How To Use The PHP Include Statement

August 9, 2008 – 5:17 pm

by Chris Channing

Saving time on a web design project is going to do two things. First, it is going to make for a happier client since the job is completed faster. Second, the web designer saves time and maximizes their earnings per hour as a result. One of these time-saving measures we use is the include construct.

Normally we woudl call the include statement a function, since it acts and behaves like one. Don’t let the exterior fool you, because the include statement is actually what we call a language construct. This phrase is just a simple term for describing a statement in PHP that is so common that we would regard it as an internal component.

The PHP include is going to save us time by allowing us to edit multiple files through a single file. If we had a navigation bar that needed changed, we would normally have to go to every page and change it if we were using HTML. But with PHP we can just reference a remote file, and dynamically change each and every page.

The average “neat freak” will also see benefit from the PHP include statement. PHP includes save many lines of code for those who use them properly. By saving lines of code, it should not be thought that performance is increasing- if anything, it is decreasing. All we are doing is taking out the nonsense code and focusing on other parts of the current application.

Another good function of the PHP include is to keep things in working order. If an include fails, we are going to get a visible error message. Now this isn’t always a good thing, since some error messages will expose confidential information about the running script. In more precise situations, we would use the require construct to halt the entire script should it not complete correctly.

Because PHP will only function under the PHP extension, web developers should get into the practice of forgetting the HTML extension and switching to PHP. If they don’t, the time will come when they see that PHP is the better alternative, and fixing the extension on hundreds of pages isn’t going to be much fun at that point in time.

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to use the PHP include command and know the theory of the command are two very different things. From here, readers will need to be able to know how to use the command in everyday settings. Consult the Internet for more information on this, and where to find the best PHP include tutorial.

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Tags: Computers And Technology