Php parsing in templates

[smokey]

Hello, i created my own little stars addon for my forums, a quite simple addon for when i do upgrades, i wont have to re-edit any of my vb files. The problem is not with the php or mysql, it is calling the php in the template. I added the variable '$stars' in the postbit template and it isent comming up. It worked on the earlier versions of vbulletin 2 but now that i try it now, it will not show up on my users posts. Basicly the problem im having is calling a php file in a template. I added the following line in my showthreads.php:

PHP Code:

include('stars.php'); 


I dont understand exacly how these templates are setup. Any suggestions? My current vb version is 2.2.9 and you may find it at http://www.c2kforums.net/vb/index.php

Thank you for your time.