A template allows us to create one document and then merge data with it.
We are learning about templates so that we can create one document, a web page, and then merge customized data to that page.
Web templates allow us to serve personalized results to users.
Think of Facebook - you log into your main page and see results tailored for you. That main page was created once. It is a template. However, for each user, that template gets populated with data specific to that user.
Another common exposure to templates that most of us get every day - junk mail.
A company creates a piece of mail to send to everyone, and then they merge data with that template to customize the mailing for each individual. The result:
Dear Mr. Jones,
Are you tired of high electric bills?
We have noticed that your house at .....
Dear Mr. Smith,
Are you tired of high electric bills?
We have noticed that your house at .....
Dear {{Name}},
Are you tired of high electric bills?
We have noticed that your house at .....