PHP: Breaking out of PHP for HTML but return as value instead of print on page?

Question

I am generating a lot of HTML code via PHP, but I need to store it in a variable, not display it immediately. But I want to be able to break out of PHP so my code isnt a giant string.

for example (but actual code will be much larger):

<?php
$content = '<div>
    <span>text</span>
    <a href="#">link</a>
</div>';
?>

I want to do something like this:

<?php
$content = 
?>
<div>
    <span>text</span>
    <a href="#">link</a>
</div>
<?php
;
?>

But I know this will not return the html as a value it will just print it to the document.

But is there a way to do this tho?

Thanks!

Greg · Accepted Answer · 2009-10-14 18:27:00Z

3

You can use output buffering:

<?php
ob_start();
?>
<div>
    <span>text</span>
    <a href="#">link</a>
</div>
<?php
$content = ob_get_clean();
?>

Or a slightly different method is HEREDOC syntax:

<?php
$content = <<<EOT
<div>
    <span>text</span>
    <a href="#">link</a>
</div>
EOT;
?>

answered Oct 14, 2009 at 18:27

Greg

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Comments

Aif · Accepted Answer · 2009-10-14 18:28:35Z

0

Try this:

<?php
$var = <<<EOD
my long string
EOD;
echo $var; 
?>

(edit done, but one has edit faster than me :))

answered Oct 14, 2009 at 18:28

Aif

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Comments

user153498 · Accepted Answer · 2009-10-14 18:28:36Z

0

In my opinion, you should look into a template engine such as Smarty. It can help you take some of the ugliness out of hardcoding HTML into the PHP file, and can help make the code more manageable.

answered Oct 14, 2009 at 18:28

user153498

Comments

Daniel Bingham · Accepted Answer · 2009-10-14 18:28:39Z

0

You could store the html in an html file and read that file into a variable.

answered Oct 14, 2009 at 18:28

Daniel Bingham

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Corey Ballou · Accepted Answer · 2009-10-14 18:29:27Z

0

While still technically a string, you might find the documentation on PHP's heredoc to be an entertaining read:

heredoc syntax

$content = <<<EOT

<div>
    <span>text</span>
    <a href="#">link</a>
</div>

EOT;

answered Oct 14, 2009 at 18:29

Corey Ballou

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Comments

Community · Accepted Answer · 2023-11-21 15:10:29Z

0

Use heredoc syntax.

edited Nov 21, 2023 at 15:10

CommunityBot

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answered Oct 14, 2009 at 18:32

mbeckish

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