Bonjour.

If someone could please tell me why the following code works:

<?php
/** URL to babelfish website to scrap **/
  $url2scrap = 'http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_txt';

  /** text to translate **/
  $tt_text = urlencode('speak');

  /** set variable to hold what to translate from and to **/
  $tl_value = urlencode('en_fr');
  #function babelScrap($url, $tt_text, $tl_value){

$vars = 'trtext='.$tt_text.'&lp='.$tl_value;

/** create cURL object **/
$ch = curl_init($url2scrap);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $vars);

$return = curl_exec($ch);

curl_close($ch);

/** chop up return to the data we actually want **/
$tmp = split('="result">', $return);
$tmp2 = split('</div>', $tmp[1]);
$tmp3 = split(">", $tmp2[0]);
$return = $tmp3[1];

echo $return;
  #}

  #echo babelScrap($url2scrap, $tt_text, $tl_value);
?>

But this code does not:

<?php
/** URL to babelfish website to scrap **/
  $url2scrap = 'http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_txt';

  /** text to translate **/
  $tt_text = urlencode('speak');

  /** set variable to hold what to translate from and to **/
  $tl_value = urlencode('en_fr');
  function babelScrap($url, $tt_text, $tl_value){

$vars = 'trtext='.$tt_text.'&lp='.$tl_value;

/** create cURL object **/
$ch = curl_init($url2scrap);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $vars);

$return = curl_exec($ch);

curl_close($ch);

/** chop up return to the data we actually want **/
$tmp = split('="result">', $return);
$tmp2 = split('</div>', $tmp[1]);
$tmp3 = split(">", $tmp2[0]);
$return = $tmp3[1];

return $return;
  }

  echo babelScrap($url2scrap, $tt_text, $tl_value);
?>

I've got to be missing something obvious. All I am doing is moving my test code into a function.

TIA!

edit

The first set of code displays parlez, which is correct. The second set of code displays a blank page.

    Try this...

    <?php
/** URL to babelfish website to scrap **/
  $url2scrap = 'http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_txt';

  /** text to translate **/
  $tt_text = urlencode('speak');

  /** set variable to hold what to translate from and to **/
  $tl_value = urlencode('en_fr');
  function babelScrap($url, $tt_text, $tl_value){

$vars = 'trtext='.$tt_text.'&lp='.$tl_value;

/** create cURL object **/
$ch = curl_init($url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $vars);

$return = curl_exec($ch);

curl_close($ch);

/** chop up return to the data we actually want **/
$tmp = split('="result">', $return);
$tmp2 = split('</div>', $tmp[1]);
$tmp3 = split(">", $tmp2[0]);
$return = $tmp3[1];

return $return;
  }

  echo babelScrap($url2scrap, $tt_text, $tl_value);
?>

    Tell me if it works or not. It should. You just forgot to change $url2scrap to $url or vice versa I think.

      I knew it was something retarded.

      Thanks.

        Here is the working code in case anyone wants to scrap a babelfish site ... although I think it is illegal.

        <?php
  /** URL to babelfish website to scrap **/
  $url2scrap = 'http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_txt';

  /** text to translate **/
  $tt_text = urlencode('speak');

  /** set variable to hold what to translate from and to **/
  $tl_value = urlencode('en_fr');

  function babelScrap($url, $tt_text, $tl_value){

$vars = 'trtext='.$tt_text.'&lp='.$tl_value;

/** create cURL object **/
$ch = curl_init($url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $vars);

$return = curl_exec($ch);

curl_close($ch);

/** chop up return to the data we actually want **/
$tmp = split('="result">', $return);
$tmp2 = split('</div>', $tmp[1]);
$tmp3 = split(">", $tmp2[0]);
$return = $tmp3[1];

return $return;
  }

  echo babelScrap($url2scrap, $tt_text, $tl_value);
?>
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