PHP Include (Change include file within the page)

montanaflynn

Hello, I am working on a website that requires the use of include files, i have the include html files ready and can properly show them in the page but I am looking for a way to have a menu on the page where the user can choose which file he would like to read, I dont want to have multiple pages I would like to just have the actual php include code change when the user picks the file he would like to read. Anyone know of a way to do this?

Thanks,
Montana

Scriptmaker

At first thought, I would think that would be a bad idea. Searching around, I found:

http://www.phpfreaks.com/tutorials/131/2.php

"The Worst Mistake

This is the one rule I want to pass along to you and I hope that you remember this.

NEVER EVER include or read, execute, delete files based on USER INPUT."

montanaflynn

Thanks,

I still need a solutiion, basically I have a page called Facts.html and I need the users to pick what item they want to see the facts of and i would like a simple links menu like this
item 1 : item 2 : item 3 :
when the user selects an item it would inject the related facts onto the page under the menu so the user could go back and see multiple facts from the same page without opening new pages or reloading. I know this is possible as ive seen it, I dont mind doing the work i just would like to know what a good method at getting it done would be.

Thanks again,
Montana Flynn (that rhymed nicely)

Scriptmaker

If you want the data to be accessed without reloading and navigating to another page, you might want to check out the PHPbuilder AJAX articles.

http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/jon_campbell20070525.php3

If you really just want to load your HTML pages within one parent page, look into iframes.

montanaflynn

thanks again, I looked into the ajax article but really dont understand most of it, but will keep trying until i get it to work. If anyone knows of a simpler to understand tutorial or even an application of ajax for what im seeking i'd appreciate the links.

Montana Flynn

bpat1434

montanaflynn: use jQuery for your AJAX calls. It's an easy setup and your links would look something like:

<a href="http://www.mydomain.com/page.php?item=1" onClick="$.get('page.php', {item: 1}); return false;">Item 1</a>

The link is created as normal; however, it also includes a javascript call to the $.get() function which is jQuery's AJAX get URL function. If javascript is turned off, the original link still works (in which case the same page just with different info is returned). If it's turned on, we call the $.get() function for the page.php we want, and give it a parameter "item" with a value of "1". Now, since we don't want to redirect them, we return false. The jQuery would complete it's AJAX request. Now, you'd need to define what functions to call to update the DOM with the received information, but jQuery has good documentation on how to do such things.

montanaflynn

thanks bpat,
I ended up just using variables inside my facts page to call the correct include file. This was all done with simple links and php tags! Here is the code i used
LINKS

<ul>
<li><a href="facts.php?load=x&thc=hemp">Hemp</a></li>
<li><a href="facts.php?load=x&thc=legal">Legal</a></li>
<li><a href="facts.php?load=x&thc=health">Health Risks</a></li>
<li><a href="facts.php?load=x&thc=tobacco">Tobacco Vs. Cannabis</a></li>
<li><a href="facts.php?load=x&thc=qoute">Qoutes</a></li>
</ul>

INCLUDE CODE

<?php

$page_choice = $_GET['thc'];
switch($page_choice) {
	case "hemp": include ("http://www.totallyhigh.com/v4/facts/hemp.php"); break;
	case "legal": include ("http://www.totallyhigh.com/v4/facts/legal.php"); break;
	case "qoute": include ("http://www.totallyhigh.com/v4/facts/qoutes.php"); break;
	case "health": include ("http://www.totallyhigh.com/v4/facts/health.php"); break;
	case "tobacco": include ("http://www.totallyhigh.com/v4/facts/tobacco.php"); break;
	default: echo "<b>Please select a category!</b>
	";
}

?>

Thanks again for all your help im still looking into the ajax but i think this is actually going to be fine for my use, and i I think it also took care of the security issue of letting user define include files!

bpat1434

Don't forget to mark this thread as resolved if it is....

rowanparker

Completely irrelevant but if the word 'qoute' is meant to be 'quote' you spelt it slightly wrong.