Dynamic Image SRC

I would like to use an include for my header and navigation, and
because subsequent files may be in different directories, I want to
use a dynamic relative link for the images, sort of like:

<img src="<? $root ?>/images/foo.gif" />

I suppose the easiest thing to do is just use absolute links, but
is there a way to set this up so I can PHP instead?

TIA
Ian
--
http://www.bookstacks.org/

Ian Rastall wrote:

> I would like to use an include for my header and navigation, and
> because subsequent files may be in different directories, I want to
> use a dynamic relative link for the images, sort of like:
>
> <img src="<? $root ?>/images/foo.gif" />
>
> I suppose the easiest thing to do is just use absolute links, but
> is there a way to set this up so I can PHP instead?
>
> TIA
> Ian


Hi Ian,

The question is this: How can PHP know which path (relative or absolute)
should be added?
If you can describe it clearly, you can program PHP to do it.
I am sure of that.

But you didn't provide us with any usefull information, so I am unsure what
kind of answer you expect.

As for the syntax: That is ok, as long as $root contains something that can
be parsed before the path.

Regards,
Erwin Moller

In comp.lang.php Erwin Moller wrote:

> But you didn't provide us with any usefull information, so I
> am unsure what kind of answer you expect.

Hi Erwin. I'll try and provide some better information. The
problem, essentially, is that I have a testing server set up, so
that the path to the main index file is
http://localhost/gongfamily/
but the URL when it gets on the remote server will be
http://www.gongfamily.net/

Now, my directory tree so far is very simple:

gongfamily
-----images
-----sundry
-----daevid
-----gilli
(and others at the same directory level)

The main index file has a PHP include in it, which points to
sundry/header.txt

In header.txt, I have a lot of image calls, in the form of:

src="images/foo.gif"

This works fine with the front page, but in the index page for
http://localhost/gongfamily/daevid/

the images are broken, because the links are relative. I could
make the links absolute, but then I couldn't use my testing
server. There might be an Apache solution to this, such as
setting up some sort of alias or virtual root, but that stuff is
beyond me.

I hope that helps. I'm tearing my hair out right now. :-)

Ian
--
http://www.bookstacks.org/

Ian Rastall wrote:

> In comp.lang.php Erwin Moller wrote:
>
>> But you didn't provide us with any usefull information, so I
>> am unsure what kind of answer you expect.
>
> Hi Erwin. I'll try and provide some better information. The
> problem, essentially, is that I have a testing server set up, so
> that the path to the main index file is
> http://localhost/gongfamily/
> but the URL when it gets on the remote server will be
> http://www.gongfamily.net/
>
> Now, my directory tree so far is very simple:
>
> gongfamily
> -----images
> -----sundry
> -----daevid
> -----gilli
> (and others at the same directory level)
>
> The main index file has a PHP include in it, which points to
> sundry/header.txt
>
> In header.txt, I have a lot of image calls, in the form of:
>
> src="images/foo.gif"
>
> This works fine with the front page, but in the index page for
> http://localhost/gongfamily/daevid/
>
> the images are broken, because the links are relative. I could
> make the links absolute, but then I couldn't use my testing
> server. There might be an Apache solution to this, such as
> setting up some sort of alias or virtual root, but that stuff is
> beyond me.
>
> I hope that helps. I'm tearing my hair out right now. :-)
>
> Ian


Aha, ok:

You could try several solutions.
However: in my humble opinion a 'relative path solution' for the images is
the best solution.
In that way you don't have to worry about changing location.

But you end up with 2 (or maybe more) versions of header.txt
header1.txt
<img src="/images/foo.gif">

header2.txt
<img src="../images/foo.gif">


If that is no problem, do it that way.

If you think that is messy, try this:
(I also use it to include functionsfiles and such)
I always have an includefile in all my scripts at top.

In that includefile I have 1 variable that contains the:
* full URL to root of your application.
(in the include:)
$myAppRoot = "http://localhost/gongfamily/";
Including that variable makes it easy to refer to the imagedirectories, no
matter from where you use them:
<img src="<?= $myAppRoot ?>/images/layout/version1/foo.gif">

If you switch your application to another location, you only have only to
change that variable.

Of course, you can also use $_SERVER to do the same. It contains all kind of
usefull information, like the path to the current script. But I prefer 1
simple variable to set this. Matter of taste.

Good luck.

Regards,
Erwin Moller

In comp.lang.php Erwin Moller wrote:

> In that includefile I have 1 variable that contains the:
> * full URL to root of your application.
> (in the include:)
> $myAppRoot = "http://localhost/gongfamily/";
> Including that variable makes it easy to refer to the
> imagedirectories, no matter from where you use them:
> <img src="<?= $myAppRoot ?>/images/layout/version1/foo.gif">
>
> If you switch your application to another location, you only
> have only to change that variable.

Thank you! That's a good solution. Not entirely hands-off, but
very easy to modify.

> Of course, you can also use $_SERVER to do the same. It
> contains all kind of usefull information, like the path to the
> current script.

If possible, could you give me the syntax for that? That sounds
like the totally hands-off solution. But if not, the first is
perfect.

As far as src="/images/foo.gif" I couldn't get that to work, at
least not locally.

Thanks again!

