Ok, getting confused with variable problem.

[Sonic_Rage]

I have a collection of pages that include a file called config.php. The config file looks like this:

<?
// Page Name: config.php

/*Set Site Configurations*/

$site_name = "My Web Site";
$site_url = "http://www.mysite.com";
$site_start_date = "2002";

/*Set DB Connections*/

$db_name = "name";
$db_host = "localhost";
$db_user = "username";
$db_passwd = "password";

?>

Now, each page calls this file like this:

<?
include('config.php');

// Page Name: Index.php

// Page information

Echo"Welcome to $site_name \n"; //The site name will not show up. It is not picking up the variable set in the config.php page.

function do_html_footer()
 {
  echo"<P>&copy $site_start_date - ".date('Y')." $site_name All rights reserved.\n"; 
 }

do_html_footer(); // Site_start_date and site_name do not show.

?>

Here's my problem and I'm not getting it right. How do I make each page be able to call those variables set in the config page?

Can someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong. I'm just not getting this to work right for me. Thanks.

[superwormy]

Realize that include() is the equivalent to just copy and pasting the code from th eother file into that one, so that should work fine.

Therefore, we can assume that it's not a problem with the include() statement and the variables right? Right.

BUT it IS A PROBLEM when you use variables that are not local to the function INSIDE THE FUNCTION. The variables $site_url, $site_name, $site_start_date are only set OUTSIDE OF THE FUNCTION, and are not set at all inside the function.

Either define them in the function, pass them to the function as parameters, or make them global, ie:

$varname = "keith";

function functionanme () {

global $varname;

}

[Radon3k]

In other words (just to make superwormy's post more clear):

<?
include('config.php');

// Page Name: Index.php

// Page information

Echo"Welcome to $site_name \n"; //The site name will not show up. It is not picking up the variable set in the config.php page.

function do_html_footer()
global $site_start_date, $site_name;
 {
  echo"<P>&copy $site_start_date - ".date('Y')." $site_name All rights reserved.\n"; 
 }

do_html_footer(); // Site_start_date and site_name do not show.

?>

Hope this helps, good luck! 🙂

[barand]

They should show in that first echo statement - it isnt inside a function.

Is config.php in a folder specified in your include path?

[Sonic_Rage]

Oh ok, great! That makes sense to me now. So basically I only need to place the

global $site_start_date, $site_name;

in the functions and I do not need to place that on the config page since it is already being called by the include statement, right?

[superwormy]

Just to be picky as well... use <?php and not the short tags <?. Short tags dont' work on all hosts ( diff. PHP setup sometimes )

[superwormy]

And I just copy and pasted yoru code and the var works fine in the first echo() statement...

[Radon3k]

Those two variables are already being called from the include file, however since you put them inside a function and they weren't declared there, they won't work. That's why you use the global statement, so that they can be used inside and outside of the function. 🙂

[superwormy]

global need only be used in functions and classes

As another though, in generl its a good idea to AVOID use global() and either pass things to your function or indicate in some other way that they are global ( ie put them in the $GLOBALS array )

Makes code a little cleaner and easier to read.