how to make sure a link cannot be removed from source code?

Hello,

I want to display a link to my website on the websites i have created. However, i do not want anyone to be able to remove this link from the source code. How would i proceed? Any thoughts?

thanks!

You can use the function include();

http://es.php.net/function.include

To the above poster, if you misunderstood what he was asking, fair enough, else try to learn what include actually does

Well first of all you'll need to make sure you explicitly agree this with every single client you do (common sense, but just wanted to be clear), and secondly this is a point of contention amongst programmers.

There's several ways of doing it - trust them not to remove it being the easiest answer, or write some very complex code to decode an obfuscated base64 encoded string (see base64_decode & base64_encode on php.net) being the most common ones. You'd want to do something in that code that couldn't easily be replicated - something key to the script that would be hard to replace if removed.

In the end though, is it really necessary? Any obfuscation is both slow & shows a severe lack of trust - and anyone could easily hire a $1 an hour programmer from India etc who would be able to break it in the end no matter what, costing the client only $10-15 to remove your link.

Not to mention that if this is for client work then most clients who needed to subcontract work wouldn't even consider you if you followed this policy, and many of your normal clients wouldn't be happy either unless you offered them a reasonable discount.

EDIT: Due to this post further down the thread, I henceforth apologise for not referring to wvb as wvb and instead referring to him by the perfectly factually correct statement of 'the above poster'. This was never intended to bruise his apparently enormous ego or point out that include alone would still not solve the problem here.

Originally Posted by 46Bit To the above poster, if you misunderstood what he was asking, fair enough, else try to learn what include actually does

Ok, all yours

Sorry not be more helpful, budhi225. Our friend-designer-consultant-programmer-superhero 46bit will give you the solution. And free, right?

Originally Posted by wvb Ok, all yours Sorry not be more helpful, budhi225. Our friend-designer-consultant-programmer-superhero 64bit will give you the solution. And free, right?

...he asked how to put a difficult to remove link to his site, include is no real use for that specifically. He's trying to embed a link, not just include a php file... Irrelevant knowledge may show you'd like to help, but all it is a waste of time for him...

Ok, in anyway I dont like how you said this:

To the above poster, if you misunderstood what he was asking, fair enough, else try to learn what include actually does

1. You can refer to me BY MY NICK, not "the above poster".

2. I dont misunderstood his question, just suggested to use include() function.

3. I know what include() does. This is called prejudgement.

And don't answer me more to no divert the main topic.

Originally Posted by wvb Ok, in anyway I dont like how you said this: 1. You can refer to me BY MY NICK, not "the above poster". 2. I dont misunderstood his question, just suggested to use include() function. 3. I know what include() does. This is called prejudgement. And don't answer me more to no divert the main topic.

Include isn't a function - or rather, whilst it can be used as one that's inefficient programming at best.

http://php.net/manual/en/function.include.php

include() is a PHP function, like date(), etc

Take a function list:
http://us3.php.net/quickref.php

Originally Posted by wvb http://php.net/manual/en/function.include.php include() is a PHP function, like date(), etc Take a function list: http://us3.php.net/quickref.php

Originally Posted by php.net Note: Because this is a language construct and not a function, it cannot be called using variable functions

Just below example #6 on http://php.net/manual/en/function.include.php. include is usable as include('some-file-here.php') mainly to ensure people can use parenthesis if they want to, but it's slower hence the inefficient programming at best comment.

...why am I still posting here...?

Ok, whatever you say, you're going to remake php. Congrats. Call mom for a kiss