zend layout

A website have different pages but have a page where all the footer/header/left/right section is included know as template/layout. Each page is called from that layout. A site may have one or more layout depend on website.

• Automate selection and rendering of layouts.
• Provide different scope for layout related variables and content.eg render(), partial().
• Allow configuration, including layout name, layout script resolution (inflection), and layout.
• You can disable layouts, changing layout scripts, and other states; allow these actions from within action controllers and view scripts.
• Follow same script resolution rules (inflection) as the ViewRenderer. 

There are different options to set the options for layout.

//static method
Zend_Layout::startMvc($optionArray)
Zend_Layout::startMvc($optionIniObject)

//constructor
$layout = Zend_Layout($optionArray);
$layout = Zend_Layout($optionIniObject);

//methods
$layout = Zend_Layout();
$layout->setOptions($optionArray);
$layout->setOptions($optionIniObject);

//using accessors
$ayout->setLayout('layout)
->setLayoutPath('/views/layouts/mylayout.phtml');


You can use Zend_Layout as an standalone component but in that case all full features will not available. following are available.
Scoping of layout.
isolation of layout view scripts from another view scripts.