use HTML::Template;

my @data = (
    [ qw/a0 a1 a2 a3 a4 a5/ ],
    [ qw/b0 b1 b2 b3 b4 b5/ ],
    [ qw/c0 c1 c2 c3 c4 c5/ ],
    [ qw/d0 d1 d2 d3 d4 d5/ ]
);
my @col_name  = qw/ col0 col1 col2 col3 col4 col5 /;
my @selection = (1, 4, 5);

my $tmpl = HTML::Template->new( filehandle => \*DATA );

my @headers = map {{ title => $_ }} @col_name[ @selection ];
my @rows    = map {{ cols => [ map {{ data => $_ }} @$_[ @selection ] 
+] }}
                @data;

$tmpl->param( headers => \@headers, rows => \@rows );
print $tmpl->output;

__DATA__
<table border=1>
  <tr>
    <TMPL_LOOP headers><th><TMPL_VAR title></th></TMPL_LOOP>
  </tr>

  <TMPL_LOOP rows>
    <tr>
      <TMPL_LOOP cols><td><TMPL_VAR data></td></TMPL_LOOP>
    </tr>
  </TMPL_LOOP>
</table>
[download]

which produces this output:

col1	col4	col5
a1	a4	a5
b1	b4	b5
c1	c4	c5
d1	d4	d5

If you're getting this data from a database, though, you can probably let the database handle the slicing of each row... either by using selectall_arrayref and its Slice option, or by just listing the required columns in the query.

Here's some sample code that doesn't work.
My main problem is that I don't understand what data type is suppose to be send to the TMPL_LOOP in the template, and don't understand how to create & modify the data type before sending it...
At least, I'm 99% sure that's my problem.



    my @checkedOptions = qw(team rank land networth strat updated mari
+ne fighter bomber panzer hl seal pds offPts defPts turns);
my @tableHeaders;
    foreach my $i (@checkedOptions) {
        push @tableHeader, $i;
    }
[download]


That places the selected options into an array. then this:

    my $tableHeader = tableHeader(@tableHeader);
[download]


is used to send that array to a subroutine, that I would like to create an appropriate data type for the TMPL_LOOP and then store the appropriate data to it.

Then subroutine I was attempting was this:


sub tableHeader {
    my @tableHeader = $_[0];
    my $rows;
    my %tempHash;
    foreach my $i (@tableHeader) {
        if ($i eq 'nw') { 
            push @{$rows}, {columnHeader => 'Networth'} 
        }
        elsif ($i eq 'hl') { 
            push @{$rows}, {columnHeader => 'Heavy Lasers'}
        }
        elsif ($i eq 'offPts') { 
            push @{$rows}, {columnHeader => 'Off. Pts'}
        }
        elsif ($i eq 'defPts') { 
            push @{$rows}, {columnHeader => 'Def. Pts'}
        }
        elsif ($i eq 'last_updated') { 
            push @{$rows}, {columnHeader => 'Updated'}
        }
        else {
            $tempHash{'columnHeader'} = capitalize($i);
            push @{$rows}, {columnHeader => $i}
        }
    }
    return $rows;
}
[download]


I was then hoping to juse use the following in a HTML::Template file to create the appropriate column headers:


    <TMPL_LOOP NAME=tableHeader>
        <td align=center valign=middle><B>&nbsp;<TMPL_VAR NAME=columnH
+eader>&nbsp;</B><TD>
    </TMPL_LOOP>
[download]

Basically I was hoping to send an array of hashes (each hash only containing 'columnHeader => columnName') to the template, and then to loop through each of them to pull the column names that were selected.

I tried disecting the code I use to pull data from a table and send it to the template, but obviously went about it the wrong way ;-P

Any help is greatly appreciated.

If I wasn't clear in explaining what I was trying to do, please let me know and I'll gladly attempt to re-explain in a more clear manner.

I'm still relatively new to some of the more complex (at least, more complex for me) parts of HTML::Template, and am trying to do the coding right the first time, rather then having to recode everything in the future :-)


Thanks again!


Steny

20040530 Edit by Corion: Fixed formatting, moved stuff into CODE tags

What you need is an AoH containing further AoHs. A small example:

#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use warnings;

use HTML::Template;

# some fruits
my $fruits = [
             { fruit => "banana",
               properties => [
                           {where_from => 'europe', size=> 'small'},
                           {where_from => 'africa', size=> 'large'},
                             ]
             },

             { fruit => "apple",
               properties => [
                           {where_from => 'asia',    size=> 'medium'},
                           {where_from => 'america', size=> 'large'},
                             ]
             },
             ];


# and now let's add another fruit
push @$fruits, { fruit => 'strawberry'};

# let us add some properties
${fruits}->[2]->{properties} =  [
                         {where_from => 'europe',  size=> 'small'},
                         {where_from => 'new zealand', size=> 'huge'},
                             ];

my $tmpl = HTML::Template->new( filehandle => \*DATA );
$tmpl->param( fruits => $fruits );
print $tmpl->output;

__DATA__
<TMPL_LOOP NAME="fruits">
<table>
  <tr>
    <th><TMPL_VAR NAME="fruit"></th>
    <th></th>
  </tr>
  <TMPL_LOOP NAME="properties">
  <tr>
    <td><TMPL_VAR NAME="where_from"></td>
    <td><TMPL_VAR NAME="size"></td>
  </tr>
  </TMPL_LOOP>
</table>
</TMPL_LOOP>
[download]

I suggest you the intensive use of Data::Dumper. It helps you to see the structure of your AoH etc.

#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use warnings;

use Data::Dumper;

my $aoh = [
             {col => "col1", val => "val1"},
             {col => "col2", val => "val2"},
             {col => "col3", val => "val3"},
             {col => "col4", val => "val4"},
             {col => "col5", val => "val5"},
          ];

my @selected = (3, 4, 1);

for my $item (@selected) {
  ${aoh}->[$item]->{selected} = "selected";
}

print Dumper($aoh);
[download]

ie. how would you store the selected column header's names into $rows, so that the following would work?

my $rows = [
            { 'column number 4' => 'data row 1, col 4',
              'column number 2' => 'data row 1, col 2',
              'column number 5' => 'data row 1, col 5',
            },
            { 'column number 4' => 'data row 2, col 4',
              'column number 5' => 'data row 2, col 5',
              'column number 2' => 'data row 2, col 2',
            }
        ];
[download]

my %rownames;
$rownames{$_} = $_ for sort keys %{@{$rows}[0]};
unshift @$rows, \%rownames;
[download]

[
          {
            'column number 2' => 'column number 2',
            'column number 5' => 'column number 5',
            'column number 4' => 'column number 4'
          },
# ...
[download]