How to echo part of php from another file? - php

Question

I have a WordPress page that is build out of different PHP files. In one the files there is a PHP Script that calculates the deadline when the application closes. I would like to echo this at the bottom of my page, but that's part of a different file.
What am i doing wrong?
File 1:
<?php $deadline = {
$now = time();
$dueDate = get_field('due_date');
$dueDate = strtotime($dueDate);
$datediff = $dueDate - $now;
$daysLeft = floor($datediff/(60*60*24))+1;
$daysLeft = intval($daysLeft);
?>
<?php if($daysLeft == 0) {
echo 'Last day';
} elseif($daysLeft < 0) {
echo 'Deadline passed';
} elseif($daysLeft == 1) {
echo $daysLeft.' days left';
} else {
echo $daysLeft.' days left';
}
}?>
File 2:
<?php
include('/../content-challenge.php');
echo $deadline;
?>
Note: as you see the file where file 2 points at is in a dir above the file it needs to be echoed in.

Answer 1

File 1.
<?php
function deadline() {
$now = time();
$dueDate = get_field( 'due_date' );
$dueDate = strtotime( $dueDate );
$datediff = $dueDate - $now;
$daysLeft = floor( $datediff / ( 60*60*24 ) )+1;
$daysLeft = intval( $daysLeft );
if( $daysLeft == 0 ) {
echo 'Last day';
}elseif( $daysLeft < 0 ) {
echo 'Deadline passed';
}elseif( $daysLeft == 1 ) {
echo $daysLeft.' days left';
}else {
echo $daysLeft.' days left';
}
}
?>
File 2.
If the function is defined in functions.php
<?php deadline(); ?>
or if is defined in any other file then you must include this file like you did (be sure that path is good)
<?php
include('/../content-challenge.php');
deadline();
?>