well you dont generate tpl files to a php file
in the php file you tell it to display the tpl file
if you took a look at your home.php file you will see 2 lines that look like:
Code:
$smarty->assign("location", $location);
func_display("customer/home.tpl",$smarty);
the first line assigns the location
while the second assigns the tpl to be displayed (I believe you can only display one main tpl, so the header and what not will have to be "included" in the main tpl)