"output the html into a variable"

RickChase

This is actually directly related to phpBB, but it will also prove relevant in future projects. I am trying to add an include file to my template - my dilemma boils down to this....

changing your little include file to put all its html output into a variable

How do I change my include file to output the html into a variable?

I am able to call the variable, but I don't understand how to turn my include file into a variable. I need the contents of my .inc file to create the output, then that output needs to become the variable {NEW_RELEASES}

This variable is then placed in to the template (because we cannot add php into a template), and we also add something like

"NEW_RELEASES" => $include_output)

to the page_header.php file.

My question is how to get the output of the include file to become known as $include_output.

I sincerely apologize not being able to explain myself better. If I had a better understanding of what I am really trying to do then I might be able to explain it better.

I have spent a very long time trying to figure this out - used all my books, lots of internet searching and cannot seem to find the answer. This is making me feel very stupid...

Here is a related article that explains what I am trying to do:
http://www.phpbb.com/kb/article.php?article_id=36

Thanks for looking,
Rick

leatherback

Hi,

IF I am corect.. All the lines in an included file become part of your main file. So you could have your include file produce a variable, which you then call.

Say you have a lot of data queried from a new-database. THen all this data end up in a output variable In the include you have something like:

query= "select * from table where some boundary";
 $results = mysql_query(select);
 while $row = mysql_fetch_array($results)
   { 
   $include_output .=$row[someoutput];
  }

Then in the main page you should be able to use $include_output

Of course, this is not the final script or anything. Just a way of thinking about the problem. Let me know if this is what you are looking for, or if some other ideas might be closer?

Cheers,

devinemke

you have 2 choices:
1. declare your variable inside of the included PHP file
2. use output buffering

the first method is pretty straightforward:
in the file "html.php"

<?
$html = '<font size=7>This is plain HTML</font>';
?>

then in the "main.php":

<?
include ('html.php');
?>

you now a have a varible available inside of "main.php" called $html that has the HTML code in "html.php".

If you would prefer to have "html.php" contain only plain HTML (without the PHP variable declaration) then you should use output buffering:

in the file "html.php":

<font size=7>This is plain HTML</font>

then in the "main.php":

<?
ob_start ();
include ('html.php');
$html = ob_get_contents ();
ob_end_clean ();

echo $html;
?>

again, you now a have a varible available inside of "main.php" called $html that has the HTML code in "html.php".

keith73

another option.

open the html file using file().
that reads it into an array.
then join the array into your variable.

$html_file = "/path/to/file.html";
$page = file($html_file);
$html = join("\n",$page);

keith

devinemke

or even shorter (if you have PHP 4.3.0 or higher):

$page = file_get_contents ('/path/to/file.html');

RickChase

Thank you all for helping. I took each of the above suggestions and put them in my page_header.php file. Each (with the exception of the last suggestion as I do not have php4.3) produced the exact same result.

Here is a screen shot of what it looks like when it is done...

When I view the include file just by itself or embedded in other pages, it works great, but for some reason it seems to stop reading the first echo (that establishes the tables) right before the closing (") and then spits out the rest of the include as text - and it only does it when included in this particular file. (?!)

Any more suggestions? I am truly stumped on this one.

Thanks again for looking.
Rick

devinemke

looks like you don't have your opening and closing <? ?> tags

RickChase

They're in there. Here's the entire include file, if this helps.

<?

$color1 = "#000000";
$color2 = "#000000";
$row_count = 0;

$db = mysql_connect("localhost", "", "");
mysql_select_db("relapse_releases",$db);

$sql="SELECT * FROM entire_catalog WHERE release_date_us>=CURRENT_DATE() ORDER BY release_date_us ASC LIMIT 5";

$result=mysql_query($sql,$db);

if(!mysql_num_rows($result)) 
{ 
echo(" "); 
} 

else 
{
$num = mysql_num_rows($result); 
$cur = 1;

echo "<p><table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 width=125 class=table_border>
<tr><td width=100%><table border=0 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=0 width=100% bgcolor=000000>";

while ($num >= $cur) {

$row = mysql_fetch_array($result);

$artist = $row["artist"];
$title = $row["title"];
$release_date_us = $row["release_date_us"];
$catalog_number = $row["catalog_number"];


$row_color = ($row_count % 2) ? $color1 : $color2;

echo "<tr bgcolor=$row_color><td valign=top width=125>
<center><img src=\"http://www.relapse.com/albumart/".$catalog_number."_85.gif\" width=85 height=85 border=1>
<br><font face=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica size=1 color=c0c0c0><b>$artist</b></font>
<br><font face=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica size=1 color=c0c0c0>\"$title\"</font></a>
<br><font face=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica size=1><b>Coming ".date("F j",strtotime($release_date_us))."</b></font><p>&nbsp;</center></td></tr>";  

$cur++;


$row_count++; 
}

echo "</table></td></tr></table>";
}
mysql_close($db);
?>

keith73

Now that I see what it is you are trying to do, I'll tell you I don't think you can do that.

In your include file, you could create a variable called $html and do this:

$html = "some text and html here";

if(mysql_num_rows($result){ $html .= "some more text and html here":
}

BUT the only way for that variable to be in your main page is to call that file using include or require.

If you use the file() method, it won't PARSE the php, it will just read it all in as text.

I was under the assumption that this include file that you couldn't include was just html, if that was the case then you coudl use the file() method. BUT since it also has php in it and is trying to do queries, it needs to be parsed by PHP.

I don't know if there is a function that will actually send a text file through the php parser and execute code. If there is, then you could use that, otherwise you must include or require the include file.

why is it that you CAN't inlcude the file?

keith

devinemke

you could use the eval() function, which parses a string as PHP code. grab the contents of the file with file_get_contents() and then run it thru eval()
http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.file-get-contents.php
http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.eval.php

RickChase

Originally posted by keith73 why is it that you CAN't inlcude the file?

keith [/B]

Because I have to call the include from within a .tpl template file. Someone has developed a mod for the templates so that it will (supposedly) allow simple php, but I don't know anyone who has gotten it to work.

Thank you for all the help.
Rick