PHP help needed(kinda long)

[carnold]

OK, i am trying to integrate a vanilla forum into my existing website theme (i use wordpress). So, i open the vanilla head.php file and try to insert < ? php require('../wp-blog-header.php'); ? > inbetween the < head > tags. When i do, i get this error:
Parse error: parse error in /srv/www/htdocs/forum/themes/head.php on line 12
When i change < ? php require('../wp-blog-header.php'); ? > to require('../wp-blog-header.php'); i get this error:
Fatal error: Call to a member function on a non-object in /srv/www/htdocs/wp-includes/cache.php on line 206

Example of what i am trying to achieve: www.mytimewithgod.net/xdforum. This has the forum in the "content" area with a right and left sidebar and header and footer. This is exactly how i want the new vanilla forum to look (in the "content" area with sidebars and header and footer). Example of the vanilla forum now, www.mytimewithgod.net/forum. By putting in require('../wp-blog-header.php'); in the vanilla head.php file, you tell vanilla about wordpress functions and what-not. Can any PHP guru help? Thanks in advance

[ronverdonk]

What is the blank character doing between < and ? and between ? and >
Should be <? and ?>

Ronald  8)

[Ninjakreborn]

<?php  ?>

[carnold]

Yea, i copied that from my posts on the wordpress forum. Their forum will try and run php, so you have to fool it with spaces. Sorry about that. It is without spaces in my php file