PHP uses the include() function to include other files filled with code into the executing page. So for instance you can create a file which has code to connect to a database and save it as database.php. Then on every page you are coding (be it the login page, admin page, or whatever) you can then include the code from database.php in the page like so....
CODE
include("database.php");
// More code for our login page goes here utilizing the functions
// found in database.php.
The file database.php is said to be a server-side include because it is then included in your other pages using the include function.
Another example would be having a file called "sayhello.php" with a function like...
CODE
<?php
function sayhello() {
return "hello there everyone!";
}
?>
Then in our welcome page called "welcome.php" we would include the sayhello.php file so we get access to the function.
CODE
<?php
// welcome.php
include("sayhello.php");
echo "This is my greeting: " . sayhello();
?>
In the welcome.php page we included a server-side include called sayhello.php and then used the function from that file as if we had defined the function right in the page.
This makes it easier for us to have modular reusable code fragments which we can include in several pages at once.
Hopefully that makes some sense.
Enjoy!
"At DIC we be include loving code ninjas!"
6 Jan, 2008 - 05:39 PM
| 