remote include() returns no variables!

Anon

If I include a local file, and set a variable
within the called file, it is still set
in the calling file.

If I use the http: address of the file, to
access it from a different server, it's not!

The split between the two servers (both mine)
is deliberate: one has access to a database
but no public IP, the other is a public web server.

I've been trying workarounds including passing
the variables back in an array or XML string, but include() only wants to return an integer!

Help, please!

Sample code:

included file:

<?php

Global $test1;
Global $RES;
$test1 = "bar";
echo "Inside: test1 = $test1";

$RES['test1'] = $test1;
return("This is a string");
?>

calling file:

<?php

echo phpversion();

echo " try include \n";
$test1 = "foo";
echo "test1 = $test1";
echo " now including change of test1 ";
$result = array();
echo "result is ".gettype($result);
$result = include("http://192.168.100.3/includechild.php");
echo "result is ".gettype($result);
echo " outside: test1 = $test1";
echo " result: $result";
extract($result);
echo " extracted: test1 = $test1";

?>

Results:

4.0.5
try include
test1 = foo
now including change of test1
result is arrayInside: test1 = barresult is integer
outside: test1 = foo
result: 1
Warning: extract() expects first argument to be an array in /home/httpd/html/Services/PostAdvisor/parent.php on line 15

extracted: test1 = foo

angulion

Do you have apache & php on the DB-server as well?
If so, the php included php will be parsed on the DB-server, and that isn't what you want?

Could you tell more about what you try to do/get done?

Anon

Yes, it is parsed remotely all right.

What I'm trying to do now is return
the contents of the database back
to the calling program.

Best answer I've found so far involves
using fread() on the called code and
taking anything the code prints as
returned contents.

-steve

angulion

I think you would need to do it somehow like:
if (!($arr = file("http://192.168.100.3/includechild.php")) die("Error getting content.");

for ($i=0;$i<count($arr);$i++) {
list($key, $val) = split("=", trim($arr[$i]));
echo "key: ".$key.", val: ".$val." \n";
}

And the remote php-script would echo only lines like:
somekey1=someval1
somekey2=someval2
somekey3=someval3

Is that even remotly near what you want?-)