PHP highlight_file() Function

PHP Misc Reference : Using a test file ("test.php") to output the file with the PHP syntax highlighted

Definition and Usage

The highlight_file() function outputs a file with the PHP syntax highlighted. The syntax is highlighted by using HTML tags.

Tip: The colors used for syntax highlighting can be set in the php.ini file or with the ini_set() function.
Note: When using this function, the entire file will be displayed - including passwords and any other sensitive information!

Syntax

highlight_file(filename,return)

Parameter Values

Parameter Description
filename Required. Specifies the file to be highlighted
return Optional. If set to TRUE, this function will return the highlighted code as a string, instead of printing it out. Default is FALSE

Technical Details

Return Value: If the return parameter is set to TRUE, this function returns the highlighted code as a string instead of printing it out. Otherwise, it returns TRUE on success, or FALSE on failure
PHP Version: 4+
Changelog: PHP 4.2.1 - This function is now also affected by safe_mode and open_basedir. However, safe_mode was deprecated and removed in PHP 5.4.
PHP 4.2 - The return parameter was added.

❮ PHP Misc Reference