include path issues with sub-directories

dmacman1962

Hi all,

I have researched this and have not found anyone with my issue.

I have designed all the pages of my site with a header and foot in php. Then I just do an include for them. The headers have includes for scripts and links to other files (DHMTL, etc). These all work great in any sub-directory from the root, but not the index.php in the root?

The includes directory is one level down from the root. I put "../" in the paths for all the header and footer info, and they work great. But the index.php in the root does not work. Here is the link to the root file.

Index file

My includes for the index.php (in the root) look like this:

<? include('includes/header.php'); ?>

Then the includes in the header files (the path is root/includes/header.php)

<? include('../includes/header_Scripts.shtm'); ?>

All the other links in the header.php and the header_Scripts.php use the same path reference.

Does that make sense?

Thanks in advance,

Don

superwormy

I've found you're best bet with subdirectories is to ALWAYS provide a full path, ie: /usr/local/www/path/to/file.php

Define a constant with define() like PATH_INCLUDE and then always call include/require like this:
require(PATH_INCLUDE . "/includes/file.php");

Weedpacket

Relative file paths are relative to the current working directory - in the case of index.php that's the document root. The current working directory doesn't change if you include a file from another directory.

Files for including are first looked in include_path relative to the current working directory and then in include_path relative to the directory of current script. E.g. if your include_path is [font=monospace].[/font], current working directory is [font=monospace]/www/[/font], you included [font=monospace]include/a.php[/font] and there is [font=monospace]include "b.php"[/font] in that file, [font=monospace]b.php[/font] is first looked in [font=monospace]/www/[/font] and then in [font=monospace]/www/include/[/font]. If filename begins with [font=monospace]./[/font] or [font=monospace]../[/font], it is looked only in include_path relative to the current working directory.

So if /includes/header.php includes things like /includes/header_Scripts.shtm, then just have header.php include "header_Scripts.shtm".

Or build up an absolute path from things like $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].

dmacman1962

Thanks weedpacket.

I did try what you suggested

So if /includes/header.php includes things like /includes/header_Scripts.shtm, then just have header.php include "header_Scripts.shtm".

... but that only worked in either the root files or the sub-driectory files, not both.

I will have to look up how to do the $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] method and see if that works. Until then, I made a second set of headers for the files in the root. A hack way, but a fix until I can figure out your other suggestion.

Thanks,

Don