istall php?!

a very newbie question

[Natko]

Hi,
I have some confusion of php.
I noticed that php is regulary procesed in a form mail as a preview.php on my local without php installed, but I can't proces an include file comand.
Can anyone brefly give me a word of it.
thanks

[mack]

The common way to include a file using php is as follows...

include "file_name.php" ;

If you are wanting to use php to process your form then you will need to install php.

You may also wish to have a read through the PHP scripting forum.

Hope this helps.

Mack.

[Natko]

Well, my form processes without having php installed, but include file doesn't. More precisely, include doesn't run but echo does?

[bumpaw]

preview.php on my local without php installed

I can't tell exactly where the confusion is coming from, but PHP only operates in a server environment.

[Natko]

yes, I have Apache insalled, but not php. I don't understand why 'echo' or why not 'include'

[jatar_k]

If the file preview.php works then you have php installed.

What is the file extension of the file you are trying to use include in? is it .php or .html or something else?

Is the preview.php file located in a /cgi-bin/?

another thing you could try to see if php is installed and how is to create a file called phpinfo.php with the following code in it.

<?php
phpinfo();
?>

save it, upload it and view it and that will contain all of the information about the php install.

You could also ask your host.

[Natko]

I don't have php insalled. Only Apache. Echo in preview works, but include file.php doesn't.
Let me post some codes.
First about include
The string contained in html is <iframe id=cal name=cal src=file.php width=481 height=135 scrolling=no frameborder=0 marginwidth=0></iframe>
and it loads. Than, file.php contains <?php include('include.php');?> and it doesn't work. Include.php is an regular html file contains four include/php_file strings. This happens on my local, but on server everything works fine.
Second a form mail. It works even on my local where pgp is not insalled. An example is <input type="hidden" name="UserName" value="<?php echo $UserName?>"> string. It works. I'm pretty sure that I haven't insalled it. The comp is mine. I know what I have installed. Trust me.
As I'm pretty new in php, I'm confused about when php is need to be installed and when not.

[mack]

The iframe element...
"<iframe id=cal name=cal src=file.php width=481 height=135 scrolling=no frameborder=0 marginwidth=0></iframe>"
does not use php. It is simply an html element.

The php section...
"<?php include('include.php');?> "
will require php to be installed on your system.

Php is a scripting language and you require the php language to be installed before you can execute any form of php code.

If you are using windows there will be a windows php installer available for download. On linux php will almost certainly be available on your distro cd/ftp.

I think if you install php the problem will be resolved.

Mack.

[Natko]

I know that, but why echo is parsed, in form preview.php without php installed?

[Big_Balou]

I have just scanned over the replies in this thread. But to ask a simple question: Why don't you just install PHP on your local machine?

If you would like to try looking at an open source package called "PHP Home" it will install on all versions of windoze with the exception of Win98.

[Natko]

I'm going to instal it on my win2k partition, but why echo is parsed? I have known that I wont to se php localy I have to instal php. My stupid question is that php is an optional in some cases?

[mack]

perhps your echo statements are being read as html?

so in effect it is displaying the text within the echo but not actualy using the echo as it was intended.

Mack.

[Natko]

<input type="hidden" name="UserName" value="<?php echo $UserName?>"> is in preview.php and is regulary processed and displayed, but not the 'include'. Both on w2k with Apache, without php. If I would have php installed both things will work. But, in my case none of them should work, right?

[ergophobe]

Assuming that all functions and language contructs are enclosed in <?> then yes, it should be all or none.

Now, just to help everyone get a grip here, what happens if in your preview.php file, you add this line

<? phpinfo();?>

[Natko]

mack ... preview.php is preprocessed
ergophobe ... I don't know what happens. You tell me.

[ergophobe]

well try it. add it, try it and report back

Tom

[Natko]

do you mean a status of server and php report? I won't try it on my local, I havn't got MySQL installed.

[ergophobe]

you don't need mysql.

Just create a file called

pasta.php

and put one line in it

<? phpinfo();?>

Then open it through your server

[localhost...]

and report back on what happens

Tom

[Natko]

ok, but first I have to instal SP3 and SP4 and some pathches becouse of svchost.exe on w2k. Then I'll do it nad report it back here. And right now I'm going to sweet dreams. thanks :-)