To embed PHP code in an HTML document, simply change the file extension from .html to .php. After that, you can insert PHP code directly into the HTML structure, enclosing it with tags. This way, a regular HTML page becomes dynamic, and you can execute server-side logic directly within the template. For example, you can display the current time, process forms, or connect other files.
If for some reason you need to keep the .html extension, you can configure the web server to recognize such files as PHP scripts. This is achieved using the .htaccess configuration. By adding the line AddHandler application/x-httpd-php .html .htm to it, you instruct the server to process files with the specified extensions through the PHP interpreter. However, it is important to understand that this setting can affect performance, since each request to an .html file will require additional resources.
The .htaccess file plays a key role in such integration. With its help, you can not only enable PHP processing in .html files, but also configure redirects, URL rewriting, and restrict access to certain sections of the site. For proper operation, it is worth using full PHP tags () rather than shortened ones () to avoid compatibility issues on different hosting providers.
Before implementing such a scheme in production, it is important to consider the architecture of the server being used. For example, in some cases, AddHandler may be required instead of AddType. In addition, changes to the .htaccess file may be ignored if their processing is prohibited on the server — this also depends on the settings of Apache or another web server. It is also useful to check the php.ini parameters to make sure that the necessary PHP functionality is enabled.
If you want your page URLs to look like regular .html files but be processed as PHP, use the mod_rewrite module. It allows you to hide the actual file extensions and create a beautiful, “clean” address structure. This is convenient for SEO and improves the readability of links.
There are several ways to embed PHP in an HTML document. The most popular is to link external PHP files using include or require. This is useful if you have repeating fragments (such as a website header or footer) that you want to use on multiple pages. You can also use output buffering, which gives you more flexible control over when and how HTML content is displayed.
Finally, it is important to assess the load that such integration creates. For example, if the entire site consists of .html files and you configure the server to process them everywhere as PHP, this can negatively affect the loading speed. Before implementation, be sure to test the changes and make sure that the server can handle the load.
When choosing a file extension, it is best to use .php — this is the standard and universal solution. The .phtml extension was used in the early years of PHP, but today it is rarely used. Using .html is acceptable, but requires special server configuration, so it is not suitable for all projects.
Integrating PHP into HTML allows you to turn a static website into a dynamic web application. It’s like adding an “engine” to a regular cart: now you can not only display text, but also respond to user actions, process data, and generate pages on the fly.
