Introduction
If you’ve manually installed Bootstrap into your project, the next step is to make it easier to manage. This guide will show you how to use PHP includes for your Bootstrap components, allowing you to update Bootstrap versions across multiple pages with ease. This guide assumes you’ve already manually installed Bootstrap, as covered in our previous article.
Why Use PHP Includes?
Using PHP includes for your Bootstrap components has several advantages:
- Easy Maintenance: Update Bootstrap versions in one place, and the changes will reflect across all pages.
- Code Reusability: Reuse the same Bootstrap components on multiple pages without duplicating code.
- Improved Organization: Keep your project organized by separating Bootstrap components into individual PHP files.
Steps to Implement PHP Includes
Step 1: Create PHP Files for Bootstrap Components
Create individual PHP files for different Bootstrap components you want to include. For example, create bootstrap_header.php and bootstrap_footer.php.
In bootstrap_header.php, you can include:
<link rel="stylesheet" href="assets/bootstrap-<version-number>/css/bootstrap.min.css">
In bootstrap_footer.php, you can include:
<script src="assets/bootstrap-<version-number>/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js"></script>
Step 2: Use PHP Includes in Your HTML Files
In your HTML files, you can now use PHP includes to add these Bootstrap components. Make sure to change the file extension from .html to .php.
At the top of your PHP file, include the header:
<?php include 'path/to/bootstrap_header.php'; ?>
At the bottom, include the footer:
<?php include 'path/to/bootstrap_footer.php'; ?>
Conclusion
By using PHP includes for your Bootstrap components, you can make your project more maintainable and organized. Now, updating Bootstrap versions becomes a breeze, as you only have to update the PHP include files.
