Any idea how PHP passes variable values...

swjohnson

from one module to another?

Here is the code I am trying to get working...

<?track_vars?>
<?
if (file_exists("header.inc.php")): include("header.inc.php"); endif;
if (file_exists("sidebar.inc.php")): include("sidebar.inc.php"); endif;
// if (file_exists("vars.inc.php")): include("vars.inc.php"); endif;
echo $pagetext;
switch ($pagetext) {
case $pagetest = "body1.inc.php":
echo $pagetext +1;
if (file_exists("body1.inc.php")): include("body1.inc.php"); endif;
break;
case "body2.inc.php":
echo $pagetext +2;
if (file_exists("body2.inc.php")): include("body2.inc.php"); endif;
break;
case body3.inc.php:
echo $pagetext +3;
if (file_exists("body3.inc.php")): include("body3.inc.php"); endif;
break;
default:
echo $pagetext +4;
if (file_exists("body1.inc.php")): include("body1.inc.php"); endif;
break;
}
echo $pagetext +5;
if (file_exists("footer.inc.php")): include("footer.inc.php"); endif;
?>

And this is where it is supposed to be getting it's value from...

<?$pagetext="body2.inc.php";?>

Now, granted what you are seeing is only a partial HTML page, but everything else working. I just can't get the darned thing to move from page 1 to page 2

Any ideas???

coditoergosum

I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to accomplish here, but to answer your question "Any idea how PHP passes variable values... from one module to another?", you can pass a var via the url, or by a form post. Like this:

<a href="somepage.php?foo=bar&foo2=bar2"> 

Or ... 

<form action="somepage.php" method="post"> 
<input type="hidden" name="foo" value="bar">
<input type="hidden" name="foo2" value="bar2">
<input type="submit">
</form>

What exactly are you trying to do, and what's with all of the if(file_exists())? It almost looks like you're an ASP programmer trying to convert to PHP. Right?

After looking at your code again it looks like you're trying to pass a var indicating what page to display, right? This is how I would do it:

Code displaying the page (abc.php):
<?
if($page == "page1") {
include("page1.php");
}
elseif ($page == "page2") { 
include("page2.php"); 
}
elseif ($page == "page3") {
include("page3.php");
}
?> 

Code passing the var: 
<a href="abc.php?page=page1">Page 1</a>
<a href="abc.php?page=page2">Page 2</a>
<a href="abc.php?page=page3">Page 3</a>

Of course you could use a switch instead of an IF statement... but that's just a matter of coding preference.

Hope this helps!

swjohnson

If you go to http://www.softnuggets.com/index.html you will find the page I am trying to duplicate in PHP.

when you click on the next button at the bottom of the page I want to change pages.

right now, being html, it reloads the entire page.

I have the header, sidebar, and footer working, I am trying to change the text in the white area and was hoping I could do it with a switch statement.

Unfortunately, I am apparently missing an important piece of the puzzel when it comes to passing values from module to module.

Right now test2.php is the main program using 4 include statements

One for the header, the sidebar, the text area and the footer.

It displays page 1 ok, but I cannot get it to pass the value $pages="body2.inc.php" to the vars.inc.php where the case statement is.

As you can see from the original html page, I will be moving among subdirectories as well. This is why I am attempting to get the first two pages of the index page to work.

Now that you are throughly confused as to my design capabilities, Thanks for your help.

coditoergosum

right now, being html, it reloads the entire page.

Well, the entire page is going to have to reload regardless... that's the nature of server side scripting.

Maybe you're confused as to what the switch statement does.

The following two examples are functionally identical (ripped right from php.net):


if ($i == 0) {
    print "i equals 0";
}
if ($i == 1) {
    print "i equals 1";
}
if ($i == 2) {
    print "i equals 2";
}

switch ($i) {
    case 0:
        print "i equals 0";
        break;
    case 1:
        print "i equals 1";
        break;
    case 2:
        print "i equals 2";
        break;
}

Anyway, now that I know what you're trying to do, I think my previous example is exactly what you're looking for.

This is how I'd code it:

<?
/***** 
no need to check if the files exist, you know they exist, right? 
If you're trying to suppress errors, just put a @ in front of the 
function.
*****/
@include("header.inc.php"); 
@include("sidebar.inc.php");

if ($pages == "page2") {
@include("page2.inc.php"); 
}
elseif ($pages == "page3" {
@include("page3.inc.php"); 
}
else {
@include("page1.inc.php");
}

@include("footer.inc.php"); 

code the links like this and they will pass the vars: 
<a href="test2.php?pages=page2">Next</a>
<a href="test2.php?pages=page3">Next</a>
<a href="test2.php>Home</a>

Notice how I had the else clause just include page1.inc.php. This basically makes it the default... or, if the $pages var hasn't been set, then it'll load the first page.

Hope this helps.

swjohnson

That finally worked. I can't believe I have been beating my head against the wall all day working on such a simple problem.

Guess it is time I make a trip to Vegas to buy a REAL php bible.

Then I also have to dig into the storage to find my HTML books.

Thank you VERY much.

Let me know if I can do anything for you.

coditoergosum

No problem. Glad I could help. It gets easier as you write more code... from looking at your first example, it looks like you're trying to make the transition to PHP from maybe ASP, or maybe just javascript. It can be confusing when you know how to do something one way, and it doesn't work with the new language you're using.

swjohnson

dBASE II, III, III+ & IV, Clipper (all 3 versions before bought out by Computer Associates) (all dos based) and 7 years of HTML.

I have the concepts of programming engrained in the brain - 15 years with dBASE - but it is HOW different languages accomplish what I want to do that is the killer.

It never occurred to me yesterday to pass the variables via html and not php.

You get stuck in a mind set and that is all you can see. My wife calles it "Programmer Mode" and how can I disagree with her? Yesterday was a prime example of blocking out the obvious because I wanted to produce PURE PHP.

Yeah, right!

Eventually, I really need to get back into learning how to manipulate the switch command as my final solution was about 15 if/else statements.

Anyway, thanks for your help.