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javascriptphpajaxformattingsmarty

Define in Smarty the format to be returned by AJAX

I have a html form in a Smarty template. A select in the form is populated via AJAX. I would like to specify in the Smarty template, the format to be returned by the AJAX-call. This way I can use the same request-url for different purposes. For example if the select contains users, sometimes I might be interested in knowing the user's email address (format: "{$Option->GetName()} ({$Option->Email})"), and other times the user's organisation (format: "{$Option->GetName()} ({$Option->Organisation})").

I have a few ideas of how to achieve this:

  1. Store the format in html/js in the template. Then the AJAX-call can send the desired return-format along with the request. Drawback: A malicious user can change the format in the request, which might be a security issue.
  2. Pass along the entire $Option object, and do the formatting using JavaScript. Drawback: Cannot use the PHP object's methods, such as $Option->GetName().
  3. Store the format in a separate template file, and reference to this file in html/js and send along with the AJAX request. Drawback: The reference to the template file can be changed by a malicious user, but probably no damage can be done. This approach requires extra template files, and the presentation logic will be spread over different files.
  4. Create a Smarty plugin that automates the process of item 3. Then the presentation logic will not be separated. Drawback: The reference to the template file can be changed by a malicious user, but probably no damage can be done.

Do anyone have any other/better ideas, or any experience with doing something like this?

Solution

  • I ended up using option 4, and I'm very happy with the result.

    If anyone come across this and need information on how I implemented it, just post a comment, and I'll try to explain.