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For 2023 (and 2024 ...) - we are now fully retired from IT training.
We have made many, many friends over 25 years of teaching about Python, Tcl, Perl, PHP, Lua, Java, C and C++ - and MySQL, Linux and Solaris/SunOS too. Our training notes are now very much out of date, but due to upward compatability most of our examples remain operational and even relevant ad you are welcome to make us if them "as seen" and at your own risk.

Lisa and I (Graham) now live in what was our training centre in Melksham - happy to meet with former delegates here - but do check ahead before coming round. We are far from inactive - rather, enjoying the times that we are retired but still healthy enough in mind and body to be active!

I am also active in many other area and still look after a lot of web sites - you can find an index ((here))
Using current exchange rates on a web page

It's one thing writing a web site and quite another keeping it up to date - especially when the information to be maintained changes on a daily basis and it's not your main business.

One example of changing data of this type is the exchange rate between currencies, an issue that we faced on our own and on other sites we work on. We solved it by taking a feed from the European Central Bank who make the information available in a file that they update daily.

The code is written in PHP, and reproduced below.

You may try it here You may be taught how to do it here You may ask about it here
<html><head><title>Current Exchange Rate Demo</title><</head>
<body><h2>Exchange rate demo</h2>
This demonstration program shows you how you can grab a file from
another web site (in this example, the European Central Bank) and
use it within your own page. Exchange rates are updated daily;
using the code in this page, we can maintain our information
automatically.<br><br>
Caution - this is an example. We are not responsible for the
rates quoted which you MUST check yourself. You must also check
that you are allowed by law to grab information of another web
site before you do so in your own application.
The <a href=http://www.ecb.int>ECB site</a> is declared as a
feed of public information, but that doesn't apply to many sites
and you'll need to check copyright issues, etc.<br><br>
<?php

$now = time();
$cache = "$_SERVER[DOCUMENT_ROOT]/../include/erates.xml";
$exchrate[EUR] = 1.00;
$amount = 1000;

# Exchange rates - Grab current rates from European Central Bank

# Check whether we have a recent copy of the data locally

if (($interval = $now - filemtime($cache)) > 3600 * 2) {
 $stuff = file("http://www.ecb.int/stats/eurofxref/eurofxref-daily.xml");
 $trace = "Cache REFRESHED after $interval seconds";
 $fh = fopen ($cache,"w");
 foreach ($stuff as $line) {
  fputs($fh,$line);
  }
} else {
 $stuff = file($cache);
 $trace = "Cached information reused aged $interval seconds";
 }

# Currency names that we'll use later on

$names = array (USD => "US Dollar",
        JPY => "Japanese Yen",
        DKK => "Danish Krone",
        GBP => "Pound Sterling",
        SEK => "Swedish Krona",
        CHF => "Swiss Franc",
        ISK => "Icelandic Krona",
        NOK => "Norwegian Krone",
        BGN => "Bulgarian Lev",
        CYP => "Cyprus Pound",
        CZK => "Czech Koruna",
        EEK => "Estonian Kroon",
        HUF => "Hungarian Forint",
        LTL => "Lithuanian Litas",
        LVL => "Latvian Lats",
        MTL => "Maltese Lira",
        PLN => "Polish Zloty",
        ROL => "Romanian Leu",
        SIT => "Slovenian Tolar",
        SKK => "Slovakian Koruna",
        TRL => "Old Turkish Lira (to 2004)",
        TRY => "New Turkish Lira (2005)",
        AUD => "Australian Dollar",
        CAD => "Canadian Dollar",
        HKD => "Hong Kong Dollar",
        NZD => "New Zealand Dollar",
        SGD => "Singapore Dollar",
        KRW => "South Korean Won",
        EUR => "European Euro",
        ZAR => "South African Rand");

# Extract data from page - conversion rates between each currency and the Euro

foreach ($stuff as $line) {
        ereg("currency='([[:alpha:]]+)'",$line,$gota);
        if (ereg("rate='([[:graph:]]+)'",$line,$gotb)) {
                $exchrate[$gota[1]] = $gotb[1];
                }
        }

# Sample output - a table showing an amount converted to Euros,
# Pounds and Dollars

print ("<b>Conversion to Euros, Pounds, US Dollars from other currencies</b><br>");
print ("<center><table cellpadding=5><tr><td>&nbsp;</td><th>Euros</th><th>Pounds</th><th>Dollars</th></tr>");
foreach (array_keys($exchrate) as $to) {
        if ($names[$to] == "") $names[$to] = $to;
        print ("<tr><td>$amount $names[$to] is about </td>");
        foreach (array("EUR","GBP","USD") as $from) {
                $convertsto = sprintf("%.2f",$amount * $exchrate[$from] / $exchrate[$to]);
                print ("<td align=right>$convertsto</td>");
                }
        print ("<tr>");
}
print ("</table></center>");
?>
<hr>
Programmer's feedback: <?= $trace ?><br>
Want to <a href=http://www.wellho.net/course/ph.html>learn how to
write a page like this?</a><br>
Copyright <a href=http://www.wellho.net>Well House Consultants</a>,
<?= date("Y") ?>
</body>
</html>


See also PHP Course details

Please note that articles in this section of our web site were current and correct to the best of our ability when published, but by the nature of our business may go out of date quite quickly. The quoting of a price, contract term or any other information in this area of our website is NOT an offer to supply now on those terms - please check back via our main web site

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