Question

Problems with include using a relative path in PHP

Asked by: R7AF

I want to include a file with local variables, like the database connection and the absolute server path. For this reason I think I need a relative path. The problem is that I'm working on an existing application and strange things are happening. The application has pages on different levels of subdirectories, with includes including other includes.

I know how to include a file using a relative path, but when I do this and browse through the site, I always get errors. Look at the two lines of code below. Line A is needed when I login. When logged in, I get the following error:

Warning: Database::include(./../../local/connection.php) [database.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in...

Then I change to line B, and the error disappears. Then I do a search query, resulting in an error (changing to line A), after which I get another error when displaying the search results (changing to line B).

Any suggestions how to solve this? 

include("./../../local/connection.php"); // A
include("./../local/connection.php"); // B

                                  
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Asked On
2009-03-12 at 07:53:29ID24224046
Tags

php

,

include

Topics

PHP Scripting Language

,

Web Languages/Standards

Participating Experts
3
Points
500
Comments
8

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Answers

 

by: elbrian87Posted on 2009-03-12 at 08:02:19ID: 23869124

By escaping to "../", you are left at the root directory.

If you are using a file "index.php" in "/folder1/folder2/folder3/index.php" and want to include something in another directory, use:

"../folderX/folderX" as if starting from the root. Have multiple ../../../'s is definitely not working.

I hope that helps :)

 

by: vickatlinuxPosted on 2009-03-12 at 08:16:24ID: 23869328

You have to use full real path for flawless inclusion. Add this code into any file existed on same location where the connection.php is and use the real path which u see in the output of echo.

echo realpath('connection.php');

                                              
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by: R7AFPosted on 2009-03-12 at 08:18:29ID: 23869352

I don't agree. Using ../../local/test.php definitely works, when the include is two folders up and one down. This is simple unix-style directory browsing, same as in HTML. The problem is that the relative path alternates between ../ and ../../

 

by: elbrian87Posted on 2009-03-12 at 08:20:34ID: 23869384

../ returns you to the root, so using ../../ would cause errors, as you're trying to go further up than the root.

Using ././ would be okay.

 

by: Ray_PaseurPosted on 2009-03-12 at 13:15:30ID: 23872978

Here is what I do at the top of every script

<?php // http://www.NationalPres.org/member_missionaries.php
$config_page = $_SERVER["DOCUMENT_ROOT"] . '/' . 'config.php'; require_once($config_page);
                                              
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by: Ray_PaseurPosted on 2009-03-12 at 13:16:41ID: 23872987

And since I do not want anybody to look in my config file, here is what I put in there...

<?php // http://www.NationalPres.org/config.php
 
// DO NOT RUN THIS SCRIPT STANDALONE
if (count(get_included_files()) < 2) 
{ 
   header("HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently"); 
   header("Location: /"); 
   exit; 
}
                                              
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by: R7AFPosted on 2009-03-13 at 08:20:35ID: 23880248

I've solved the problem using the following code. Everything now works normally. 

$path = "/export/home/" . $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] . "/htdocs/";

                                              
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by: R7AFPosted on 2009-03-13 at 08:21:37ID: 31557300

Your solution was not what I needed, but it was enough to find the solution myself.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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