CandangoEngine is a high-performance templating engine for the Lua programming language, designed with chunk-based rendering capabilities that allow it to efficiently process files even larger than 1GB.
This engine allows developers to dynamically insert Lua logic and variables into plain text files (like HTML) while maintaining blazing speed and flexibility.
- Variable Interpolation using
{} - Raw Lua Code Execution using
#{} - Returnable Lua Code Execution using
!{} - Ignore Sections with
$#and#$ - Chunk-Based Rendering (Efficient memory usage and performance)
- Escaped Braces Handling with
'<and>' - Full File Rendering with
render_text_by_path(Highly recommended)
Simply require the engine in your Lua project:
Candango = require("CandangoEngine.CandangoEngine")Insert variables directly in your text:
<h1>Hello, {variables["name"]}</h1>Execute Lua code without expecting a return:
#{
print("Executed inside the template!")
}Tip: If your code contains a closing brace
}as part of a string or table, you can escape the section using<and>like this:
#{
samuel = {'<}>'}
}Execute code blocks where the result must be rendered in the output:
!{
if variables.age >= 18 then
return "<p>You are an adult.</p>"
else
return "<p>You are a minor.</p>"
end
}Wrap any section to be completely ignored (not parsed as Lua):
$#
This is ignored even if it contains {or !{ or #{
#$To avoid prematurely closing a brace with matching content, use the escape format < before and > after your brace:
!{
local samuel = {'<}>'}
}This ensures that the engine won't mistakenly close the block early.
local Candango = require("CandangoEngine.CandangoEngine")
local variables = {
name = "sam",
age = 14
}
local function main()
local response = Candango.render_text_by_path("small_text.txt")
if response.in_error then
return response.error_message
end
return response.text
end
print(main())Candango = require("CandangoEngine.CandangoEngine")
Keys.raw.init = "###{"
variables = {
name="sam",
age=14
}
local function main()
local response = Candango.render_text_by_path("small_text.txt")
print(response.in_error, "\n")
if response.in_error then
return response.error_message
end
return response.text
end
print(main())
if samuel then
print(samuel.age)
endFuncionando perfeitamente!
false
lua main.lua
Funcionando perfeitamente!
false
<html>
<head>
<title>My Dynamic Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Welcome, sam</h1>
<p>Age: 14</p>
<p>You are a minor.</p>
</body>
</html>
sam
Always prefer to use render_text_by_path(path) instead of passing large text directly. This function handles chunked file reading internally, ensuring optimized memory usage and faster rendering.
You can customize how the engine detects special blocks by modifying the Keys object:
Keys.raw.init = "###{"
Keys.raw.end = "}"CandangoEngine is modular and can be integrated easily into any Lua-based project, making it an ideal choice for static site generation, dynamic report rendering, or even lightweight web frameworks.