<?= $some_var_or_other ?> ... <?php echo $some_var_or_other ?>

Hi...

I seem to remember reading somewhere about the proper way of doing this sort
of thing in the middle of some html, for example:

<a href="<?= $some_url_or_other ?>">Click this!</a>

What is the most proper way of doing such? Would it be to do the full
monty?:

<a href="<?php echo $some_url_or_other ?>">Click this!</a>

I am writing my output to be xhtml strict compliant, so I guess for
continuity alone it should be the latter, but are there any specific reasons
for using the long-winded way? I'd like to know people's thoughts...

HYCSSLOTS...


Plankmeister.

In article <3f41d39e$0$32454$edfadb0f@dread16.news.tele.dk> , The
Plankmeister <plankmeister_NO_@_SPAM_hotmail.com> wrote:

> <a href="<?php echo $some_url_or_other ?>">Click this!</a>

Use this one.

On Tue, 19 Aug 2003 02:16:13 -0600 in
<message-id:190820030216135042%unix_core@linuxmail.org>
E-Star <unix_core@linuxmail.org> wrote:

> In article <3f41d39e$0$32454$edfadb0f@dread16.news.tele.dk> , The
> Plankmeister <plankmeister_NO_@_SPAM_hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > <a href="<?php echo $some_url_or_other ?>">Click this!</a>
>
> Use this one.


.... and to explain why to the OP...

<? ?> can be used if shorttags is enabled in php.ini but this isn't
always the case for every server and I suspect becoming less and less
the case as more and more people use XML for various tasks. XML uses
<?xml as it's tag, and causes confusion with PHP, so it's always
advisable (IMO at least) to use the <?php rather than <? (extending to
the echo <?php echo rather than <?= too).


HTH =)



Regards,

Ian

--
Ian.H [Design & Development]
digiServ Network - Web solutions
www.digiserv.net | irc.digiserv.net | forum.digiserv.net
Programming, Web design, development & hosting.

Ian.H [dS] wrote:

> <? ?> can be used if shorttags is enabled in php.ini but this isn't
> always the case for every server and I suspect becoming less and less
> the case as more and more people use XML for various tasks. XML uses
> <?xml as it's tag, and causes confusion with PHP, so it's always
> advisable (IMO at least) to use the <?php rather than <? (extending to
> the echo <?php echo rather than <?= too).

shorttags off has the advantage that you can use "<?xml" directly in
your files (i.e. without having to "print()" or "echo()" it), but if you
do that, you lose the ability to run your script on a server that has
shorttags on. If you're going to run only on servers who's php.ini you
control, that's no problem, but the default is still shorttags=on, so
that is what most hosters use.

So, if you're coding for the general public, shorttags=on is more
common, but you can't rely on it, so it is safer to use "<?php echo...".
But you can't rely on shorttags=off either, so for xhtml compliant files
you should use <?php echo "<?xml....";?>

Jochen

--
/**
* @author Jochen Buennagel <zang at buennagel dot com>
* @see http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/zang
*/

XHTML doesn't really care which version you use... The absolute best way
anyway seems to be <?PHP echo $url;?> Notice the ;... Doesn't matter though,
just that it seems better as chances are you might feel like extending that
piece of code and forget to att the ; at that point...

--
// DvDmanDT
MSN: dvdmandt@hotmail.com
Mail: dvdmandt@telia.com
"The Plankmeister" <plankmeister_NO_@_SPAM_hotmail.com> skrev i meddelandet
news:3f41d39e$0$32454$edfadb0f@dread16.news.tele.d k...
> Hi...
>
> I seem to remember reading somewhere about the proper way of doing this
sort
> of thing in the middle of some html, for example:
>
> <a href="<?= $some_url_or_other ?>">Click this!</a>
>
> What is the most proper way of doing such? Would it be to do the full
> monty?:
>
> <a href="<?php echo $some_url_or_other ?>">Click this!</a>
>
> I am writing my output to be xhtml strict compliant, so I guess for
> continuity alone it should be the latter, but are there any specific
reasons
> for using the long-winded way? I'd like to know people's thoughts...
>
> HYCSSLOTS...
>
>
> Plankmeister.
>
>

"The Plankmeister" <plankmeister_NO_@_SPAM_hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<3f41d39e$0$32454$edfadb0f@dread16.news.tele. dk>...
> Hi...
>
> I seem to remember reading somewhere about the proper way of doing this sort
> of thing in the middle of some html, for example:
>
> <a href="<?= $some_url_or_other ?>">Click this!</a>
>
> What is the most proper way of doing such? Would it be to do the full
> monty?:
>
> <a href="<?php echo $some_url_or_other ?>">Click this!</a>

I prefer short tag <?=$foo?> 'cos it's IMO quite fast. Also, I
hate echo and would prefer to write PHP code without the use of echo.

(Many thanks to Rasmus for fighting on behalf of short tags)

Jochen Buennagel wrote:

> Ian.H [dS] wrote:
>
>> <? ?> can be used if shorttags is enabled in php.ini but this isn't
>> always the case for every server and I suspect becoming less and less
>> the case as more and more people use XML for various tasks. XML uses
>> <?xml as it's tag, and causes confusion with PHP, so it's always
>> advisable (IMO at least) to use the <?php rather than <? (extending to
>> the echo <?php echo rather than <?= too).
>
>
> shorttags off has the advantage that you can use "<?xml" directly in
> your files (i.e. without having to "print()" or "echo()" it), but if you
> do that, you lose the ability to run your script on a server that has
> shorttags on. If you're going to run only on servers who's php.ini you
> control, that's no problem, but the default is still shorttags=on, so
> that is what most hosters use.
>
> So, if you're coding for the general public, shorttags=on is more
> common, but you can't rely on it, so it is safer to use "<?php echo...".
> But you can't rely on shorttags=off either, so for xhtml compliant files
> you should use <?php echo "<?xml....";?>
>
> Jochen
>
Or use:
if(ini_get('short_open_tag') == 'on') {
[code to be executed if shorttag is enabled]
}
else {
[code to be excecuted with shorttag disabled]
}

Robert