As you might already know, data-model + template = output. We
already have a data-model (root) and a template
(temp), so to get the output we have to merge them.
This is done by the process method of the template.
It takes the data-model root and a Writer as
parameters. It writes the produced output to the
Writer. For the sake of simplicity here I write to
the standard output:
Writer out = new OutputStreamWriter(System.out); temp.process(root, out);
This will print to your terminal the output you have seen in the first example of the Template Author's Guide.
Java I/O related notes: Depending on what out
is, you may need to ensure that out.close() is
called. This is typically needed when out writes
into a file that was opened to store the output of the template. In
other times, like in typical Web applications, you must
not close out. FreeMarker
calls out.flush() after a successful template
execution (but tis can be disabled in
Configuration), so you don't need to worry about
that.
Note that once you have obtained a Template
instance, you can merge it with different data-models for unlimited
times (Template instances are stateless). Also, the
test.ftlh file is accessed only while the
Template instance is created, not when you call the
process method.