I'm using it as an include, and it worked flat out right the first time.
I especially LIKE using it as an include because I can hide the php source filename from public consumption. I wasn't particularly happy with the database name/password hanging out there. Yes, yes, I know, it's executed by the server, but now it's just that much harder to know where to look.
You should *see* the name I gave it... Heh.
And the page with the header and footer in it has a nice predictable page template named, news.shtml
But there's no news.php in my directory...
-deb (only mildly paranoid...)