[Resolved] Applying CSS style to echo statement

kiwibrit

I am having trouble applying the style mytext (from CSS) to the following:

echo "Sizes Possible With ". "$size" ."mm Head Box, and ".$drive." Drive";

Any way I do it, I either get plain text, or the style being applied do the $size and $drive so they appear as that, and not as their values, or I get the correct text with no style applied, or I get a parsing error.

The style works fine elsewhere in the script applied to a table. The problem seems to be mixing text and variables together.

I'd be grateful for a steer on this.

paulnaj

How are you trying to apply it ... you haven't shown here.

Paul

halojoy

I do not understand.
There has to be some style settings involved.
What is the CSS for this line?
Can you add more info. So you get help.

When using doubled quotes, echo "your text";
you can write variables directly into text
like this, with those 2 variables:

$size = 60;
$drive = "drv7";
echo "Sizes Possible With $size mm Head Box, and $drive Drive";

kiwibrit

echo "<p class= \"mytext\">Sizes Possible With $size mm Head Box, and $drive Drive</p>";

did the trick.

The style sheet link was called up in the <head> part of the file, BTW.

I still have a more to learn about how text, variables, and white space work in an echo line.
But exploring that here would be OT - I'll play, search if need be, then come back to this very helpful forum if need be.

Thanks, guys.

paulnaj

Hi Halojoy,

I don't think you're necessarily recommending ...

When using doubled quotes, echo "your text";
you can write variables directly into text
like this, with those 2 variables

... but I would use double-quotes only when you absolutely have to, which is not often.

For me ...

<?php
echo "<p class=\"mytext\">Sizes Possible With $size mm Head Box, and $drive Drive</p>"; 
?>

... is much harder to debug than ...

<?php
echo '<p class="mytext">Sizes Possible With '.$size.' mm Head Box, and '.$drive.' Drive</p>'; 
?>

... which is more natural for HTML (not having to escape the double-quotes every time within the string) as well.

Paul 🙂

halojoy

'There are many roads to Rome'
Which means that is not only one way to get to Rome in Italy.

Same in PHP.
Can be very many ways to do same thing.
As long as it works.

I do things my way.
You do things in way you like.
🙂
And everybody can be happy!

paulnaj

'There are many roads to Rome'

I agree.

I also agree that you and I should do as we like.

But, if we're advising a newbie, I don't think giving shortcuts is necessarily useful. Ok, with one line of code, your way ... my way ... no difference. But with pages and pages of code, using double-quotes with embedded variables is a nightmare. The only benefit is the fractional difference in time it takes to type.

Paul 🙂

halojoy

sometimes is simple using double
sometimes is better using single
sometimes mixed: double/single or single/double

For a beginner.
What is most simple of these?

// first way
echo "the width is $width and height is $height pixels";

//second way
echo 'the width is ' .$width. ' and height is ' .$height. ' pixels';

I have some rules of my own, when to do one way or other.
Keeps me happy 🙂 😉 🙂

You should also notice this.
My response was to your first post!
Your original post has NOT any mixed variables, needing single/double.
It is perfectly alright using only double quotes around this text!

// original question posted code
echo "Sizes Possible With ". "$size" ."mm Head Box, and ".$drive." Drive";

// halojoy response
echo "Sizes Possible With $size mm Head Box, and $drive Drive";

paulnaj

For a beginner.
What is most simple of these?

... The second way.

You should also notice this.
My response was to your first post!
Your original post has NOT any mixed variables, needing single/double.

Err ... I think you're confusing me with the starter of the thread.

Paul 🙂