Compose tips

Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
Lines and paragraphs are automatically recognized. The <br /> line break, <p> paragraph and </p> close paragraph tags are inserted automatically. If paragraphs are not recognized simply add a couple blank lines.
Using custom PHP code

If you know how to script in PHP, Drupal gives you the power to embed any script you like. It will be executed when the page is viewed and dynamically embedded into the page. This gives you amazing flexibility and power, but of course with that comes danger and insecurity if you do not write good code. If you are not familiar with PHP, SQL or with the site engine, avoid experimenting with PHP because you can corrupt your database or render your site insecure or even unusable! If you do not plan to do fancy stuff with your content then you are probably better off with straight HTML.

Remember that the code within each PHP item must be valid PHP code - including things like correctly terminating statements with a semicolon. It is highly recommended that you develop your code separately using a simple test script on top of a test database before migrating to your production environment.

Notes:
- You can use global variables, such as configuration parameters, within the scope of your PHP code but remember that global variables which have been given values in your code will retain these values in the engine afterwards.
- register_globals is now set to off by default. If you need form information you need to get it from the "superglobals" $_POST, $_GET, etc.
- You can either use the print or return statement to output the actual content for your item.
A basic example:
You want to have a box with the title "Welcome" that you use to greet your visitors. The content for this box could be created by going:
```
  print t("Welcome visitor, ... welcome message goes here ...");
```
If we are however dealing with a registered user, we can customize the message by using:
```
  global $user;
  if ($user->uid) {
    print t("Welcome $user->name, ... welcome message goes here ...");
  }
  else {
    print t("Welcome visitor, ... welcome message goes here ...");
  }
```
For more in-depth examples, we recommend that you check the existing Drupal code and use it as a starting point, especially for sidebar boxes.

Compose tips

Using custom PHP code