How do I add new variable in a .TPL file

I need a solution to what’s bound to be a really simplistic problem. I’m running a php/mysql script on my site and one of the functions it performs to display a news/text post and dynamically link it to a corresponding image file. If you’re thinking “webcomic” you’re right on the money. The news posts are formatted according to a .tpl file.

The script itself is Comikaze and I’ve tried contacting the creator, but I’ve not heard anything back for quite some time and after several attempts.

The thing I need help with is that I need to insert a link into that .tpl COLOR=red[/COLOR] file that will dynamically link from the news post to the corresponding image page. I’ve discovered that simply inserting PHP into the news_print.tpl file does not work. What I thought I’d do would be to define a new variable that I’d be able to use inside the news_print.tpl file.

Variables that already exist are [COLOR=red]{NES_AVATAR}, {NEWS_POST}, {NEWS_DATE}, {NEWS_POSTER}[/COLOR], and a few others.

The variable I need is already used by the script elsewhere as [COLOR=blue]$comic_id[/COLOR]; the comic rotation/navigation uses it to, well “navigate.” However how to turn it into something that news_print.tpl can use… that’s what I’m not sure about. I did some serious digging and I found this specific file that looks like it has to do with the news_print.tpl, and is called [COLOR=red]newsDO.class.php[/COLOR]. Inside the code on line #48 begins the following code:

function formatNewsPost($poster,$email,$avatar,$title,$post,$time,$nl2br) {
    $post = $this->nl2brNewsPost($post,$nl2br);
    if (!empty($avatar))
        $avatar = "<img src=\"$avatar\" alt=\"$poster\" border=\"0\" />";
    $replace['{NEWS_POSTER}'] = $poster;
    $replace['{NEWS_EMAIL}'] = $email;
    $replace['{NEWS_AVATAR}'] = $avatar;
    $replace['{NEWS_TITLE}'] = $title;
    $replace['{NEWS_POST}'] = $post;
    $replace['{NEWS_DATE}'] = $time;
        
    return $this->_common->getTemplate('news_print.tpl', $replace);
}

I thought that if I added [COLOR=blue]$comic_id[/COLOR] into the function call on the first line and the [COLOR=blue]$replace[’{COMIC_ID}’] = $comic_id;[/COLOR] down with the rest that this would allow me to use [COLOR=red]{COMIC_ID}[/COLOR] as a variable with the news_print.tpl file. Unfortunately, all it does when I attempt to use it is spits out this error:

Warning: Missing argument 8 for formatnewspost() in /var/www/html/smcomikaze/includes/classes/newsDO.class.php on line 48

My website is essentially done, this is the last bit of code I need to wedge into it and poof off it goes. Once I can get this to work it’s keg time!

Thanks to anyone who’s taken the time to read this over!