[lolive]

I currently have a dilemma regarding a XML generation code. Should I write it in pure Python with endless nested loops and DOM manipulations. Or should I use a templating engine that is exactly the DSL [:domain specific language] to express declaratively how to generate the output.

Solution 2 is superbly consise and straight to the point, but I am pretty sure noone will ever climb the learning curve that this additional DSL imposes to any newcomer.

I really wonder which final choice I will make for my production code.

[truth is that refactoring solution 2 is painless, but at the same time debugging solution 2 is tricky]

[MrJohz]

Can you write functions and classes in Python that roughly mimic the DSL you're aiming for? This is often called an embedded DSL, and it's a great technique for allowing developers to work with domain objects inside a language that they're still familiar with.

There's a handful of templating languages that do this sort of thing using functions, so in Python you might write

    form(
        {"method": "POST"},
        label(
            "Name",
            input({"type": "text"}),
        ),
    )

The learning curve becomes significantly lighter because you're just using Python constructs in the Python language, which means your IDE can suggest functions to you like it would with any other library.