eval() with CONSTANTS

How can I eval() an HTML template to make a CONSTANT be evaluated properly? Previously I have been using regular $variables in my HTML templates. Today I decided to make one of the $variables a CONSTANT only to find it would not parse out as it's defined value. It is instead treated as regular text. I tried wrapping the CONSTANT with curly braces, and also tried using the constant() function with it in the HTML template. Neither return the value I previously defined with define(). The manual says "Constants may be defined and accessed anywhere without regard to variable scoping rules" but I'm missing something. I do: define('TABLE_PARAMETERS', ' border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0'); Then I get and eval() my template: $index = getTemplate('index'); eval("\$index = \"$index\";"); And I end up with HTML that looks like: <table {TABLE_PARAMETERS}> instead of the desired <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0> Any ideas? I've google'd, and read lots of docs today trying to figure it out but I don't know what else to try. TIA. -- Greg Donald destiney@destiney.com