undefined function base_url()

[eluser]mistress_shiira[/eluser]
hi guys!kindly point out what im doing wrong here.cause i cant seem to understand why i keep getting this error.

in my controller i have a function add that calls the view below:

Code:

$this->load->helper('url');
$this->load->view('mainpage');

and in my view:

Code:

<a href='&lt;? echo base_url();?&gt;index.php/mainpage'>Main Page</a>

but then undefined function error is displayed.
same thing when i use anchor.