Extensions

Standard extensions

CoffeeScript

Plim uses Python-CoffeeScript package as a bridge to the JS CoffeeScript compiler. You can start CoffeeScript block with the -coffee construct.

- coffee
  # Assignment:
  number   = 42
  opposite = true

  # Conditions:
  number = -42 if opposite

  # Functions:
  square = (x) -> x * x

  # Arrays:
  list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

  # Objects:
  math =
    root:   Math.sqrt
    square: square
    cube:   (x) -> x * square x

  # Splats:
  race = (winner, runners...) ->
    print winner, runners

  # Existence:
  alert "I knew it!" if elvis?

  # Array comprehensions:
  cubes = (math.cube num for num in list)

SCSS/SASS

Plim uses pyScss package to translate SCSS/SASS markup to plain CSS. You can start SCSS/SASS block with the -scss or -sass construct. The output will be wrapped with <style></style> tags.

For example,

- scss
  @option compress: no;
  .selector {
    a {
      display: block;
    }
    strong {
      color: blue;
    }
  }

produces

<style>.selector a {
  display: block;
}
.selector strong {
  color: #00f;
}</style>

Stylus

Plim uses stylus package to translate stylus markup to plain CSS. You can start Stylus block with the -stylus construct. The output will be wrapped with <style></style> tags.

For example,

- stylus
  @import 'nib'
  body
    background: linear-gradient(top, white, black)

  border-radius()
    -webkit-border-radius arguments
    -moz-border-radius arguments
    border-radius arguments

  a.button
    border-radius 5px

produces

<style>body {
  background: -webkit-gradient(linear, left top, left bottom, color-stop(0, #fff), color-stop(1, #000));
  background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, #fff 0%, #000 100%);
  background: -moz-linear-gradient(top, #fff 0%, #000 100%);
  background: -o-linear-gradient(top, #fff 0%, #000 100%);
  background: -ms-linear-gradient(top, #fff 0%, #000 100%);
  background: linear-gradient(top, #fff 0%, #000 100%);
}
a.button {
  -webkit-border-radius: 5px;
  -moz-border-radius: 5px;
  border-radius: 5px;
}</style>

Markdown

Plim uses python-markdown2 package for the -markdown (or -md) extension.

For example,

- markdown
  A First Level Header
  ====================

  A Second Level Header
  ---------------------

  Now is the time for all good men to come to
  the aid of their country. This is just a
  regular paragraph.

  The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy
  dog's back.

  ### Header 3

  > This is a blockquote.
  >
  > This is the second paragraph in the blockquote.
  >
  > ## This is an H2 in a blockquote

produces

<h1>A First Level Header</h1>

<h2>A Second Level Header</h2>

<p>Now is the time for all good men to come to
the aid of their country. This is just a
regular paragraph.</p>

<p>The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy
dog's back.</p>

<h3>Header 3</h3>

<blockquote>
    <p>This is a blockquote.</p>

    <p>This is the second paragraph in the blockquote.</p>

    <h2>This is an H2 in a blockquote</h2>
</blockquote>

reStructuredText

Plim uses Docutils package for both supporting the -rest (or -rst) extension and project documenting.

For example,

- rest
  Grid table:

  +------------+------------+-----------+
  | Header 1   | Header 2   | Header 3  |
  +============+============+===========+
  | body row 1 | column 2   | column 3  |
  +------------+------------+-----------+
  | body row 2 | Cells may span columns.|
  +------------+------------+-----------+
  | body row 3 | Cells may  | - Cells   |
  +------------+ span rows. | - contain |
  | body row 4 |            | - blocks. |
  +------------+------------+-----------+

produces

<p>Grid table:</p>
<table border="1">
  <thead valign="bottom">
    <tr>
      <th>Header 1
      </th><th>Header 2
      </th><th>Header 3
    </th></tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody valign="top">
    <tr>
      <td>body row 1
      </td><td>column 2
      </td><td>column 3
    </td></tr>
    <tr>
      <td>body row 2
      </td><td colspan="2">Cells may span columns.
    </td></tr>
    <tr>
      <td>body row 3
      </td><td rowspan="2">Cells may<br>span rows.
      </td><td rowspan="2">
        <ul>
          <li>Cells
          </li><li>contain
          </li><li>blocks.
        </li></ul>
    </td></tr>
    <tr>
      <td>body row 4
    </td></tr>
</tbody></table>

Handlebars

Plim supports a special tag handlebars that is translated to a handlebars section declaration:

<script type="text/x-handlebars"></script>

This is particularly useful to developers using Ember.js.

Here is an example. The following plim document

html
    body
        handlebars#testapp
            .container {{outlet}}

        handlebars#about: .container {{outlet}}

will be rendered as

<html>
    <body>
        <script type="text/x-handlebars" id="testapp">
            <div class="container">{{outlet}}</div>
        </script>
        <script type="text/x-handlebars" id="about">
            <div class="container">{{outlet}}</div>
        </script>
    </body>
</html>

Extending Plim with custom parsers

New in version 0.9.2.

It is possible to extend standard Plim markup with your own directives. This feature allows you to build your own DSL on top of Plim. For instance, the following example adds a new directive for parsing HTTP links present in a form of http_url > title.

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
# my_module.py
import re
from plim import preprocessor_factory


PARSE_HTTP_LINKS_RE = re.compile('(?P<url>https?://[^>]+)+\s+>\s+(?P<title>.*)')


def parse_http_link(indent_level, current_line, matched, source, syntax):
    url = matched.group('url')
    url_title = matched.group('title')
    rt = '<a href="{}">{}</a>'.format(url, url_title)
    return rt, indent_level, '', source


CUSTOM_PARSERS = [
    (PARSE_HTTP_LINKS_RE, parse_http_link)
]


custom_preprocessor = preprocessor_factory(custom_parsers=CUSTOM_PARSERS, syntax='mako')

The parse_http_link() function is defined according to the strict API.

Every parser accepts five input arguments:

  1. indent_level - an indentation level of the current line. When the parser reaches a line which indentation is lower or equal to indent_level, it returns control to a top-level function.
  2. current_line - a line which is being parsed. This is the line that has been matched by matched object at the previous parsing step.
  3. matched - an instance of re.MatchObject of the regex associated with the current parser.
  4. source - an instance of an enumerated object returned by plim.lexer.enumerate_source().
  5. syntax - an instance of one of plim.syntax.BaseSyntax children.

Every parser returns a 4-tuple of:

  1. parsed_data - a string of successfully parsed data
  2. tail_indent - an indentation level of the tail line
  3. tail_line - a line which indentation level (tail_indent) is lower or equal to the input indent_level.
  4. source - an instance of enumerated object returned by plim.lexer.enumerate_source() which represents the remaining (untouched) plim markup.

From now on, we can use custom_preprocessor in exactly the same manner as the standard plim.preprocessor.

Let’s create a plim document with extended syntax:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
/ hamilton.plim
---------------
html
    head:title Alexander Hamilton
    body
        h1 Alexander Hamilton
        ul
            li: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton > Wikipedia Article
            li: http://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Hamilton-Ron-Chernow/dp/0143034758 > Full-length Biography

Here is how we can compile this document into a valid HTML (note the -p argument):

$ plimc -H -p my_module:custom_preprocessor hamilton.plim

The result:

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
<html>
    <head>
        <title>Alexander Hamilton</title>
    </head>
    <body>
        <h1>Alexander Hamilton</h1>
        <ul>
            <li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton">Wikipedia Article</a></li>
            <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Hamilton-Ron-Chernow/dp/0143034758">Full-length Biography</a></li>
        </ul>
    </body>
</html>