Re: Using PHP/HTML effectivly

At 1:28 PM -0700 6/14/06, BBC wrote: >I used many functions as template to change the html syntax. >this is one of the function as a sample: ><?php >function >tabletag($border="0",$width="100%",$height="100%",$cellpadding = >"0",$cellspacing="0",$style="") >{ > print ("<table width=\"$width\" height =\"$height\" > border=\"$border\" cellspacing=\"$cellspacing\" > cellpadding=\"$cellpadding\" style=\"$style\">"); >} >?> >so I don't need to type "<table ....>", just call those functions. >and I don't think it works slowly (cause we just set one function for many tables) BBC: Personally, I see what you are trying to do, but I would not be going that route. Like many others, I don't work in a shop where one group does php and another does the designing and such -- I'm just a one man band who has to do it all and make it work. For me, I use php/mysql, html, js, and css all together to do stuff -- but, I try to keep them as separate as I can. CSS helps a LOT because I can use simple html tags like: <table> ... </table> And put the presentation code for the table in css. CSS seldom mixes with php and it helps reduce the amount of code I have to review. Plus, css separates "look" from performance (i.e., php/js/html) -- I can change one without worrying about the other. Typically, the amount of html code I have is far less than php. I often roll html code segments (like header and footer) into php includes and keep them tucked away so I don't have to look at anything except: include(header.inc); Now, there is html code that I have to "mix" into my php and I usually separate it by using the method you first suggested, such as: <?php ... bunches of php code ?> bunches of html code <?php ... bunches more of php code ?> To me, that's easy to read and I have no problem mixing stuff that way. Occasionally, I have to "intermix" html and php together in the same statement such as filling text field from a dB, such as: <input type="text" size="7" maxlength = "7" name="price" value="<?php echo($price); ?>"> But, it's pretty clear that I'm using php to set what the value is in an html statement. Even fewer times, but I still do, I intermix css, js, html, and php all together, such as: <td class="search_btn"> <input type="button" value="Album" onclick="window.location='search.php?unique_id=<?php echo($unique_id);?>' "> </td> But still, I think it's pretty clear what I'm doing. CSS takes care of how the button looks; js takes care of what happens when the user clicks; php provides something from the dB; and html is the glue that holds everything together. They all work in concert. One of the things I keep in mind is when I start using a lot of escape characters (as you did above), then I'm not doing it the "best way" (IMO) and I look for another solution. I would much rather see code ?> <table> ... </table> <?php Than to intermix it as you did. Now, purest would like all languages to be separate and I can't argue with that -- however -- if this is what it takes to get the job done, then what choice do you have? I look at it all like it's one big language and that works for me -- others mileage may vary. hth's tedd -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://sperling.com http://ancientstones.com http://earthstones.com