[SOLVED] Pass control to another php file ...

[binderman]

Hi

 

Newbie here - I have written a fairly large php script that handles the data management of a large database.  I would like to be able to split the php file into smaller more focused scripts that just do the task of one operation - say manage users, another to manage the contractors in the db, another to manage the parts in the db, and so on.

 

How do I get my main/index.php to call another .php file and pass control to that called .php file?  I want control to pass to the called .php file and "close" the calling .php file.  Hope that makes sense.

Binder.

[MadTechie]

do you mean include a file and why do you want to close file that calls it ?

What "controls" do you wish to pass ?

[binderman]

Hi madtechie

 

I'm building my system so that once I have the user login and the user has supplied a valid id and password, they will get passed to menu.  The user would then make a selection from the menu - say manage items.  I'm thinking (and this is coming from a non-web world, I'm an old vba programmer ) the menu .php script should end/close and the manage items .php script should start/open.  IE - instead of having one huge .php file that tries to control all the different options and menu choices, break it into smaller .php files that do smaller jobs.  Each time a .php files closes it would pass certain info - user name, session id and such to the new opened .php file.

 

Make sense - or am I going about this the wrong way?  Is there a better way to break control in a large system down?

 

Binder

 

[MadTechie]

okay a simple way to think of if is like actions

 

for example heres my main page (with menu)

<a href="?action=home">home</a><br />
<a href="?action=contact">contact</a><br />
<?php
switch($_GET['action'])
{
case "home":
	include "home.php";
break;
case "contact":
	include "contact.php";
break;
}
?>

 

and heres my pages

<?php
echo "contect page";
?>

 

<?php
echo "home page";
?>

 

Now thats kinda basic..

you could also create a file with functions

ie

<?php
function getUserList()
{
//..code
return array();
}

function getUserDetails($UserID)
{
//..code
return array();
}
?>

and include that into another file to use the functions

[binderman]

That helps a lot thanks.

 

So when a .php is included, the main script is still running?  Correct?

 

What does the header("Location: xxx") command do and how is it different from an include?

 

Sorry to be a pest - thanks in advance for your time.

Binder.

[MadTechie]

That helps a lot thanks.

 

So when a .php is included, the main script is still running?  Correct?

correct, its like you copied and pasted that code into that place, but if you create function you can call them when needed,

 

breaking your large script into smaller functions should help.. then you could put all the database functions into database.php and all the display functions into display.php,

once you get used to that then Look at OOP

 

 

What does the header("Location: xxx") command do and how is it different from an include?

 

Sorry to be a pest - thanks in advance for your time.

Binder.

 

Okay header()  controls the Page header (who would of guessed) the  Location: prefix tell the browser to goto another page.

its basically a redirect.. but unlike javascript or metatags you can't have anything displayed on the page

[binderman]

Thanks!  I think I understand much better now and will go and try out some code and see my results.  I very much appreciate your help.

 

I had been looking at OOP php but figured I'd tackle php from a procedural viewpoint as that's my background.  I'll give that a shot soon.

 

Thanks again

Binder.

[MadTechie]

OOP is the better route but most start with procedural, breaking down the code into resuable functions it always a good start