PHP Programming - PHP Best Practices

Author

PHP Best Practices

eholz1

2006-12-22, 6:59 pm

Hello, I have a basic design question, in terms of what is "better"
programming.

I have a web site, and am using php pages as includes. some of the php
pages have php tags, and "echo" or "print" the php variables and html.

Like this:
<div id="body">
<?php include("phpincludes/server-nav.php"); ?>
</div>

the php page has code like this:
<div id="header">
<ul>
<li class="tab" <?php if ($thisPage=="Home")
echo " id=\"currentpage\""; ?>>
<a href="http://abf966/LBA/index.php">Home</a>
</li>
<li class="tab" <?php if ($thisPage=="Introduction")
echo " id=\"currentpage\""; ?>>
<a href="http://abf966/LBA/intro.php">Introduction</a></li> ...
etc

is it better (or not) to not only echo divs, etc but to create
everything within php tags like this?

<?php echo ('<h2 class="decco" id="hdrTopic">Who We Are Not</h2>'); ?>

OR is this really the same thing, but looks different???

thanks again,

ewholz

mvandenb@gmail.com

2006-12-22, 6:59 pm

Better... No. Different... Yes.

Read this:

http://www.faqts.com/knowledge_base...ml/aid/1/fid/40

better then me just restating what is there!

Matthew

eholz1 wrote:
> Hello, I have a basic design question, in terms of what is "better"
> programming.
>
> I have a web site, and am using php pages as includes. some of the php
> pages have php tags, and "echo" or "print" the php variables and html.
>
> Like this:
> <div id="body">
> <?php include("phpincludes/server-nav.php"); ?>
> </div>
>
> the php page has code like this:
> <div id="header">
> <ul>
> <li class="tab" <?php if ($thisPage=="Home")
> echo " id=\"currentpage\""; ?>>
> <a href="http://abf966/LBA/index.php">Home</a>
> </li>
> <li class="tab" <?php if ($thisPage=="Introduction")
> echo " id=\"currentpage\""; ?>>
> <a href="http://abf966/LBA/intro.php">Introduction</a></li> ...
> etc
>
> is it better (or not) to not only echo divs, etc but to create
> everything within php tags like this?
>
> <?php echo ('<h2 class="decco" id="hdrTopic">Who We Are Not</h2>'); ?>
>
> OR is this really the same thing, but looks different???
>
> thanks again,
>
> ewholz

hackajar@gmail.com

2006-12-25, 3:59 am

For future programming the following, IMHO, works really well:

1.) Use "require_once()" instead of "include()". Some of my
applications get so harry that for saftey checks I will call a file
more then once, this protects re-establishing code. Also, require will
cause fatal error while include will only warn. You probably will want
to know for sure if a file made it ok.

2.) If your going to program in this way, use some of PHP's built in
short cuts:
Replace - <?php include("phpincludes/server-nav.php");?>
With - <?=require_once("phpincludes/server-nav.php")?>
Notice lack of "php" after "?" instead an "=" and no ";" at end. This
works and shrinks code ;)

Cheers,
Hackajar
eholz1 wrote:
> Hello, I have a basic design question, in terms of what is "better"
> programming.
>
> I have a web site, and am using php pages as includes. some of the php
> pages have php tags, and "echo" or "print" the php variables and html.
>
> Like this:
> <div id="body">
> <?php include("phpincludes/server-nav.php"); ?>
> </div>
>
> the php page has code like this:
> <div id="header">
> <ul>
> <li class="tab" <?php if ($thisPage=="Home")
> echo " id=\"currentpage\""; ?>>
> <a href="http://abf966/LBA/index.php">Home</a>
> </li>
> <li class="tab" <?php if ($thisPage=="Introduction")
> echo " id=\"currentpage\""; ?>>
> <a href="http://abf966/LBA/intro.php">Introduction</a></li> ...
> etc
>
> is it better (or not) to not only echo divs, etc but to create
> everything within php tags like this?
>
> <?php echo ('<h2 class="decco" id="hdrTopic">Who We Are Not</h2>'); ?>
>
> OR is this really the same thing, but looks different???
>
> thanks again,
>
> ewholz

Dikkie Dik

2006-12-25, 7:00 pm

>
> Like this:
> <div id="body">
> <?php include("phpincludes/server-nav.php"); ?>
> </div>

I would write this as
<?php
require_once(dirname(__FILE__) . '/phpincludes/server-nav.php');
?>

I use double quotes only for newlines and tabs. Also, PHP has a nasty
tendency to resolve relative paths with respect to the calling page, not
to the current page. So if this file was called from another directory,
the include file would be searched relative to _that_ directory first.
So I always use absolute paths.

Best regards

m91.org@gmail.com

2006-12-26, 3:59 am

Try to check any source code from PEAR distribution. It's very clean.
And Óan be an example for imitation.

"""eholz1 ÐÉÓÁÌ(Á):
"""
> Hello, I have a basic design question, in terms of what is "better"
> programming.
>
> I have a web site, and am using php pages as includes. some of the php
> pages have php tags, and "echo" or "print" the php variables and html.
>
> Like this:
> <div id="body">
> <?php include("phpincludes/server-nav.php"); ?>
> </div>
>
> the php page has code like this:
> <div id="header">
> <ul>
> <li class="tab" <?php if ($thisPage=="Home")
> echo " id=\"currentpage\""; ?>>
> <a href="http://abf966/LBA/index.php">Home</a>
> </li>
> <li class="tab" <?php if ($thisPage=="Introduction")
> echo " id=\"currentpage\""; ?>>
> <a href="http://abf966/LBA/intro.php">Introduction</a></li> ...
> etc
>
> is it better (or not) to not only echo divs, etc but to create
> everything within php tags like this?
>
> <?php echo ('<h2 class="decco" id="hdrTopic">Who We Are Not</h2>'); ?>
>
> OR is this really the same thing, but looks different???
>
> thanks again,
>
> ewholz

Jerry Stuckle

2006-12-26, 10:00 pm

hackajar@gmail.com wrote:
>
>

(Top posting fixed)

> For future programming the following, IMHO, works really well:
>
> 1.) Use "require_once()" instead of "include()". Some of my
> applications get so harry that for saftey checks I will call a file
> more then once, this protects re-establishing code. Also, require will
> cause fatal error while include will only warn. You probably will want
> to know for sure if a file made it ok.
>
> 2.) If your going to program in this way, use some of PHP's built in
> short cuts:
> Replace - <?php include("phpincludes/server-nav.php");?>
> With - <?=require_once("phpincludes/server-nav.php")?>
> Notice lack of "php" after "?" instead an "=" and no ";" at end. This
> works and shrinks code ;)
>

And fails on any host which has short_open_tags turned off, which is
more and more common. Much better to use <?php.

> Cheers,
> Hackajar
> eholz1 wrote:
>

P.S. Please don't top post.

--
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Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attglobal.net
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