Is "building up the pageContent var" at odds with using includes for page content?

[appobs]

Edit: I'm just off to look up 'storing a function in a variable', thought I'd post anyway, brb!!

 

Hi all, back for more!

 

I'm working on my standard php script, it goes something like:

bootstrap
settings 
build page content vars
HTML5 

So I build a variable like $pageContent then echo it in the HTML bit.

 

Thing is, in trying to make an automated menu, I think two things I'm doing turn out to be at odds with each other.

 

 

The menuer() does:

• Looks in a $dir for files (includes)
• returns an unordered list with 'query-links' like:

?p=$nameOfIncludeFile

Page content generator (previous version) does:

[html before]

<? if($_GET) {
    include($dir . $_GET['p']);
} ?>

[html after]

Building the var first, the IF wouldn't be in the HTML:

(Cleaning up the HTML is largely the point)

[html before]

<? echo $pageContent; ?>

[html after]

But I don't think I can:

• Use the contents of the include file to build $pageContent
• Put a function after $pageContent .=
• Store an actual function in a variable (otoh, brb)

Edited November 22, 2015 by appobs

[mac_gyver]

i think (it's not entirely clear what you are asking or what problem you are having with your code) you are building up the entire content in a single variable and have a 'cart before the horse problem'. you should instead build up each different piece of the content in a separate variable, then combine the variables at the end or just output each separate variable in your html document at the appropriate place. build up the navigation in its own variable, so that all the logic that contributes to the navigation can add to just the navigation.

[Jacques1]

You should consider using a template engine like Twig or Smarty.

 

Those PHPHTML gymnastics are fine for very simple pages, but when you're dealing with more complex structures, it's time to get rid of the spaghetti code and use a more systematic approach.

 

Template engines were made for exactly this purpose. You can easily insert one template into another (e. g. a menu into a page), and you can even retroactively inject new HTML snippets into an existing HTML structure.