Could a successful phph 'include' return 'true' ?

[ramasaig]

Is it possible that in some circumstances a successful PHP 'include' will return a '1' (true) ?
I have an irritating '1' turning up on screen and I cannot work out how to get rid of it.

The code is dead simple:
<div id="leftcol">
<?php echo include ("inc/searchbox.html"); ?>
</div><!-- close leftcol -->

but I always get this '1' underneath (see image).


I've searched high and low for a stray '1' in my code, but not found it. It must be something to do with the include, because if I leave out that line, or paste the identical HTML (from 'searchbox.html') into the script instead of the include, there's no '1'.

I've tried '@include...', and turning error reporting on, but it reveals nothing. Deleting the HTML comment (<!-- close leftcol -->) makes no difference either.

There must be something I've overlooked; any suggestions, please ?

[guido2004]

Don't 'echo' the include.

[crmalibu]

Yes, include returns a value as documented.

[ramasaig]

Guido2004: Thanks. I feel unbelievably stupid, I just didn't see that I'd put the echo in !!

crmalibu: That's what I thought, but I'd never seen it printed out before.

Just goes to show you often can't see the wood for the trees.

[logic_earth]

a.php:

<?php return array( 'cat' => 'mew', 'dog' => 'arf' );

b.php:

$a = include 'a.php';
var_dump( $a );