Topic awaiting preservation: Read specific line or value of a file with php

Ok i've got a value lets call it $potato, which is on line 50 of a php file, but that php file has has lots of other variables and includes in it. I can't modifiy the file, but I need to read that specific variables data and echo it from another php file on my server.

So if i could fread the php file and just pull that line or just pull that variable it would be great, any ideas?

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Synthetic: If the file is big you should fopen( you_file ) and retrieve the lines with a fgets( ... ) until you find $potato. If the file is smaller simply use the file( ) function, browse the previously returned array until you find $potato and voilà

Hope that helps.

Mathieu "POÏ" HENRI

Yeah I had a similar thought but not quite sure how it would be done. Can you provide an example on how to search the array for $potato?

Most of the time people just point to the manual, but they fail to understand that it's not written with new commers in mind at all. If I understood half the examples they give, I would be need to be asking for help to start with

[This message has been edited by Synthetic (edited 08-05-2003).]

You should take a look at file() function...

Here's a short example that'll grab 50. line...

<?php

// Read file into an array (line by line)
$lines = file("/path/to/file/file.php");

// Output line no. 50 (note that array is zero based)
print $lines[49];

?>

Thanks much mr. maX that works fine, where would I be without you? Eh thats easy, I'd be still reading the darn manual scratching my head trying to figure out what it was trying to say

~ Walks away singing a happy song dedicated to mr. maX ~

[This message has been edited by Synthetic (edited 08-05-2003).]

Synthetic:Here is an implementation of the 2 methods I mentionned. They both use a regex to let you to assign $potato on any line.

<?



$fileName = "path/to/file/file.php";



// method #1 / theorically best suited for bigger files

unset( $potato );	// remove this line later

$fileHandle = fopen( $fileName, "r" );

while( !isset( $potato ) && !feof( $fileHandle ) )

{

	$currentLine = fgets( $fileHandle, 4096 );

	if( preg_match( "/\\s*\\\$potato\\s*=\\s*\\S+/", $currentLine ) )

		eval( $currentLine );

}

fclose( $fileHandle );



// method #2 / theorically best suited for shorter files

unset( $potato );	// remove this line later

$fileLinesArray = file( $fileName );

while( !isset( $potato ) && isset( $fileLinesArray ) )

{

	$currentLine = array_shift( $fileLinesArray );

	if( preg_match( "/\\s*\\\$potato\\s*=\\s*\\S+/", $currentLine ) )

		eval( $currentLine );

}

unset( $fileLinesArray );



?>

The file( ) method is faster 99.99% of the cases.
Cheers,

Mathieu "POÏ" HENRI

[This message has been edited by poi (edited 08-05-2003).]

very cool, that will be handy too, thanks poi


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