PHP 4 and 5 compatible source highlighter

[Curtis D]

I wrote this function when I was writing my PHP quiz.

mixed highlight_code( string $code, bool $class, bool $return );

More verbose highlight_string. This will either echo or return the code (returns by default). The $class argument will allow you to insert a CSS class in the highlighted PHP's <code> tags. This is useful if you want to highlight code in both a block element and inline elements.

PHP Code:

<?php
    function highlight_code($code, $class=false, $return=true)
    {
        if ( empty($code) ) return false;

        $highlight = '';
        if ( version_compare(PHP_VERSION, '4.2.0', '<') )
        {
            ob_start(); // start output buffering to capture contents of highlight
            highlight_string($code);
            $highlight = ob_get_contents(); // capture output
            ob_end_clean(); // clear buffer cleanly
        }
        else
        {
            $highlight = highlight_string($code, true);
        }
        
        if ( $class )
            $highlight=preg_replace('/<code>/i',"<code class=\"${class}\">", $highlight);

        if ( $return )
            return $highlight;
        else
            echo $highlight;
    }
?>

Created by Curtis Dyer