[RESOLVED] Inserting AdSense mid-text

Tim_Silva

Hi,

I was thinking of getting my articles to have a break in the middle so I can insert some ads. Many news site are doing this but I don't know how to go about it.

At this point, I have the first paragraph in bold and the rest of the text just flow all the way to the end.

Here is a snip of what I have so far.

$data = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM $usertable WHERE urlTitle='$urlTitle'") or die(mysql_error()); 
$info = mysql_fetch_array( $data );

echo $info['title'];
echo "<br />";
echo "<p>" .preg_replace('/^.*(?=<br \/>)/iU', '<strong>\\0</strong>', nl2br($info['content'])) ."</p>";

As always, thanks a lot.

Tim

schwim

Tim Silva wrote:

$data = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM $usertable WHERE urlTitle='$urlTitle'") or die(mysql_error()); 
$info = mysql_fetch_array( $data );

echo $info['title'];
echo "<br />";
echo "<p>" .preg_replace('/^.*(?=<br \/>)/iU', '<strong>\\0</strong>', nl2br($info['content'])) ."</p>";

Hi there Tim,

I'm just completely pulling this out of my nether region, just so you're forewarned:

How about:

$ad_data = "<hr>Google's ads are the best thing since sliced bread!<hr>";

echo $info['title'];
echo "<br />";
echo "<p>" .preg_replace('/^.*(?=<br \/>)/iU', '<strong>\\0</strong>'.$ad_data, nl2br($info['content'])) ."</p>";

If I'm correct, it should append your data to the end of the bold text. I think it should work, although I might have screwed up the application of my idea 🙂

thanks,
json

Tim_Silva

Thanks Schwim,

But this solution would only insert the ads right bellow the first paragraph. What I was thinking is to place it about mid-way, which is usually 5 paragraphs down.

Tim

johanafm

My regexp knowledge is very limited so I might be missing the point of your regular expression, but how about changing the '/iU' to /i in

echo "<p>" .preg_replace('/^.*(?=<br \/>)/iU', '<strong>\\0</strong>'.$ad_data,

so that it becomes

echo "<p>" .preg_replace('/^.*(?=<br \/>)/i','<strong>\\0</strong>'.$ad_data,

Tim_Silva

Unfortunately, removing the "U" made no difference in the output. The ad still show right below the first paragraph.

I am sure there must be a way to count paragraphs and insert the ad script right bellow the 3rd, 4th, or 5th paragraphs... and then continue with the text.

I've been spending some time in this but no luck so far.😕

Tim_Silva

After doing lots of research on this, I guess what I want is to preg_replace it so that it will count 6 and then replace it with the $ad_code. Something like:

Magnus es, domine, et laudabilis valde: magna virtus. 
 
At laudare te vult George W. Bush, aliqua portio creaturae tuae. 
 
Et quomodo invocabo deum meum. 
 <-- (this break number 6 would be replaced with code)

I will have to take in consideration that I am already using a preg_replace for placing bold in the first paragraph.

Any help?

Tim

johanafm

Ugly style (I'm certain this can be done a lot nicer for someone who knows their way around regexp) but if you need a quick fix this might do:

$text = "First line<br />Second<br />Third<br />Fourth<br />Fifth<br />Sixth<br />";
$pattern = '/^.*<br \/>.*<br \/>.*<br \/>.*<br \/>.*<br \/>/iU';
$ad = "This is an ad!<br />";
echo preg_replace($pattern, '\\0'.$ad, preg_replace('/^.*(?=<br \/>)/iU', '<strong>\\0</strong>', $text));

outputs:
First line
Second
Third
Fourth
Fifth
This is an ad!
Sixth

Tim_Silva

Thanks a lot Johanafm.

Ugly or not, your code works. There is only one problem that still needs to be addressed. If the text had line break of the type:

this is a block and this is the second block

then it works. But the text goes like:

this is a block 
 and this is the second block

In this case the code is just ignored for some reason. I am pretty sure this problem is connected with the use of nl2br.

I'm still trying to get it to work.

johanafm

$text = "First line<br />Second<br /><br />Third<br />Fourth<br />Fifth<br /><br /><br />Sixth<br />";
$pattern = '/^(.+(<br \/>)+){5}(?!<br \/>)/iU';
$ad = "This is an ad!<br />";
echo preg_replace($pattern, '\\0'.$ad, preg_replace('/^.*(?=<br \/>)/iU', '<strong>\\0</strong>', $text));

Output:
First line
Second

Third
Fourth
Fifth

This is an ad!
Sixth

Or if you prefer:

$text = "First line<br />Second<br /><br />Third<br />Fourth<br />Fifth<br /><br /><br />Sixth<br />";
$pattern = '/^(.+(<br \/>)+){5}/iU';
$ad = "This is an ad!<br />";
echo preg_replace($pattern, '\\0'.$ad, preg_replace('/^.*(?=<br \/>)/iU', '<strong>\\0</strong>', $text));

Output:
First line
Second

Third
Fourth
Fifth
This is an ad!

Sixth

Tim_Silva

Just like the previous post, this new code also works great. But still... because I use nl2br in the echo line:

echo preg_replace($pattern, '\\0'.$ad, preg_replace('/^.*(?=<br \/>)/iU', '<strong>\\0</strong>', nl2br($info['content'])));

It will only work if it is done right after the very first paragraph (after the first line break). If I remove the nl2br then the code also don't work and I lose all the breaks.

So I have to find a way to use your code in conjunction with nl2br (or something else that will give the proper line breaks.)

johanafm

Oh, a silly misstake on my part. The reason is that nl2br replaces '\n' with ' \n' (and . doesn't match line breaks)

Last time is the charm 😉

$text = "First line\nSecond\n\nThird\nFourth\nFifth\n\n\nSixth\n";
$pattern = '/^(.+(<br \/>\n)+){5}/iU';
$ad = "This is an ad!<br />";
echo preg_replace($pattern, '\\0'.$ad, preg_replace('/^.*(?=<br \/>)/iU', '<strong>\\0</strong>', nl2br($text)));

That is, just add '\n' to the subpattern right after 
Or to put the add after all the 3 '\n':

$pattern = '/^(.+(<br \/>\n)+){5}(?!<br \/>)/iU';

Well, I do hope I finally nailed it.

Tim_Silva

The old pattern actually worked better. The old one, if I replaced {5} with {1} at least I would get the $ad right after the first paragraph. The new pattern, however, is ignored, regardless of any change in the {#}.

Well... what can I say...:queasy:

johanafm

As the last pattern didn't work for you, I can only think of one reason for it: that your $info['content'] contains either \r (newline on a mac) or \r\n (newline on windows, or if that's even \n\r, I keep forgetting). nl2br is bound to treat all of "\r", "\n" and "\r\n" (or once again, possibly "\n\r") as a newline and preserve the old new line. That is, when '\r' is encountered it becomes ' \r", when '\n' is encountered it becomes ' \n', and when '\r\n' is encountered it becomes ' \r\n'.

Hence, try replacing the '\n' in the pattern with one of the other line break types and see if it helps.

Tim_Silva

You did it dude.

The final version was: $pattern = '/^(.+( \r\n)+){5}/iU';

Now I just have to play with it for a while, layout wise.

That was 99.99% you and 0.01% me (hey, I gotta have some credit here).

Thanks a bunch,

Tim😃