CONSTANT via include() == Notice

ATS16805

hi. I'm using an include for my html headers. those "headers" as i've been calling it are really more than just headers-- it's a few different include files rolled into one, and spit-out at the tops of my viewable documents.

for instance, about as "minimalist" as i get would be as follows:

<?php include 'inc/myheaders.php' ?>
<div>
<p>html stuff content <?php echo EMAIL; ?> and my paragraph ends </p>
</div>
<?php include 'inc/footers' ?>

as part of the "myheaders.php" file, i have the following:

define(EMAIL, $whole);

where $whole is a concatenation of 3 bits of email-- all in the name of anti-spaml

i'm getting a notice undefined constant for the EMAIL var. even though it is defined (i thought) before it is called w/ in the html paragraph.

is my syntax wrong, or do i need to make some kind of precautions so everything is parsed / read at the right time? as it stands, the only way that anything is going into the pages for the "headers" is just via straight includes-- and some of those includes also have their own includes, so it gets a little tricky.
the tree looking something like:
/home/INC/Headers.php; stuff4header.php; 2theHeader.php; navigation.php; etc.
/home/images/
/home/css/

home/myfilenow.php
so Headers is itself pulling from other includes-- such as the navigation, etc.-- made as different components in attempt to achieve a more modular web site.

What should I do to eliminate that "Notice" error? thanks!!

void_function

define ('EMAIL', $whole);

define ("EMAIL", $whole);

😃

ATS16805

thanks! cool-- i was just coming back here to say that i realized what was wrong. i was thinking it was in the bottom part... the

<?php echo EMAIL; ?>

... do i use the quotes there, or no?
ie. i was coming back to say 'i see i need the quotes there at "echo 'EMAIL';" ' -- but i guess i had it backwards... would that be wrong or right to have them there also?

(EDIT: nope. don't "need" 'em after "echo" -- at least not in this circumstance)

is there a "rule of thumb" on this?
i was checking out the examples here-- but i didn't see a definitive answer http://php.net/manual/en/language.constants.php

Installer

Enquote a constant only when it's defined or with "constant()" or "defined()", otherwise it'll be interpreted as a literal string.

ATS16805

ahhhh!
okay. cool. thanks for that!

(pay no mind to the rest of this if you aren't in the mood to entertain discourse with less-than-urgent rhetorical questioning-- just simple discussion. i don't want anyone to become annoyed w/ it...)
on my end, as one who tries to be thorough about his understanding of things-- especially elements of his work or play environment-- i've been trying to figure out "Why did i not know this?"

I thought i was over the "Notice: Undefined Constant" problem (my old beginners habit of using a variable in a script before that variable is set), and that i had effectively developed an understanding of why it happens-- so, as a rule i don't do it. but, i suppose i can give myself a little credit that this situation is different?

did you ever have that one password that you always forget, or that one bit of syntax that you find you are always referencing for clarity? that one phone number; that one rock-band, the spelling of which-- although a favourite, you always double-check? i feel like this is my php thing [or, one of my php things]. typically however, with those other buggers, i can do some kind of mnemonics and eventually stop referencing it if i'm good about it (although the O.C.D. probably tends to pull in the opposite direction, regardless. doh!)

the thing of Constants-- perhaps because i've entered the game only after the pre-php420 era of the "register globals: on" configuration directive-- it seems like one of those things i just can never get. anyone have a recommendation for mnemonics here?

is there a relationship between this Constants issue, and in another single/ double quotes / string-problem which surfaces for me now and then?:
the T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE error which turns up when using the wrong choice in determining whether $SESSION['named'] should be presented for output instead as $SESSION[named] ?

[font=serif]"..Heck I’m Curious Like a cat. I got a couple of friends that call me Whiskers."[/font] -- Will Farrell, SNL

ahundiak

s there a relationship between this Constants issue, and in another single/ double quotes / string-problem which surfaces for me now and then?:
the T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE error which turns up when using the wrong choice in determining whether $SESSION['named'] should be presented for output instead as $SESSION[named] ?

Yes.

Its a bit confusing but you should always quote your array names unless they are inside of a "whatever" string. So
echo "Session Named: $_SESSION['named']"
will generate an error.

To be consistent you can always surround all the variables with {} so
echo "Session Named: {$_SESSION['named']}"
will work without an error and it allows you to be consistent.