The highlight_file() function prints out a syntax highlighted version of the code contained in filename using the colors defined in the built-in syntax highlighter for PHP.
If the second parameter return is set to TRUE
then highlight_file() will return the highlighted
code as a string instead of printing it out. If the second parameter is
not set to TRUE then highlight_file() will
return TRUE on success, FALSE on failure.
The return parameter became available in PHP
4.2.0. Before this time it behaved like the default, which is FALSE
Since PHP 4.2.1 this function is also affected by safe_mode and open_basedir.
Care should be taken when using the highlight_file() function to make sure that you do not inadvertently reveal sensitive information such as passwords or any other type of information that might create a potential security risk.
Many servers are configured to automatically highlight files
with a phps extension. For example,
example.phps when viewed will show the
syntax highlighted source of the file. To enable this, add this
line to the httpd.conf:
AddType application/x-httpd-php-source .phpsSee also highlight_string().