How Can I Dynamically Generate CSS Using PHP?

How to Execute PHP Code Within CSS Stylesheets

In the realm of web development, it is possible to dynamically generate CSS styling using PHP code. However, directly embedding PHP syntax within a CSS file often leads to unwanted results. This guide provides a solution to this issue.

Problem:

Consider the following CSS code that attempts to dynamically set a background image using PHP:

body {
  background-image: url(../../images/<?php echo $theme.'/'.$background; ?>);
}

Adding <?php header ("Content-type: text/css"); ?> to the beginning of the page outputs the code as raw HTML. To circumvent this, a different approach is required.

Solution:

Simply changing the file extension to .php ensures that the server executes the PHP code within the file. Subsequently, the CSS stylesheet can be linked to as usual, while the HTTP header is set within the .php file.

Code:

Changed CSS Link:

<link href="css/<?php echo $theme; ?>/styles.php" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />

CSS Code:

<?php header ("Content-type: text/css"); ?>
body {
  background-image: url(../../images/&lt;?php echo $theme.'/'.$background; ?&gt;);
}

Additional Tip:

For improved readability, consider using the short syntax:

body {
  background-image: url(../../images/<?= $theme.'/'.$background; ?>);
}

The above is the detailed content of How Can I Dynamically Generate CSS Using PHP?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!