How to properly use the <!--file:path/somefile.php-->

in order to be able to php include a file that is hosted outside the pmwiki directory.
I want my template to have a php include to my site's footer php file so that it can be dynamic. Thank you.

You have to keep your php file where your pmwiki.php file is, so it can be automatically included or use the full path to your file with the "file:" skin directive.

How can I insert javascript in the skin template ?

When I try to do so, it seems that the Javascript is turned off. I'm missing something but I'm an amateur.

For that matter is there any sort of programming language you can use in a template file?

Earlier I wrote some javascript to check if the page was being edited, and if so not display a sidebar, but ran into the problem above me. Are these files parsed with PHP? Or is there a way to use those embedded HTML comments mentioned in the article to accomplish what I mentioned?