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The Template Toolkit is a powerful, open-source programming language for processing templates. Developed by Andy Wardley and first released in 1998, it has become popular due to its extensibility and flexibility. Primarily written in Perl, the Toolkit allows developers to define their own tags and filters. It is widely used for generating dynamic web content or any other output that requires a template-based approach. The original source code of the Template Toolkit can be found on GitHub.

Ask the right questions secure the right Template Toolkit talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

First 20 minutes

General Template Toolkit app knowledge and experience

The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to understand the candidate's general background in Template Toolkit application development, including their experience with various programming languages, databases, and their approach to designing scalable and maintainable systems.

How would you install Template Toolkit?

You can install Template Toolkit using CPAN, a Perl module archive. The command is 'cpan Template'.

What are the basic components of Template Toolkit?

The basic components of Template Toolkit are the template files, the Template module, and the data you're using to populate the template.

How would you use a variable in a Template Toolkit template?

You can use a variable in a Template Toolkit template by enclosing it in square brackets like this: [% variable %].

What is the role of the 'INCLUDE' directive in Template Toolkit?

The 'INCLUDE' directive is used to include another template file within the current template. It's useful for reusing common elements across multiple templates.

How would you handle errors in Template Toolkit?

You can handle errors in Template Toolkit using the 'TRY' and 'CATCH' directives. These allow you to specify what should happen if an error occurs when processing a template.

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What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate have a strong understanding of Template Toolkit?

Can the candidate demonstrate experience with Perl?

How well does the candidate understand web development concepts?

Is the candidate able to solve problems and debug issues?

Next 20 minutes

Specific Template Toolkit development questions

The next 20 minutes of the interview should focus on the candidate's expertise with specific backend frameworks, their understanding of RESTful APIs, and their experience in handling data storage and retrieval efficiently.

What are the different types of variables in Template Toolkit?

Template Toolkit supports scalar variables, list variables, and hash variables. Scalar variables hold a single value, list variables hold an ordered list of values, and hash variables hold a set of key-value pairs.

Describe the difference between 'PROCESS' and 'INCLUDE' directives in Template Toolkit.

'PROCESS' and 'INCLUDE' directives both include another template file within the current template. The difference is that 'PROCESS' also processes the included template, while 'INCLUDE' simply inserts it as is.

How would you create a loop in a Template Toolkit template?

You can create a loop in a Template Toolkit template using the 'FOREACH' directive. This allows you to iterate over a list of values.

What is the role of the 'FILTER' directive in Template Toolkit?

The 'FILTER' directive is used to apply a filter to a block of template text. This can be used for things like HTML encoding, formatting dates, or transforming text in other ways.

How would you use a Perl module in a Template Toolkit template?

You can use a Perl module in a Template Toolkit template using the 'USE' directive. This allows you to use the functions and methods provided by the module in your template.

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At this point, a skilled Template Toolkit engineer should demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, proficiency in Template Toolkit programming language, and knowledge of software development methodologies. Red flags include lack of hands-on experience, inability to articulate complex concepts, or unfamiliarity with standard coding practices.

Digging deeper

Code questions

These will help you see the candidate's real-world development capabilities with Template Toolkit.

What does this simple Template Toolkit code do?
 [% name = 'John Doe' %]
[% name %]
This code sets a variable called 'name' to the value 'John Doe' and then outputs the value of 'name'. The output will be 'John Doe'.
What will be the output of the following Template Toolkit code?
 [% IF age > 18 %]
   You are an adult
[% ELSE %]
   You are a minor
[% END %]
This code checks if the value of the variable 'age' is greater than 18. If it is, it outputs 'You are an adult'. If it's not, it outputs 'You are a minor'. The exact output depends on the value of 'age'.
What does the following Template Toolkit code do with the array 'items'?
 [% FOREACH item IN items %]
   [% item %]
[% END %]
This code loops over each element in the 'items' array and outputs the value of each item. The output will be a list of all the elements in the 'items' array.
What does this Template Toolkit code do?
 [% USE threads %]
[% threads.new({ id => '1', name => 'Thread1' }) %]
This code uses the 'threads' plugin and creates a new thread with an id of '1' and a name of 'Thread1'.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for Template Toolkit Developer role questions

The final few questions should evaluate the candidate's teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, assess their knowledge of microservices architecture, serverless computing, and how they handle Template Toolkit application deployments. Inquire about their experience in handling system failures and their approach to debugging and troubleshooting.

What are the different ways to pass data to a Template Toolkit template?

You can pass data to a Template Toolkit template either by passing a hash reference when you call the 'process' method, or by using the 'vars' method to set variables that will be available in all templates.

Describe the difference between 'CALL' and 'MACRO' directives in Template Toolkit.

Both 'CALL' and 'MACRO' directives are used to define reusable pieces of template code. The difference is that 'CALL' simply executes the code, while 'MACRO' also assigns the result to a variable.

How would you handle conditional logic in a Template Toolkit template?

You can handle conditional logic in a Template Toolkit template using the 'IF', 'ELSE', and 'ELSIF' directives. These allow you to conditionally include or exclude parts of the template based on the values of variables.

Template Toolkit application related

Product Perfect's Template Toolkit development capabilities

Beyond hiring for your Template Toolkit engineering team, you may be in the market for additional help. Product Perfect provides seasoned expertise in Template Toolkit projects, and can engage in multiple capacities.

Template Toolkit Consultive assessments

Template Toolkit Application Conversion Assessment Template Toolkit Application Integration Assessment Template Toolkit Data & Database Integration Assessment

Custom Template Toolkit development projects

Custom Template Toolkit App Conversion Template Toolkit Custom App Development Process App UI Design for Template Toolkit Facelifts

Hiring guide for Template Toolkit Engineers

Template Toolkit Developer Hiring Guide

What you’re looking for early on

The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the Template Toolkit engineer at this point.

Template Toolkit Consultive assessments

Custom Template Toolkit development projects