variable scope issues that shouldn't be

[Anon]

The problem is simple. I declare variables in a file, header.php. I then include() or require() this file in another file. From everything I've read, in the php manual, in several books, and in this very forum, those variables should be accessible to the rest of the php code.
I'm aware of the different way in which global variables act in php, this doesn't seem to be the problem.
More specifically, as an oversimplified example:

header.php:

$textbox = "<p class="text">";
$endtext = "</p>";

file.php:

include(header.php);
echo "$textbox";

From everything I've read, this should work. I've tried a variety of permutations: the global keyword, .inc as opposed to .php, nothing seems to work. Could something have been set during compile which might cause this behavior?

Thanks in advance...

Theo.

[rrijnders]

Well, if your example is correct, you should be getting an error on the <i>include()</i> statement. You need to have either double or single quotes around the value between the parentheses. Perhaps your error reporting is being supressed, hence you don't see the <i>include()</i> error and you just the the <i>echo()</i> output nothing?

-- Rich

[Anon]

You might also want to try using require().

Diego

[Anon]

Apologies - the include() should have quotes in it. I've also tried require(). The file is being included (except when there's a fatal error in the require - another problem entirely) as it has formatting information in addition to the variables. The variables are only available within that particular file, which seems like it's not the way it should be.

Neither of these, unfortunately, seems to be the problem.

Theo.

[rrijnders]

<i>require()</i> difinitely will not work (in Theo's given example) because the assignments in header.php will never take place. <i>require()</i> is fine when you want function definitions available to your script, but the code is not <i>executed</i> until you call one of the functions. <i>include()</i> actually executes the script you are include()ing.

-- Rich

[rrijnders]

Is header.php straight script as in your example, or are the variable assignments inside of function declarations?

[Anon]

While it's not exactly my code, it's essentially the structure. There are no function declarations in either file.

Theo.

[Anon]

Neither include() nor require() works.

I thought include() was only executed conditionally...or I guess it's that it CAN be executed conditionally.

Theo.