Need A Little Synatax Help

[nighthawk]

I have an if else statement to control display (or not) a column. The if else functions properly, but when the code is executed the "else" (actual text) is displayed on the webpage, in both conditions. Code is below

<?php if($this->countModules('left')) : ?>			<div id="left_col" class="clearfix">				<jdoc:include type="modules" name="left" style="xhtml"/>			</div>			  else				<div id="left_col_noModules"></div>		<?php endif; ?>

Maybe the html tags are messing it up?

[Ingolme]

I have an if else statement to control display (or not) a column. The if else functions properly, but when the code is executed the "else" (actual text) is displayed on the webpage, in both conditions. Code is below

<?php if($this->countModules('left')) : ?>			<div id="left_col" class="clearfix">				<jdoc:include type="modules" name="left" style="xhtml"/>			</div>			  else				<div id="left_col_noModules"></div>		<?php endif; ?>

Maybe the html tags are messing it up?

"endif" isn't a PHP statement. It's from BASIC and other similar languages.In PHP you use braces:

<?php if($this->countModules('left')) { ?>  <div id="left_col" class="clearfix">    <jdoc:include type="modules" name="left" style="xhtml"/>  </div><?php }  else { ?>  <div id="left_col_noModules"></div><?php } ?>

[jeffman]

PHP does support the alternate syntax in flow structures, which provides for a colon and something like endif in place of opening and closing braces -- so that part of the original script was okay. (PHP borrows a few items from other languages.)The trouble was placing the else clause outside the <?php ?> tags.Realistically, though, Ingolme's solution is best, simply because the huge majority of PHP authors use the braces.

[Synook]

Wordpress actually uses the alternative structure, which is interesting...