frames and require ???

habbardone

Hi,
I am trying to get my php prop to start up in a different frame
but i don't know the best way to do it !

I tried:

if (($_POST["btn"])== "rooms") {
require_once("rooms.php" target = content); break;}

and

if (($_POST["btn"])== "rooms") {
require_once("rooms.php target = content"); break;}

but both give errors.

what should i be doing ?
thanks

Roger_Ramjet

Well what ever it is it certainly is not this.

require include tha named script into the current script just as if you had pasted it there yourself. And php scripts can never run on the client so expecting one to work in a frame is nonsense.

Target= etc is an html construct and so your php needs to echo it into the html stream. Can't tell you more from this little bit of code.

habbardone

ok - may be i wasn't very clear ! My question is how do I get my php file to run and load the resulting html into a different frame ?

My frame structure is very simple. My menu is in the banner type frame at the top of the page - and called "topt". The bottom half is divided into "sort" on the left and "content" on the right. Pretty standard.

When a button is pressed the "top" frame I want the HTML that results from the php script to load into the "contents" frame.

can anyone help ?
thanks.

Roger_Ramjet

Here is the code I use

<?
// index.php create framset


require_once 'accesscontrol.php';
?>
</head>
<frameset rows="60,*">
	<frame src="topmenu.php" name="topframe" noresize="noresize" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="1">
	<frame src="main.php" name="mainframe" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" noresize="noresize">
</frameset>
</html>


// topemenu.php mine searches and displays results in mainframe
<?
// edit ....

<body onLoad="document.search.go_string.focus()">
<table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr><td>
	<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="0">
	<form name="search" action="main.php" target="mainframe" method="post" onSubmit="return val_search();">
	<tr>
		<td><input type="text" name="go_string" size="15" maxlength="40" tabindex="1" title="no selection = display all debts" /></td>
		<td><select name="go_field" tabindex="2" title="no selection = display all debts">
			<option value="all">- select field -</option>
			<option value="track">track</option>
			<option value="ref"><?=$client?> ref</option>
			<option value="name">name</option>
		</select></td>
		<td><input type="submit" class="mainoption" name="go_search" value="search" tabindex="3" title="no selection = display all debts"  /></td>
	</tr>
	</form>

// edit ....

// logout form here, this one targets parent frameset not mainframe

<td>
	<form action="index.php" target="_parent" method="post">
		<input type="submit" class="mainoption" name="log_out" value="log out" tabindex="5" />
	</form>
</td></tr></table>

?>

(Sorry but my edits kill some of the syntax highlighting)

The important parts are in the <form> tags. The first form targets the lower fram target="mainframe" while the second targets the whole page target="_parent"

Roger_Ramjet

You will need yours to say target="contents"

habbardone

thanks,
I 'll have a look at that off-line. I am sure it looks like what I need.

habbardone

by the way,
a lot of poeple say "DONT USE FRAMES" but you obviously do - so why are some so against it - I gues most browsers support them now - what are your thoughts . Do you always use frames ?

I have only just started using them !

Roger_Ramjet

A long time ago many browsers where not frames compatible so using them would bar many users from your site. The good books always say include a "noframes" alternative in your code so they can see your site.

Today, anyone using a browser that does not support frames has only themselves to blame. But still include the noframes tables just in case.

In my case I needed to get a lot of information on the one page. Some of it must be always visible while you scroll through the rest. And I HATE pages that you have to scroll down for ever and ever. Now CSS and overlays etc can achieve this, but it is jerky and often looks horrible. So frames works well for me. Left panel has all the essential info even when they resize the window. Right panel is scrollable, and searchable, for the other stuff.

I'm using frames for a private application. I have set up online reporting for our clients so they can see work in progress without having to email or phone us for an update.
It is a major part of our future plans and already paying dividends for our sales people who can show the demo to new prospects. It gives them a real insight into our work, how much we do and how well we do it. Not my design but the content within it.
It also means our staff are not being interupted all day answering clients' queries, especially since most of those queries are just so that people can look busy to their own bosses. "Yes boss, I'm on top of that. I spoke to James at SLS just an hour ago" sort of thing.

Roger_Ramjet

On the point of CSS. People will tell you not to use tables for layout, use CSS - just like they used to say NO FRAMES. But CSS is poorly implemented right across the browser spectrum still - just as frames once were.

There are only a few MUST or MUST NOT do and most of them relate to seccurity. All the rest is personal choice. Use what works and disregard the rest.

habbardone

I thanks for your input - very reasonable approach.

I used your sugeestions and used
<form action = "run_main.php" target = "content" style= "btn_text" method="POST">

to run an extra program (run_main) in the correct frame.

That then selects which program to run based on the $_post

and it uses require_once to do it.

in the <body> stmt of the php that is lauched I have this:

and in the <head>

I have :

How do I rum my form.php from this function and putting it in window leftframe ?

Actually what I am trying to do is start one program in content and a diferent program in leftframe. But with the <form> I can only start one of them !

what is the best way to do it. I am not that keen on using js to do it - is there a way with php ?
Can I use header location with a frame target ?

other suggestions ?

if not how do i do it in js ?

thanks for any help !
David.

Roger_Ramjet

Whoops! Started to answer this and then realised I'm not sure what you mean. Is it that when the user selects from your left menu, you want to laod the content in one frame and a corresponding NEW menu in the left hand frame. If so then the contents page can target the menu frame with the new menu while generating it's own output for content. Have a search for how to use the header() function and target a frame.

habbardone

Yep - its like that but more simple:

I'll re-phrase it :

I used your suggetions for the form targeting my content frame.
with:
<form action = "run_main.php" target = "content" style= "btn_text" method="POST">

I use the intermediate program "run_main.php" to determin which btn was pressed and therefore which
php to run. I am using this in the run_main.php which runs in content frame (mainframe as you call it)

switch ($_POST["btn"]){
	case "stuff1" :require_once("stuff1.php") ; break;
	case "stuff2" :require_once("stuff2.php") ; break;
	etc ...

problem is I want to also start another program - form that gets sort options in my "leftframe" frame and I am
stuck again !

I could do it with js by putting some js code in the <body> tag of
the stuff1.php eg :

First off - i don't know how to do it in js 🙂
and second, I'd rather do it with php if possible
may be using headers location ?? can you use target with this ?

How do I do it in js ?

Any more help would be much appreciated !
Thanks
David