Ian
--
http://www.bookstacks.org/

Erwin Moller wrote:

I wasn't very clear. Some modifications:

>
> Aha, ok:
>
> You could try several solutions.
> However: in my humble opinion a 'relative path solution' for the images is
> the best solution.
> In that way you don't have to worry about changing location.
>
> But you end up with 2 (or maybe more) versions of header.txt
> header1.txt
> <img src="/images/foo.gif">
>
> header2.txt
> <img src="../images/foo.gif">
>
>
> If that is no problem, do it that way.
>
> If you think that is messy, try this:
> (I also use it to include functionsfiles and such)

In which case I have a var in the includefile like:
$fullPathToRoot = "/home/erwin/public_html/someapp"

And from a script:
include "myConffile.php";
include "$fullPathToRoot/include/somefunctions.php";

So the same principle, but not for a http:// but for a normal path.

> I always have an includefile in all my scripts at top.
>
> In that includefile I have 1 variable that contains the:
> * full URL to root of your application.
> (in the include:)
> $myAppRoot = "http://localhost/gongfamily/";
> Including that variable makes it easy to refer to the imagedirectories, no
> matter from where you use them:
> <img src="<?= $myAppRoot ?>/images/layout/version1/foo.gif">
>
> If you switch your application to another location, you only have only to
> change that variable.
>
> Of course, you can also use $_SERVER to do the same. It contains all kind
> of usefull information, like the path to the current script. But I prefer
> 1 simple variable to set this. Matter of taste.

Try:

<pre>
<? var_dump($_SERVER); ?>
</pre>

to see the content.

check: http://nl2.php.net/reserved.variables

>
> Good luck.
>
> Regards,
> Erwin Moller

> This works fine with the front page, but in the index page for
> http://localhost/gongfamily/daevid/
>
> the images are broken, because the links are relative. I could
> make the links absolute, but then I couldn't use my testing
> server. There might be an Apache solution to this, such as
> setting up some sort of alias or virtual root, but that stuff is
> beyond me.

My current project lives in a directory called 'dp', and my test machine is
called 'monkey' (or 'localhost'). I use this function to set a couple of
path variables:

function setPaths( &$filePath, &$httpPath )
{
if( (strcmp( $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'], "monkey" ) == 0) ||
(strcmp( $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'], "localhost" ) == 0) ) {
$filePath = "/home/derek/public_html/dp/";
$httpPath = "/~derek/dp/";
} else {
$filePath = "/home/derek/html/www.dp.com/public_html/";
$httpPath = "/";
}
}

This gets called at the top of each page as part of the standard boilerplate
code I always use. I then access images and the like with $httpPath and
text and config files with $filePath.

--
The email address used to post is a spam pit. Contact me at
http://www.derekfountain.org : <a
href="http://www.derekfountain.org/">Derek Fountain</a>

In comp.lang.php Erwin Moller wrote:

> In that includefile I have 1 variable that contains the:
> * full URL to root of your application.
> (in the include:)
> $myAppRoot = "http://localhost/gongfamily/";
> Including that variable makes it easy to refer to the
> imagedirectories, no matter from where you use them:
> <img src="<?= $myAppRoot ?>/images/layout/version1/foo.gif">

Well, I'm running into problems. I have at the top of each of my
two (so far) index files:

<?php $myAppRoot = "http://localhost/gongfamily/"; ?>

Then for my include, I write:

<?php
include('$myAppRoot."/sundry/header.txt"');
?>

But it doesn't recognize it. I'm not sure if it's working with
the images, either, as when I look at the source code for the
main index file, the images show up as src="images/foo.gif"
instead of as src="http://localhost/gongfamily/images/foo.gif".

I'm sure this is a simple problem that a real PHP hacker would
understand, but I'm befuddled.

Ian
--
http://www.bookstacks.org/

Ian Rastall wrote:

> In comp.lang.php Erwin Moller wrote:
>
>> In that includefile I have 1 variable that contains the:
>> * full URL to root of your application.
>> (in the include:)
>> $myAppRoot = "http://localhost/gongfamily/";
>> Including that variable makes it easy to refer to the
>> imagedirectories, no matter from where you use them:
>> <img src="<?= $myAppRoot ?>/images/layout/version1/foo.gif">
>
> Well, I'm running into problems. I have at the top of each of my
> two (so far) index files:
>
> <?php $myAppRoot = "http://localhost/gongfamily/"; ?>
>
> Then for my include, I write:
>
> <?php
> include('$myAppRoot."/sundry/header.txt"');
> ?>

which is wrong indeed. :P
You include a file on your LOCAL FILESYSTEM, not via http.

Two advises:
1) Do not put
<?php $myAppRoot = "http://localhost/gongfamily/"; ?>
above every script.
Make THAT an includefile, so you have to change this ONLY on one location
when you have 100 files.

2) Make 2 variables in that includescript:
a) One for your local path to your app
eg
$MyLocalRoot = "/home/ian/public_html/myapp/";

b) One for http-requests:
$myLocalHttpRoot = "http://www.yoursite.com/";


You mixed them us, and in your example you try to include an includefile
(php) via http.

Hope that helps.

Also, read the response of Derek too in this thread. :-)

Regards,
Erwin Moller


>
> But it doesn't recognize it. I'm not sure if it's working with
> the images, either, as when I look at the source code for the
> main index file, the images show up as src="images/foo.gif"
> instead of as src="http://localhost/gongfamily/images/foo.gif".
>
> I'm sure this is a simple problem that a real PHP hacker would
> understand, but I'm befuddled.
>
> Ian

In comp.lang.php Erwin Moller wrote:

> 2) Make 2 variables in that includescript:
> a) One for your local path to your app
> eg
> $MyLocalRoot = "/home/ian/public_html/myapp/";
>
> b) One for http-requests:
> $myLocalHttpRoot = "http://www.yoursite.com/";
>
>
> You mixed them us, and in your example you try to include an
> includefile (php) via http.
>

Thanks, Erwin. I appreciate the help.

Ian
--
http://www.bookstacks.org/