Xhtml/css --&gt; Php

Xhtml/css --> Php

jon86

Hi.

I am in the process of making a website. I have designed the website with XHTML and CSS with <div>'s etc and have made a welcome page so far. I have designed the website with a logos floated left and right inside a top bar, a nav bar on the left, a 'content' area and a footer. I would like to make the content div area be able to 'dynamically change' when I select something from the menu (i.e. not loading another page, just refreshing the content area with whatever I want inside it). I was thinking that PHP would prob. be best for the implimentation of this.

How do I go about turning my XHTML/CSS page into a PHP page and what should I lookout for, in terms of any potential need for tag changes? For example, the html file loads an external CSS file using link rel= (etc). Would this be implimented another way in PHP?

Many thanks,
Jon

jon86

Would assigning a variable to each different section of content code (the raw HTML code), putting a blank variable inside a content div and then asking PHP to update the blank variable with the content from pre-set content containing variables work?

For example...
On loading the website, the homepage loads up. PHP copies the data from $homevar into $contvar. $contvar displays $homevar's code inside the content div. Upon clicking 'page 1' on the menu, PHP deletes the data inside $contvar and copies $pg1var's data into $contvar. $contvar displays it's data. (and so on...)

I want the top bar, menu and footer to be static and the content area to change, depending on the menu item selected.

Many thanks,
Jon

nfzgrld

I do it by simply including a chunk of code inside the <div> where I want it displayed. Then just use a query string to call that particular chunk in the menu link.

Here's the code that includes the chunk:

<div class="right">
<?php include("includes/$index"); ?>
</div>

Here's what the link looks like:

<a class="menu" href="index.php?index=faq.inc">FAQ</a>

Nick

yelvington

I think you're confused about how to go about this, but templating actually is very simple.

First of all, PHP was originally designed as a templating system. Over time it's evolved into a full-blown programming language. As a result, it's been used to create templating systems (such as Smarty) that are very restricted, because many people want to "force" a separation between presentation (templates) and program logic (PHP code). You'll see many people strongly recommending these templating systems.

But PHP actually is fine for templating.

A template is just HTML with some PHP code inserted where you want to place content.

<html><head><title>
MySite: <? echo $title ?>
</title></head>
<body>
<h1><? echo $title ?></h1>
<? echo $content ?>
</body>
</html>

You can use any kind of HTML (actually any other kind of format as well). Your CSS references, etc., will be just fine. Just modify your HTML by inserting PHP code to echo variables, as demonstrated here.

In a separate file, write the logic of your program. Based on an ID passed through an HTTP GET or POST variable, it might fetch the raw content from wherever you've stored it (perhaps a database), reformat it into valid HTML fragments if necessary, and place it into the variables that you have named in your template.

The last thing your PHP script does is to include() the template file, which will be evaluated. The result will be a fully composed page, built from a standard template, and you have maintained a separation of content, logic, and presentation.