PHP include files

[klezmer41]

I'm including a PHP header and footer. In the Admin Control Panel I have code like this for each of them:

ob_start();
include('forumheader.php');
$phpheader = ob_get_contents();
ob_end_clean();

What's weird is that I don't have to place $phpheader or $phpfooter in the header and footer sections of the Style Manager. Is that normal? They're just showing up without me telling the system to use them. Inside the forumheader.php and forumfooter.php are virtual includes like this:

<?php
virtual("/includes/badonkadonk.html");
?>

Also very strange, is that when I have the footer active, it doesn't allow the vBulletin code to fit in the middle. Instead it shows the header, footer, and then the vBulletin board. Weird!

Thanks for any help!