Can you explain this?

Okay, i found this good php script:

PHP Code:

---

<?php
$countfilename = "VisitorCount.txt";
$whattoread = @fopen($countfilename, "r") or die("Error opening count file");
$contents = fread($whattoread, filesize($countfilename));
fclose($whattoread);

$contents = ($contents + 1);

$whattoread = @fopen($countfilename, "w") or die("Error opening count file1");
@fwrite($whattoread, $contents) or die("Error with addition");

fclose($whattoread);
echo $contents;
?>

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works like a charm..great job..what im wondering is if i can have an explanation for what it all does?

you dont have to explain like in depth, just like $countfilename, and all those and there arguments...anything you see fit..

thanks alot :thumb:


**edit
im beginning to understand alot, this isnt so hard, at all!!

heres what ive figured out in the last 5 minutes:

Everything with a $ is a string, not a fixed variable(what i mean is, to open a file i dont have to type $whattoread =, it can be $readfile =

$whattoread = @fopen($filename, "r") or die("Error opening count file");
means that it should "r"ead the file, on error say ("Error opening count file")--dont really understand what die does though

and that you can add to strings: echo $contents, " Visitors"

other help = good :thumb:

It looks to me like a hit counter. All variables are prefixed with a $ symbol.

Line 1 assigns the string VisitorCount.txt to the variable $countfilename

Line 2 opens the file in $countfilename for reading and assigns the returned resource to the variable $whattoread

Line 3 assigns the content of the file in $whattoread to the varaible $contents as string.

Line 4 closes the file in $whattoread

Line 5 type casts the variable $contents to an integer and adds one to it

Line 6 again opens the file in the variable $countfilename but this time for wirting and assigns its resource to the variable $whattoread

Line 7 the contents of the variable $contents is type casted to a string and written to the file

Line 8 the file in in $whattoread it closed

Line 9 the contents of the variable $contents are sent to the output stream. Usually the browser.

cool, great post and very helpful :)

Can you explain to me how id save to a website the counter? maybe thru ftp or something?

You would put that code posted above into a php file then make another file VisitorCount.txt with the contents "0" and chmod it to 777. If you then open the php file through the webserver it will say 1 hit. That code could be much easier though:

PHP Code:

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if(!function_exists('file_put_contents')) {
  function file_put_contents($filename, $data, $file_append = false) {
   $fp = fopen($filename, (!$file_append ? 'w+' : 'a+'));
   if(!$fp) {
     trigger_error('file_put_contents cannot write in file.', E_USER_ERROR);
     return;
   }
   fputs($fp, $data);
   fclose($fp);
  }
} 


$Counter=file_get_contents("VisitorCount.txt");
$Counter++;
file_put_contents("VisitorCount.txt",$Counter);
echo $Counter; 


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I guess it's not that much shorter since you have to declare the function unless you're using PHP 5 but I have that function in must of my includes anyways. Either way it should work.

i honestly understood none of your code...could you explain?

btw, i understand how to use the code, lol thats the easy part :wave:

Quote:

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You would put that code posted above into a php file then make another file VisitorCount.txt with the contents "0"

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okay, i uploaded that file to a server(the one in my first post) and im getting a write error. I assume its because it does not have access to the file..any ideas?