Why do you use templates instead of filter servlet?

[Migrated From Jforum.net]

The java filter servlet can get input page and replace some words. Why don't you use this way to output page?
Are there advantages using templates?
[originally posted on jforum.net by richardsclin]

[Migrated From Jforum.net]

richardsclin wrote:
Are there advantages using templates?

hmm.. I'll ignore this question ;)

Rafael
[originally posted on jforum.net by Rafael Steil]

[Migrated From Jforum.net]

Anyway...

templates are easier to maintain; they have control statements; with templates you can have multiple different layouts without any change at all to the core code; everyone may easy change its contents; don't require recompilation of the code... and so on.

Rafael
[originally posted on jforum.net by Rafael Steil]

[Migrated From Jforum.net]

That's not necessary, since freemarker ( or another template engine, like velocity ) provides all necessary stuff for workting with templates.
I see no gain on using servlet filters for doing some "replaces", since there is a lot more than that, like conditional template rendering, for example.

Rafael
[originally posted on jforum.net by Rafael Steil]

[Migrated From Jforum.net]

How about using filter servlet to read template pages and replace some keywords or control codes to get output pages? Is this way better than using freemarker library?
[originally posted on jforum.net by richardsclin]