a required case

[CodeX]

Hi, I am trying to condense my code as much as possible and was trying the following:

<?php
//	************ Section Controls ************
switch ($sec){

// MAIN Sections
default:
$req_file = "news/news.txt";
break;

case "":
$req_file = "news/news.txt";
break;

case "home":
$req_file = "news/news.txt";
break;

case "fof":
$req_file = "fof.php";
break;


// EVENTS Sections
case "upcome":
$req_file = "events/upcomming.php";
break;

case "rslts":
$req_file = "events/results.php";
break;


// SERVERS Sections
case "servers":
$req_file = "servers/serv_info.php";
break;
}

//	************ Error Controls ************
// Check if file exists, else display error page
if (file_exists ('$req_file') {
	@require ('$req_file');
} else {
	@require ('no_file.php');
}
?>

I also added the file_exists() function in case they request a file that is not available at that time, and plan to build onto this feature late - but at this point it is a basic 404 routine.

Can anyone see why it is not working?

I call this script from the index.php file at the location where I would want the contents of the requested page to be displayed by:

<?php @require ('sections.php'); ?>

😕 Can someone help, please. 😕

Regz,
Charlie

[Mega]

if (file_exists ('$req_file') ){
	@require ('$req_file');
} else {
	@require ('no_file.php');
}

try that, u were missing a bracket 🙂

[frigidman]

"not working" ? Could you explain what isn't working?

I see you are missing an end aprens on your 'if'statement:

if (file_exists ('$req_file')

Need more information on what is "not working" please.

[mrmufin]

The 'default' component of a switch/case control structure should be the last option... Additionally, since the "", and "home" cases are the same as the default case, they're unnecessary.

[CodeX]

What I mean by 'not working' is that the requested pages are not being displayed.

I make a request, and the page is not displayed.

I then decided to add a

<? echo "Requested Page: $req_file"; ?>

to the index.php page just after the @require ('sections.php') call was made - like so

<?php @require ('sections.php'); ?>
<? echo "Requested Page: $req_file"; ?>

and that shows the file location value as expected, but the page itself does not appear.

Nor does the error (no_file.php) page

[frigidman]

Ah... hmmmmm.

Well, I'm not sure why it wouldn't be working... but I do know I have never used an @ in front of a require() before. So, I must part with only the idea of removing that @ and trying it. Doubt that is the problem though. Sorry.

[CodeX]

It was returning no value for $req_file till i moved the if/else statement into the switch function - ie moved the closing } to after the if/else clause.

Then it returned the $req_file variable, but still not the actual page!

[CodeX]

Thnx FridgeMan, i doubt that is the problem either, but will try it anyway <removing all @'s> - DONE!

Nope - that didn'tr work!

How I used to have it was...

...
// EVENTS Sections
case "upcome":
@require ('events/upcomming.php');
break;

case "rslts":
@require ('events/results.php');
break;


// SERVERS Sections
case "servers":
@require ('servers/serv_info.php');
break;
...

and that worked, but did not allow for the use of file_extits() in a friendly code efficient fashion.

Hope this sheds a little more light on things.

And Thnx for all your help!

Regards,
Charlie

[Mega]

Originally posted by mrmufin
The 'default' component of a switch/case control structure should be the last option... Additionally, since the "", and "home" cases are the same as the default case, they're unnecessary.

i always make it the first 🙂

[frigidman]

Hmm.

Ok, now I am curious...

Using require is kind of a dangerous thing. I'm actually amazed that it wasn't throwing errors on you during parse, since requires must exist at php parse time, and evaluted at that time. Where an include is only looked up and parsed when you REACH the include in the php execution.

Try using include()?

For instance, ifyou have 5 if statements with each having a different include() statement... none may actually be looked up if no if statement evaluates to true. Whereas if you had require() statements, it would check ALL of them every execution of that php, regardless if the 'if' statement was true or not.

At least this behavior was what I learned a long time ago... maybe newer php versions are treating these functions differently ? hmm...

Also, what is IN those files? If there is nothing to 'display' in those files, then nothing will show when its executed (like if the file is just a bunch of variables or functions that arn't called).

[Mega]

if (file_exists ('$req_file') ){
    @require ('$req_file');
} else {
    @require ('no_file.php');
}

god we're all thick lol.

code between 's isn't parsed so try:

if (file_exists ($req_file) ){
    @require ($req_file);
} else {
    @require ('no_file.php');
}

[mrmufin]

Originally posted by Mega


i always make it the first 🙂

Per the PHP manual:

A special case is the default case. This case matches anything that wasn't matched by the other cases, and should be the last case statement.

[frigidman]

"god we are all thick"...

I think it comes from staring at code so much, you tend to mis little things like single quotes around a variable !!! LOL. Good catch!

[CodeX]

REQUIRE over INCULDE -
no particular reason as they are very much alike except for the poit about it will always check with REQUIRE and that the script will HOLT on a missing required file.

The file_exists() is a new thing we was looking at making use of, but is proving more hassel that the purpose it would serve - thus we will do without it till we have more time to experiment.

File Contents -
As you can see the default file (news.txt) is a text file with just a few sample articles in it at current, but it does have content and it does work, we have already used it on other paged using a SSI routine.

[CodeX]

Thnx MEGA, but nope that don't work either.

This is so screwed up

Does anybody who has already tried to help want me to make a zip file of the files in quest and they can take a look at it and see if it is a problem else where?

If you are interested in a copy of the code just let me know and I will email it to you.

PM me if you dont want to publicly display your emails folks - and Thnx to everyone that has helped so far. Even though it was not solved, you have helped me out. - Thnx again!

Regs,
Charlie

[CodeX]

😃 - 😃 - 😃 - 😃 - 😃 - 😃 - 😃
Hey Guess what - I fixed it folks!

here is what I did just to help you guys out like you did for me...

1. I removed the file_exist() function, as this was the reason the page was NOT being displayed - and returned the sections.php file back to its true and only purpose. - To select the correct switch.

   See code:

   <?php
   //  ** sections.php **
   
   //	************ Section Controls ************
   switch ($sec){
   
   // MAIN Sections
   default:
   $req_file = "news/news.txt";
   break;
   
   case "":
   $req_file = "news/news.txt";
   break;
   
   case "home":
   $req_file = "news/news.txt";
   break;
   
   case "fof":
   $req_file = "fof.php";
   break;
   
   
   // EVENTS Sections
   case "upcome":
   $req_file = "events/upcomming.php";
   break;
   
   case "rslts":
   $req_file = "events/results.php";
   break;
   
   
   // SERVERS Sections
   case "servers":
   $req_file = "servers/serv_info.php";
   break;
   }
   ?>
   

2. I then pasted the file_exist() function into the main (index.php) page, placing it in the HTML/PHP where I wanted the contents of the requested file to be displayed on the screen.

   See code:

   <table width="100%" border="0" align="left" cellpadding="0" 
   cellspacing="0" bordercolor="#000000">
   <?php
   //	************ Error Controls ************
   // Check if file exists, else display error page
   
   if (file_exists ($req_file)) {
       @require ($req_file);
   } else {
       $req_file = "no_file.php";
       require ($req_file);
   }
   ?>
   </table>
   

   I know that the <tr></tr> and <td></td> are missing, they are contained in the requested files.

3. Finally I added the following to the top of the index.php file to call the sections.php script

   See code:

   <?php @require ('sections.php'); ?>
   

   [/list=1]

   Thats it, it is now working, so thnx for helping get me this far Frigdeman, Mega, and MrMufin.

   A+