problem using ob_start(), ob_end_clean() and header() combination

[Phil Powell]

I traced the problem to what I believe is when I use the included
content library script into the viewinterns.php page. This script
will repeatedly instantiate a DateGroupHTMLGenerator class because I
have to constantly produce these HTML form element fields with
different names throughout my page. Here is the code I use to
reproduce it everytime:

<?php

$gradArray = array();
foreach(array('graduation_month', '', 'graduation_year') as $key =>
$val)
$gradArray = $gradArray + array($val => $$val);
array_push($gradArray, 2); // ADD TEXT FIELD SIZE
$dateGroup =& new DateGroupHTMLGenerator($gradArray, 1, 0, 1);
echo $dateGroup->getMonthDropdown() . $dateGroup->getDayDropdown()
.. $dateGroup->getYearText();
?>

This is one of the dategroup HTML content snippets throughout the
library. There are several of them since the form is rather large and
requires an enormous amount of data including several month/day/year
groupings, all having different names (see the foreach() loop for more
clarification on naming convention, etc.).

At the end of this library script I do the following:

<? $dateGroup = null; ?>

I zero-out the object. Upon review, however, I am convinced that
somehow a latent object or a latent buffer is still floating around.
Here is the code to DateGroupHTMLGenerator constructor method:

// CONSTRUCTOR
function DateGroupHTMLGenerator($classPropertyArray, $hasMonth = 1,
$hasDay = 1, $hasYear = 1) {
global $REQUEST_URI;

foreach(array('month', 'day', 'year') as $key => $val) $this->{'has'
.. ucfirst($val)} = ${'has' . ucfirst($val)};

$this->propertyArray = $classPropertyArray;

// CONVERT THE INPUT PARAMETER ARRAY INTO A 2-DIM ENUMERATIVE ARRAY
TO PRESERVE KEYS AND VALS AND HAVE ENUMERATION FOR SWITCH
$enumKeyValArray = array();
foreach($this->propertyArray as $key => $val)
array_push($enumKeyValArray, array($key, $val));

// GET THE VALUE OF THE LAST ELEMENT OF THE INPUT PARAMETER ARRAY
WHICH WILL BE THE TEXT FIELD LENGTH
$textFieldLengthArray =
array_values(array_reverse($this->propertyArray));
$textFieldLength = $textFieldLengthArray[0];

$this->htmlArray = array();

$monthArray = array('01' => 'January',
'02' => 'February',
'03' => 'March',
'04' => 'April',
'05' => 'May',
'06' => 'June',
'07' => 'July',
'08' => 'August',
'09' => 'September',
'10' => 'October',
'11' => 'November',
'12' => 'December'
);
for ($i = 0; $i < sizeof($enumKeyValArray); $i++) {
$html = '';
switch ($i) {
case '2': // TEXT FIELD SLOT IN INPUT ARRAY PARAMETER
if ($this->hasYear) {
if ($textFieldLength == 2) $html = '20';
$html .= '<input name="' . $enumKeyValArray[$i][0] . '"
value="' . str_replace('"', '&quot;', $enumKeyValArray[$i][1]) . '"
size="' . $textFieldLength . '" maxlength="' . ($textFieldLength + 1)
.. '">';
}
break;

case '3': // SIZE OF TEXT FIELD - NOTHING NEEDS TO BE DONE
// DO NOTHING
break;

case '0': // MONTH DROPDOWN
if ($this->hasMonth) {
$html = '<select name="' . $enumKeyValArray[$i][0] . '">';
foreach($monthArray as $innerKey => $innerVal) {
ob_start();
preSelect($enumKeyValArray[$i][1], $innerKey);
$preSelectText = ob_get_contents();
ob_end_clean();
$html .= '<option value="' . $innerKey . '" ' . $preSelectText
.. '>' . $innerKey . ' - ' . $innerVal . '</option>';
}
$html .= '</select>';
}
break;

case '1': // DAY DROPDOWN
if ($this->hasDay) {
$html = '<select name="' . $enumKeyValArray[$i][0] . '">';
for ($j = 1; $j <= 31; $j++) {
$myDay = ($j < 10) ? '0' . $j : $j;
ob_start();
preSelect($enumKeyValArray[$i][1], $myDay);
$preSelectText = ob_get_contents();
ob_end_clean();
$html .= '<option value="' . $myDay . '" ' . $preSelectText . '>'
.. $myDay . '</option>';
}
$html .= '</select>';
}
break;

default: // THIS WILL BE EXPANDED FOR FUTURE IMPLEMENTATION OF
DATEGROUP, FOR NOW IF ANYTHING ELSE IS FOUND DO NOTHING
// DO NOTHING
break;
}

$this->htmlArray[$i] = $html;
}

}

I have certain fields surrounded by ob_start() and ob_end_clean()
because the function those commands surround does an 'echo'
(required). So to prevent it from going to stdout that is why I have
ob_start() and ob_end_clean() around them. However, when the user
submits the form generated by the library using this class object, it
will instantiate a saveData class object that saves everything (no
headers produced mind you) and then does a redirect header() command.
Whenever anyone does that they get this specific warning:

Warning: Cannot add header information - headers already sent by
(output started at /var/www/html/development/phillip/libdev/html.inc:160)
in /var/www/html/development/phillip/admin/viewinterns.php on line 659

Mind you, the saveData class in viewinterns.php does NOT instantiate
anything in html.inc, much less a DateGroupHTMLGenerator class
instance, which is exactly what this warning is pointing to (the line
160 in html.inc is the end of the entire html.inc, classes and all).

I'm totally stumped. If I replace "header()" with client-side
redirection it works but is EXTREMELY slow (avg download time 20 - 30
seconds per page), so it's not an option. I do not know what to do at
this point so I really need help.

Thanks
Phil