For my site, I'm using a PHP script to generate all the pages, where there's a basic template and it includes the content.
Which would be the best way to get the content:
1. retrieve it from a mySQL database,
2. store it in a plain (non-executable) text file and use a php require,
3. store it in a PHP script and use php require, or
4. some other option that I didn't think of?

Thanks.

I'm definitely not a programmer/developer of any kind (I'm a hardware systems guy), but the webmasters that I deal with tend to pull info from databases, be it mySQL or postgreSQL.

if your info ever gets update, why not go with database? if static page, then stick with html direct :)

If it's just content and your not trying to make a CMS, you could use one of the file based dbs

Unfortunately i can't post links yet but go to /manual/en/ref.dba.php in the php manual for more info.

The advantages are speed, simplicty and portability.