[RESOLVED] Best way to include functions

phpSimon

Hi everyone

A system I've written uses 42 functions (so far - I'm adding more all the time). They all exist in one file: functions/functions.php

When I started the system, the single functions file was for simplicity - but I guessed I might want to move all the functions to their own php files, so every page in the system has this at the start:

foreach(glob("functions/*.php") AS $functions_filename) {
include($functions_filename);	
}

The functions.php file is now nearly 1000 lines long and over 100k.

This is not an open website; it's a closed system that probably wont be used by more than 50 people concurrently.

Would it be better to move all the functions into their own php files? I'm not sure what's more efficient; including 42 php files of around 2.5k each, or including one 100k file. Either way, I'll want to include all of them in every page.

I use Eclipse IDE, which shows the list of functions contained in the single file so I can easily find the one I want to work on, but it's a bit clunky when moving around a function so I think from a development point of view it'll probably be better to have them in single files.

Also, would it be more sensible to include_once instead? In fact, as all the functions are a definite requirement in every area of the system, maybe I should require_once; but either way I'll work out how to check that the include or require completed correctly, and take the user gracefully to a failure page rather than just exit the script. If I do that, I guess there's no difference between include and require.

Comments and opinions welcome!

Thanks

Simon

johanafm

require will stop script execution if PHP can't access the required file, whereas include will continue script execution and issue a warning.

As for one vs many files, I'd recommend grouping functions logically. For example, if you have a bunch of functions used to handle login, another bunch dealing with sending emails, others that handle DB access, they should go in three separate files: login.php, db.php, email.php

Once that is done, you will easily be able to find whatever specific function you need, and since they are likely to in turn use other functions within the same file, you have everything at your fingertips when you need to edit something or relearn how they work.

Create a single file, "config.php", "application_top.php" or whatever you'd like to call it and in this file place include/require for all files which are used for each and every page on your site. Any file which isn't needed on all pages should instead be included from those specific files that need them.

Also, I'd recommend having a look at PHP's OOP and autoloading functionality. You could for example create class Email, and whenever you want to send an email you simply

$e = new Email();	# the "magic" line"
/* followed by
	$e->setFrom(...);
	$e->setSubject(...);
	etc...
*/

With autoloading properly set up, when PHP sees "new Email" it will include a file according to some pattern, for example 'phpclasses/Email.php', which means that you don't need to worry about including these files or not. They are included only if used.

phpSimon

Thank you, that's great advice.

I didn't know PHP's OOP functionality creates a sort of autoload/autoinclude facility like that, I hadn't seen it that way; interesting. I'll read up.

Thanks again.

johanafm

In a way, it doesn't. But you have to option to set it up yourself. See [man]__autoload[/man]

phpSimon

Thanks again. I forgot to mention that your passing comment about OOP lead to a greater understanding of the $var->setting syntax and was really helpful.

I've set this thread to resolved, although I do think the 'all in one file or many PHP files' for functions could do with more comments - or maybe you're spot on and everyone agrees!

Thanks again.

Derokorian

Well I would say that if you don't need every single function on every single page I would break it down into groupings. Then what I like to do in procedural style is define some constants that list the different sets needed for different pages like

define('ADMIN_FUNC','db_insert,db_user,display,layout');
define('VIEW_FUNC','db_select,display,layout');

Then atop an admin page forexample I use:

foreach(explode(',',ADMIN_FUNC) as $file) {
   include('functions/'.$file.'.php');
}

Just my two cents, I try to avoid including things on pages that don't use them.