PHP/Apache include path syntax issue

Anon

Hi,

I'm suddenley (and for no reason I can spot) getting errors when trying to include files on a page. I have the following (where jobs is contained in the root directory):

<?php
include("jobs/client/loft/page/header.php");
?>

I've used this include/path syntax before without issue, and having changed nothing cannot work out the bug.

If I use a relative path (../ etc) it loads the header without problem. Also, if I load the full URL of the included header into the browser it loads up no problem, but it refuses to recognise that full path in the include URL (and I did try with a / before jobs).

Standard error is:

Warning: Failed opening 'jobs/client/loft/page/header.php' for inclusion (include_path='') in c:\phpweb/jobs/client/loft/en/index.php on line 15

The only difference I can spot between this syntax and earlier projects that did (and still do) work is that this path is slightly longer.

Anyone have any ideas? This is one of those dumb problems that cause highly unwarranted teeth-grinding...

Gary

Anon

You script (index.php) doesn't appear to be in the c:\phpweb directory. Since jobs isn't under c:\phpweb\jobs\client\loft\en you won't be able to access it.

If your script isn't in the directory that has jobs as a sub directory then you won't be able to reach it. Also /jobs won't work because jobs isn't in c:\ it's in c:\phpweb.

What you need to do is make your include line look like this:

include("c:\phpweb\jobs\client\loft\page\header.php");

Anon

Gary,

Before you include files you must speficy include_path in php.ini file, otherwise it won't work.

If the files that you include are located in

/usr/local/apache/htdocs/includes, then this is the path you add in php.ini file under include_path directive. You can also specify several include paths.

smarlowe

This is the way it's supposed to work. The reason PHP is like this is so that you can restrict access to the include files to one or two centralized areas instead of having them all over the server.

There's an entry in the php.ini file (usually found in /usr/local/lib) that defines the include path. In order for an include file to actually get included, it's path has to be defined in php.ini first.

Anon

Hi Rob, Dmitriy and Scott,

A big thanks for putting me right about something so routine. Works perfect once I update the php.ini file on my local machine.

Cheers,

Gary

smarlowe

Yeah, isn't it different for windows versus everything else?

I know that in unix/linux it's:

/path/1:/path/number/2:./

Where ./ is the current directory. Just means you can put your includes in the same directory.

Some places mandate a more strict form like:

./INCLUDES/:/usr/lib/phpincludes

meaning you can only put includes in your INCLUDES subdirectory and you probably can't put anything into phpincludes without commit on a CVS or something and it holds all the "stanard" system level include files.

Means a universal system you want to use all over your web site can be abstracted to a few function calls and forms on a page and all the logic is removed from the presentation layer.