[RESOLVED] file_put_contents and variables from functions

[laughing_rabbit]

I am trying to use file_put_contents for the first time and I have an issue that is driving me crazy. The file is being written, but not all of the content is getting written. This could be convoluted but, here goes:

I am trying to create an HTML email confirmation of an order form a client portal. In the function to create the message body and write it to a file for Mime_mail to call I have a variable that is assigned this string:

html headers
stylesheet
body text

and here I want to insert dynamic html in a table from the order details
so -> query the database
use the results to put data in the variables in the TD
I have this in a separate function, one for the delivery details and one function for the items.

then write some more body text
close the html

call file_put_contents (path/name, filedata)

When I look at the file that was output, the static portion of the string is there along with a couple of variables (name, csr_name), but the dynamic stuff is not. The kicker is that the dynamic stuff is being output to my success page, but I did not call for it to be output (yet).

So far I have tried:

$file_data = 'html string of stuff';
$file_data .= function($arg);
$file_data .= 'html string stuff to end';

and

$function_res = function($arg);
$file_data = 'html string of stuff';
$file_data .= $function_res;
$file_data .= 'html string stuff to end';

The functions are a basic query database, return an array of results, parse the array and write the desired data to an html table with echo statements.

The user has reviewed the order and clicked to confirm, redirects to the success page where there is some cart cleanup, call to the mail_message function, which has the create_message function which calls the dynamic content functions and output the success message (static) where it would also display the order details (not written into the script yet).

Any thoughts and pointers are appreciated. I can expound on the code as requested. I just did not want this to turn into a novella.

[Weedpacket]

I'm guessing that your function() is using echo or the like to output text. You don't want it to do that, you want it to build up a string (like you do for $file_data) and return it so that it can be added to $file_data.

If you can't modify the function, have a look at using [man]ob_start[/man] and [man]ob_get_clean[/man] to capture its output.

[laughing_rabbit]

Thanks for the reply. I was using multiple echo lines.

After posting, I kept looking around and read about the ob_ functions. So I wrote in this:

Function some_data($arg) {

query->set results as array
ob_start();
echo html table and query results
$var = ob_get_contents();
ob_end_clean();
return $var;
}

In the calling function I have the calls to the data retrieval functions and in the $file_data assignment I have:

$file_data = 'html string of stuff';
$file_data .= $function_res;
$file_data .= 'html string stuff to end';

No output to the page since ob_ did its job, but the captured output was not written to the arg_object of file_put_contents. It is some sort of scope issue I am sure. I am just not seeing it.

[laughing_rabbit]

Typical too much coding and not enough break.

I should have been assigning like this:

$var = function($arg);

I wasn't. All is well now.

I can get to work on why PEAR Mail_mime and Mail::factory is not doing what I want.

Weedpacket: Thanks for the output buffering hint. Much nicer way to do things.