Add PHP Code To Your phpBB Forum Templates

Editing a phpBB template can be rather exasperating because you don’t have freedom to add dynamic code. In fact, if you do add php code to your template, you will find that it won’t be recognized. So what do you do?

Step 1: Enable PHP Code In Templates

The first step to adding PHP code is to enable PHP and INCLUDEPHP statements in your template. By default, these statements are disabled because they can pose a significant security risk. So to allow the use of PHP, you will need to change your security settings.

To do this, login to the administration control panel. And then, under the general tab, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Security settings under the Server Configuration subheading, as shown in the image.

Next, towards the bottom of the Security Settings page, you will see the setting that we are looking for: Allow php in templates. Select "Yes" as shown below.

Step 2: Add PHP to Your Template

Now, to add PHP to your template, simple enclose your PHP code within special PHP template tags. For example, if you wanted to use the echo function, your code might look something like the following:

<!-- PHP --> echo "Hello World!"; <!-- ENDPHP -->

Similarly, if you wanted to include an external file, your code might look like this:

<!-- PHP --> include("externalFile.php"); <!-- ENDPHP -->

And that’s it! Adding PHP code to phpBB templates is easy.

Troubleshooting Potential Problems

1. Changes aren’t showing up. If your changes aren’t showing up, be sure to purge the phpBB cache. This can be done directly from the initial General page or under the Styles tab.
2. Cache is cleared, still no change. If you are including external files, be sure that you have linked to the proper location. We suggest using absolute file paths.

More problems? Let us know.