Sorry I fail to see how having PHP in the template is going to benefit you here. If you're using vB's template system you can put $header, $footer in your custom template. Also you instantly have access to everything you would on a normal vB page.
I have a script that is built using php (index.php). It includes a database config file (db.php) makes selection queries from a database, presents selection options to the user and then displays the result of that query. Basically, it is the user interface for an aquarium plant database for our members. I want to have this interface within vB so that members stay logged in, I can see they are there in WOL, use user permissions and just have the same look of the site.
My understanding is that I can't do this within a template. How else can I do this?
I have a script that is built using php (index.php). It includes a database config file (db.php) makes selection queries from a database, presents selection options to the user and then displays the result of that query. Basically, it is the user interface for an aquarium plant database for our members. I want to have this interface within vB so that members stay logged in, I can see they are there in WOL, use user permissions and just have the same look of the site.
My understanding is that I can't do this within a template. How else can I do this?
Put your custom script in PHP and send it's output to a variable. Do this in the following manner:
I have a script that is built using php (index.php). It includes a database config file (db.php) makes selection queries from a database, presents selection options to the user and then displays the result of that query. Basically, it is the user interface for an aquarium plant database for our members. I want to have this interface within vB so that members stay logged in, I can see they are there in WOL, use user permissions and just have the same look of the site.
My understanding is that I can't do this within a template. How else can I do this?
Yes you can still throw all the code into a php file like Dean mentioned, and output the output by calling a template to show the page.