Brian T. Cooke

I just spent the obligatory 20 minutes with haml and it’s css brother sass. I really enjoy both. I created a test project and converted some scaffold_resource generated rhtml into haml in very little time. I’m sure others have pointed out that it’s attention to tabs makes it very python-esque, but I like it. I think forcing proper tabs in HTML is a good thing.

Is the resulting .haml superior to the rhtml it replaces? The definitive answer: depends

The biggest problem I see with haml and sass is the barrier to entry (albeit small…it’s still there). I’m often working with designers that are savvy enough to get into the views and fix things that need fixing. RHTML is perfect for them. Most have used PHP before and have no trouble realizing <%= %> is dynamic content. They just work around that and all is well. In this situation, rhtml wins. You want the designer you’re working with to be as comfortable as possible (read: fast).

All that said, haml was fun. If you’re doing a solo project or on a team that’s willing to spend the 20 minutes per person to learn it, I think it’d be the way to go. I’ll probably be cutting some of the templates in mybizexpenses over to haml for fun.