Executing an embedded script chunk containing server-side code

orbitaltech

I am retreiving a piece of HTML code that contains server-side code from a database and then using the echo command to write it to a web page. Everything works fine except the server-side code that is embedded in the code chunk does not get executed. It is just sitting there visible when you view the pages source.

How do I get this server-side code to be executed when it's echo'd to the page

Sample:

$var = $database->GetCodeChunk();

$var now equals this:
<table>
<tr>
<select id="myid">
<?
//do database stuff here
?>
</select>
</tr>
</table>

Now, I do this in my main page

//html code here
<table>
<?
echo $var
?>
</table>
// more html code

When viewing the page source, this is what I see
//html code here
<table>
<table>
<tr>
<select id="myid">
<?
//do database stuff here
?>
</select>
</tr>
</table>
</table>
// more html code

Now, what I want is for the server-side code in this page to be executed properly just like I had hard-coded it

Any ideas?

Shrike

You need to configure the server, presumably Apache, to allow PHP to be parsed in HTML pages. Check out the Apache site.

I think that there may be issues with getting PHP from included/required files to be parsed too. Not too sure on this though.

orbitaltech

I am using PHP on an Linux box running apache. The pages are already .php extentions.

do i still need to setup Apache to do what you said?

Shrike

Yep. I can't remember the Apache directive off-hand either, I'm sure Google does though 😉

orbitaltech

didn't work.

I am not trying to simply run a php script in a page. That already works. What I am trying to do is get a chunk of code that I am embedding into a page (as a string using echo $string) to execute the server-side code that is contained within it.

keith73

Originally posted by orbitaltech
didn't work.

I am not trying to simply run a php script in a page. That already works. What I am trying to do is get a chunk of code that I am embedding into a page (as a string using echo $string) to execute the server-side code that is contained within it.

then you need to evaluate the string using eval()

http://www.php.net/eval

keith

orbitaltech

Thanks Keith.

And to think I have used this function in Javascript for years and never thought to search PHP for it