname();
    }
}

echo sprintf('Found %s files', count($fileList)) . PHP_EOL;
foreach ($fileList as $file) {
    echo '.';
    $volt->getCompiler()->compile($file);
}

echo PHP_EOL . 'Templates compiled' . PHP_EOL;

External Resources¶

A bundle for Sublime/Textmate is available here
Phosphorum, Phalcon's forum implementation, also uses Volt, GitHub
Vökuró, is another sample application that uses Volt, GitHub