Render a template into a string?

Question

Is it possible to "render" a template into a string? I would like to use a template and fill that with some values that I then must save to the local disc.

The render method always send the template to the client. I want something similar to run a template but save the output from the template to a local string variable that I can store in the local file system.

Answer 1

It is simpler than you think:

def myTemplateString = g.render(template: "test", model: [foo: bar])

Answer 2

If you are using Grails 2.x, you can use the PageRenderer class. Try something like this:

     grails.gsp.PageRenderer groovyPageRenderer

     void methodName() { 
         def contents = groovyPageRenderer.render(template:"yourTemplate", model:yourModel)
         //you can use contents as a string now
     }

This will work outside the scope of a web request as well, such as in a scheduled job or web service.