What does this mean?

[eatc7402]

I am not new to php but tis one has me stumped. In the Maps API I use
it makes use of php such as this…

<?=$MAP_OBJECT->printMap(); ?>

and

<?=$SIDEBAR_HTML;?>

There is something the = sign with NOTHING on the left of it thats got me
stumped. What the heck does this mean? Why do whatever its doing this
way? I just don’t understand.

eatc7402

[Ojoshiro]

Seems it’s a shortcut for
[php]

<?php echo [/php] Here's someone discussing it: [url=http://perishablepress.com/php-short-open-tag/]http://perishablepress.com/php-short-open-tag/[/url] Hope this helps, O.

[eatc7402]

Thanks!

It’s almost too simple. I thought there to be something under the covers
like somehow it makes a connection to the underlying javascipt,
but I tested substituting an ‘echo’ for the = and it works in an
identicle manner.

Thanks again.

eatc7402

[eatc7402]

Here’s an example of its use.

[php]case “3-3_alarm”:
//echo “Do a 3-3 set of icons
” ;
$MAP_OBJECT->addIcon($three_three_icon,$shadow_icon,17,0,23,10);
$marker_id = $MAP_OBJECT->addMarkerByCoords($Lon,$Lat,$Address_to_print, $Address_to_print_HTML,"", $three_three_icon,$shadow_icon);
//echo "Marker ID = $marker_id
" ;
$opener_id = “opener_”.$marker_id;
//echo "Opener ID = $opener_id
" ;
$SIDEBAR_HTML .= "

$Address_to_print

";
//add marker opener id to map object
$MAP_OBJECT->addMarkerOpener($marker_id, $opener_id);
break;[/php]

eatc7402