Title: PHP variable scope headache
Last modified: August 18, 2016

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# PHP variable scope headache

 *  Mr. X
 * [22 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-variable-scope-headache/)
 * ok, I thought it was a good idea but I’m starting to wonder…
    I created 2 files,
   one news.php and one calendar.php with a short version of the regular index.php
   code plus a ` $cat = x; on top of each file with the x replaced by the “news”
   and “calendar” category IDs respectively. I get the desired effect when I access
   each file individually through my browser: one shows all the “news” and the other
   all the “calendar” events… Only problem is, what I wanted to do was to include
   both file in a home.php page with a <?php include 'directory/news.php'; ?> type
   thing. What happens is that the first include is just fine, but the second outputs
   the “Sorry, no posts matched your criteria.” part of the conditional statement.
   I don’t know much about programming but I was guessing that maybe the if ($posts)
   conditional always returns false because the variables have still values from
   the previous include so I tried resetting those variables but my syntax might
   be wrong or I’m just missing the point… Not sure. Any PHP guru in the house yo?!
   😉

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

 *  [TechGnome](https://wordpress.org/support/users/techgnome/)
 * (@techgnome)
 * [22 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-variable-scope-headache/#post-35680)
 * I take it that what you are trying to do is show the posts from those two categories
   from the main screen, right?
    Instead, try using $cat = ‘x,y’; where X is the
   cat # for news and y is the cat # for calendar. And take out the includes you
   have. Also, $cat should be treated as a string, and not just a number, hence 
   the single ticks around the x,y….. TG
 *  [misterx](https://wordpress.org/support/users/misterx/)
 * (@misterx)
 * [22 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-variable-scope-headache/#post-35693)
 * Thx TG! Actually, to do what I wanted (totally separated sections in the design
   for each cat), the solution was slightly different from your suggestion but you
   totally put me back into the right track. Instead of trying to include 2 different
   files with the `$cat = x` embedded on top, all I had to do was to use a scheme
   like that for each PHP include: `<?php include 'http://www.blablabla.net/path/
   to/blog/index.php?cat=x';?>`
    For some reason, it doesn’t work with relative 
   URLs, I have to put in the absolute one for it to work. If someone knows why,
   I’d love to die slightly more intelligent/less stupid than I am now… 😉
 *  [Dougal Campbell](https://wordpress.org/support/users/dougal/)
 * (@dougal)
 * [22 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-variable-scope-headache/#post-35703)
 * When you do something like `include 'directory/news.php';`, you are pulling the
   file from the file system into the currently executing PHP code.
    When you give
   a full url like `include 'http://www.blablabla.net/path/to/blog/index.php?cat
   =x';`, PHP is requesting the file over the network, which means that it’s executing
   under a separate web request, then the results of that execution are included.
   Check your web server logs, and you’ll see those extra requests showing up.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

The topic ‘PHP variable scope headache’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 3 replies
 * 4 participants
 * Last reply from: [Dougal Campbell](https://wordpress.org/support/users/dougal/)
 * Last activity: [22 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-variable-scope-headache/#post-35703)
 * Status: not resolved

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