z3c.pt

Fast ZPT engine.

z3c-pt v5.1 128.2K downloads/30d#11,716 on PyPI★ 1

License unclear ZPL AGING released 2025-06-19

What it is and what it does

z3c.pt is a template engine for Zope 3 applications that renders page templates (ZPT) by compiling them to bytecode via Chameleon. It provides the same application-level interface as zope.pagetemplate but with faster execution through bytecode compilation. The package supports TAL (Template Attribute Language) and TALES (Template Attribute Language Expression Syntax) for dynamic template logic, including path expressions, Python expressions, and custom namespace adapters.

The package offers two main template classes: PageTemplate for string-based templates and PageTemplateFile for templates loaded from disk. It also provides ViewPageTemplate and ViewPageTemplateFile variants for use within Zope view classes. Templates can bind to request and context objects, set content types, and support both keyword and positional arguments. It integrates with the Zope component architecture through zope.interface, zope.component, and zope.traversing.

Use it for:

Rendering HTML templates in Zope 3 web applications with TAL expressions and automatic bytecode compilation for performance.
Building view templates that bind to Zope view objects and have access to request and context in a single property.
Implementing custom TALES namespace adapters for domain-specific template functions and path traversal logic.
Migrating from zope.pagetemplate to a faster engine without changing template syntax or application code.
Serving dynamic content with content-type negotiation (HTML, XML, RDF) based on template or request headers.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

z3c.pt is a fast ZPT (Zope Page Template) engine that compiles templates to bytecode using Chameleon, providing page template rendering with path expressions and TALES support.

Yes, if you are building or maintaining a Zope 3 application and need faster template rendering than zope.pagetemplate. The package is stable (Production/Stable status), supports modern Python versions, has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. The aging maintenance status and unclear license treatment are minor concerns—review the ZPL terms for your use case and monitor the repository for future updates, but neither blocks adoption for existing Zope projects.

Install

z3c-pt on PyPI

pip

pip install z3c-pt

uv

uv add z3c-pt

poetry

poetry add z3c-pt

Installing z3c.pt

Before you install

Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. The package depends on 7 runtime dependencies including Chameleon and several Zope libraries. Maintenance status is aging—last release was 421 days ago, though the repository remains active and the package supports current Python versions (3.9–3.13).

License in practice

Licensed under ZPL (Zope Public License), which is OSI-approved but less common than MIT or Apache 2.0. License treatment is marked unclear in the fact sheet, so you may want to review the actual license terms before use in proprietary or commercial contexts.

Quickstart

from z3c.pt.pagetemplate import PageTemplate

template = PageTemplate("""
<html>
  <body tal:content="string:Hello World!">default</body>
</html>
""")

print(template())

Verify before relying

Whether ZPL license is compatible with your project's licensing requirements
Performance comparison with zope.pagetemplate or other template engines in your use case
Maintenance roadmap and whether aging status indicates planned deprecation

Package facts

License	ZPL (unclear)
Python support	supports the current Python release (>=3.9)
Install friction	low — pure-Python wheel
Runtime dependencies	7 — setuptools, zope.interface, zope.component, zope.i18n, zope.traversing, zope.contentprovider, Chameleon
Maintenance	aging — 421 days since the last release
Last repo commit	2025-10-30
First released	2007-12-03
Downloads	128,229/month — #11,716 on PyPI (30-day window, as of 2026-08-14)
Known vulnerabilities	none known (OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14)

Evidence: z3c_pt-5.1-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: tal, tales, pagetemplate, zope, chameleon

Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: Web EnvironmentFramework :: Zope :: 3Intended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: Zope Public LicenseNatural Language :: EnglishOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Text Processing :: Markup :: HTMLTopic :: Text Processing :: Markup :: XML