PHP echo inside echo - php

Question

I'm trying to call an HTML/PHP content that it's inside my database using:
<?php echo $row_content['conteudo']; ?>
When the row is called the HTML appears correctly but the PHP doesn't.
I belieave it's cause of the echo inside the main echo.
<?php echo "
<h3>Hello</h3>
<?php do { ?>
<div class=\"indios\">
<a href=\"indio.php?id=<?php echo $row_indiosct['id']; ?>\">
<img src=\"galeria/indios/<?php echo $row_indiosct['foto']; ?>\" alt=\"<?php echo $row_indiosct['nome']; ?>\" />
<br /><?php echo $row_indiosct['nome']; ?></a></div>
<?php } while ($row_indiosct = mysql_fetch_assoc($indiosct)); ?> "
?>
The line one of this code is the same echo as the first code field, it's not repeating, it's there just for help and to understand where is the problem.
I already fixed some quotation marks but it gives an error in the line of the 1st echo.

Answer 1

That is some of the ugliest code I have ever seen...
<?php
echo '
<h3>Hello</h3>';
while ($row_indiosct = mysql_fetch_assoc($indiosct))
{
echo '
<div class="indios">
<a href="indio.php?id='.$row_indiosct['id'].'">
<img src="galeria/indios/'. $row_indiosct['foto'].'" alt="'.$row_indiosct['nome'].'" />
<br />'.$row_indiosct['nome'].'</a>
</div>';
}
?>
You could also use the HEREDOC syntax.

Answer 2

Don't do this. Multi-line echoes, especially when you've got embedded quotes, quickly become a pain. Use a HEREDOC instead.
<?php
echo <<<EOL
<h3>Hello</h3>
...
<div class"indios">
...
EOL;
and yes, the PHP inside your echo will NOT execute. PHP is not a "recursively executable" language. If you're outputting a string, any php code embedded in that string is not executed - it'll be treated as part of the output, e.g.
echo "<?php echo 'foo' ?>"
is NOT going to output just foo. You'll actually get as output
<?php echo 'foo' ?>

Answer 3

You have misunderstood how PHP works. PHP is processed by the server. When it encounters your script, it sees the following:
<?php echo "some long piece of text that you have told PHP not to look at" ?>
What is the reasoning behind trying to nest PHP calls inside strings?

Answer 4

evaluate code php in string using the function eval(): this post Execute PHP code in a string
<?php
$motto = 'Hello';
$str = '<h1>Welcome</h1><?php echo $motto?><br/>';
eval("?> $str <?php ");
http://codepad.org/ao2PPHN7
also if your need the code buffer output in a string also you can using the ob_start() method:
<?php ob_start(); ?>
<h3>Hello</h3>;
<?php
while ($row_indiosct = mysql_fetch_assoc($indiosct)){ ?>
<div class="indios">
<a href="indio.php?id='<?php echo $row_indiosct['id']'">
<img src="galeria/indios/'<?php echo $row_indiosct['foto'].'" alt="'.$row_indiosct['nome'].'" />
<br />'.$row_indiosct['nome'].'</a>
</div>';
<?php } ?>