really simple form of templating in JavaScript, this function replaces named tokens in strings with the values of Object properties of the same name. When an Array is passed, the template is repeated for every object in the Array.

mergeTemplateWithData.js

/**
 * A really simple form of templating, this function replaces named tokens in strings with the values of Object properties of the same name.
 * When an Array is passed, the template is repeated for every object in the Array.
 * 
 * @author https://github.com/JamieMason
 * @param {String} template 		A string containing various ${someVar}, ${someOtherVar} tokens to be found and replaced
 * @param {Object} data 			A value object whose properties' values eg: .someVar, .someOtherVar will be merged with the supplied template. If an Array is passed, the template will be applied to each Object in the Array.
 * @return 			 				A copy of the template merged with your data, in those places where the property names of your data matched the named tokens in the template.
 * @type String
 */
function mergeTemplateWithData(template, data)
{
	// If the data is no good
	if (!(!$.isPlainObject(data) || !$.isArray(data)))
	{
		// Return the unmerged template
		return template;
	}

	// Merge one Object with a template
	function _performTransform(valueObject, template)
	{
		var matchingString = '', key;
		
		for (key in valueObject)
		{
			matchingString = ['${', key, '}'].join('');
			template = template.split(matchingString).join(valueObject[key]);
		}
		return template;
	}

	// If data is an Array
	if ($.isArray(data))
	{
		var arrayLength = data.length,
		    mergedTemplate = '',
		    i;
		
		// Loop through it
		for (i = 0; i < arrayLength; i++)
		{
			// and build up a string which merges every item in the array with the given template
			mergedTemplate = [mergedTemplate, _performTransform(data[i], template)].join('');
		}

		return mergedTemplate;
	}
	// If data is a value object
	else
	{
		// Merge the one Object with the template
		return _performTransform(data, template);
	}

}

mergeTemplateWithData_example.js

// Merge 1 object with a template
mergeTemplateWithData('Hi, my name is ${forename} ${surname}, I like ${hobby}', {
	forename: 'Jamie',
	surname: 'Mason',
	hobby: 'Football'
});
// >>> "Hi, my name is Jamie Mason, I like Football"

// Merge an Array of Objects with a template
var someLinks = mergeTemplateWithData('<li><a href="${url}">${label}</a></li>', [{
	url: 'http://google.com',
	label: 'Google Search'
},
{
	url: 'http://jquery.com',
	label: 'jQuery JavaScript Library'
}]);
// >>> '<li><a href="http://google.com">Google Search</a></li><li><a href="http://jquery.com">jQuery JavaScript Library</a></li>'

$('ul#navigation').html(someLinks);