# phpman > info > HTML::Template::FAQ

[HTML::Template::FAQ](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate%3A%3AFAQ/markdown)(3pUser Contributed Perl [DocumentatHTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/DocumentatHTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown)::[FAQ(3pm)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/FAQ/3pm/markdown)

NAME
       [HTML::Template::FAQ](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate%3A%3AFAQ/markdown) - Frequently Asked Questions about [HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown)

SYNOPSIS
       In the interest of greater understanding I've started a FAQ section of
       the perldocs. Please look in here before you send me email.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
   Is there a place to go to discuss [HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown) and/or get help?
       There's a mailing-list for discussing [HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown) at
       <html-template-users@lists.sourceforge.net>. Join at:

          <http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/html-template-users>

       If you just want to get email when new releases are available you can
       join the announcements mailing-list here:

           <http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/html-template-announce>

   Is there a searchable archive for the mailing-list?
       Yes, you can find an archive of the SourceForge list here:

           <http://dir.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.perl.modules.html-template>

   I want support for <TMPL_XXX>! How about it?
       Maybe. I definitely encourage people to discuss their ideas for
       [HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown) on the mailing list. Please be ready to explain to me
       how the new tag fits in with [HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown)'s mission to provide a
       fast, lightweight system for using HTML templates.

       NOTE: Offering to program said addition and provide it in the form of a
       patch to the most recent version of [HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown) will definitely have
       a softening effect on potential opponents!

   I found a bug, can you fix it?
       That depends. Did you send me the VERSION of [HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown), a test
       script and a test template? If so, then almost certainly.

       If you're feeling really adventurous, [HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown) is publicly
       available on GitHub (<https://github.com/mpeters/html-template>). Please
       feel free to fork it and send me a pull request with any changes you
       have.

   <TMPL_VAR>s from the main template aren't working inside a <TMPL_LOOP>!
       Why?
       This is the intended behavior. "<TMPL_LOOP>" introduces a separate
       scope for "<TMPL_VAR>s" much like a subroutine call in Perl introduces
       a separate scope for "my" variables.

       If you want your "<TMPL_VAR>"s to be global you can set the
       "global_vars" option when you call "new()". See above for documentation
       of the "global_vars" "new()" option.

   How can I pre-load my templates using cache-mode and mod_perl?
       Add something like this to your startup.pl:

           use [HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown);
           use [File::Find](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/File%3A%3AFind/markdown);

           print STDERR "Pre-loading HTML Templates...\n";
           find(
               sub {
                   return unless /\.tmpl$/;
                   [HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown)->new(
                       filename => "$[File::Find::dir](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/File%3A%3AFind%3A%3Adir/markdown)/$_",
                       cache    => 1,
                   );
               },
               '/path/to/templates',
               '/another/path/to/templates/'
           );

       Note that you'll need to modify the "return unless" line to specify the
       extension you use for your template files - I use .tmpl, as you can
       see. You'll also need to specify the path to your template files.

       One potential problem: the /path/to/templates/ must be EXACTLY the same
       path you use when you call "[HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown)->new()". Otherwise the cache
       won't know they're the same file and will load a new copy - instead
       getting a speed increase, you'll double your memory usage.  To find out
       if this is happening set "cache_debug =" 1> in your application code
       and look for "CACHE MISS" messages in the logs.

   What characters are allowed in TMPL_* names?
       Numbers, letters, '.', '/', '+', '-' and '_'.

   How can I execute a program from inside my template?
       Short answer: you can't. Longer answer: you shouldn't since this
       violates the fundamental concept behind [HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown) - that design
       and code should be separate.

       But, inevitably some people still want to do it. If that describes you
       then you should take a look at [HTML::Template::Expr](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate%3A%3AExpr/markdown). Using
       [HTML::Template::Expr](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate%3A%3AExpr/markdown) it should be easy to write a "run_program()"
       function. Then you can do awful stuff like:

           <tmpl_var expr="run_program('foo.pl')">

       Just, please, don't tell me about it. I'm feeling guilty enough just
       for writing [HTML::Template::Expr](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate%3A%3AExpr/markdown) in the first place.

   What's the best way to create a <select> form element using [HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown)?
       There is much disagreement on this issue. My personal preference is to
       use CGI.pm's excellent "popup_menu()" and "scrolling_list()" functions
       to fill in a single "<tmpl_var select_foo>" variable.

       To some people this smacks of mixing HTML and code in a way that they
       hoped [HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown) would help them avoid. To them I'd say that HTML
       is a violation of the principle of separating design from programming.
       There's no clear separation between the programmatic elements of the
       "<form>" tags and the layout of the "<form>" tags.  You'll have to draw
       the line somewhere - clearly the designer can't be entirely in charge
       of form creation.

       It's a balancing act and you have to weigh the pros and cons on each
       side. It is certainly possible to produce a "<select>" element entirely
       inside the template. What you end up with is a rat's nest of loops and
       conditionals. Alternately you can give up a certain amount of
       flexibility in return for vastly simplifying your templates. I
       generally choose the latter.

       Another option is to investigate [HTML::FillInForm](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3AFillInForm/markdown) which some have
       reported success using to solve this problem.

perl v5.32.0                      2020-12-23          [HTML::Template](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/HTML%3A%3ATemplate/markdown)::[FAQ(3pm)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/FAQ/3pm/markdown)