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PHP define() takes two parameters (and a optional third which nobody uses). &nbsp;The first is the name of the constant that is being defined. &nbsp;The second is a variable. &nbsp;In this case the variable is a &quot;magic&quot; value which is the name of the current directory. 
<a href="http://php.net/manual/en/function.define.php" rel="ugc">http://php.net/manual/en/function.define.php</a> 
<a href="http://php.net/manual/en/language.constants.predefined.php" rel="ugc">http://php.net/manual/en/language.constants.predefined.php</a> 
 
This is probably being done so that scripts in other directories can always find their way back to the central application root directory. &nbsp;The resulting value in __APPROOT__ will probably be the equivalent of $_SERVER[&quot;DOCUMENT_ROOT&quot;], but the $_SERVER array is not 100% certain in some PHP installations.
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After having kicked the tires since posting the question, I can say you're right. Especially since my code is coming back with a question mark, as far as not being able to find a method referenced in the &quot;common/DatabaseFactory.php&quot; file. 
 
Here's what I've got: 
 
This is &quot;bootstrap.php&quot;... 
 

<pre><code class="code-1 nolinks" id="code-20-42086607-1">define(&quot;__APPROOT__&quot;, __DIR__);

require_once('common/OneCommunityConfiguration.php');
require_once('common/DatabaseFactory.php');
</code></pre>
 
When I go to set up my database connection, I'm using this: 
 
require_once('../bootstrap.php'); 
 
$conn = DatabaseFactory::CreateEmailConnection(); 
 
&quot;OneCommunityConfiguration.php&quot; is nothing other than my database credentials. The DatabaseFactory.php file looks like this: 
 

<pre><code class="code-10 nolinks" id="code-20-42086607-2">require_once('OneCommunityConfiguration.php');

class DatabaseFactory
{
	public static function CreateOneCommunityConnection()
	{
		$databaseConnection = self::CreateDatabaseConnection(
			OneCommunityConfiguration::OneCommunityDatabaseServer, 
			OneCommunityConfiguration::OneCommunityDatabaseName,
			OneCommunityConfiguration::OneCommunityDatabaseUserName,
			OneCommunityConfiguration::OneCommunityDatabaseUserPassword);

		$databaseConnection-&gt;setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);
		return $databaseConnection;
	}

	private static function CreateDatabaseConnection($sqlServerName, $sqlDatabaseName, $sqlUserName, $sqlUserPassword)
	{
		$databaseConnection = new PDO(&quot;sqlsrv:Server=$sqlServerName;Database=$sqlDatabaseName&quot;, $sqlUserName, $sqlUserPassword);	
		return $databaseConnection;
	}	
}
</code></pre>
 
The error I'm getting back is: 
 
Fatal error: Call to undefined method DatabaseFactory::CreateEmailConnection() in C:\wamp64\www\adm\term_class_pdo.php on line 11 
 
So, everything you're saying appears dead on, as far as establishing the path, but can you tell what I need to do differently so my page &quot;sees&quot; the method? Seems like my app is getting &quot;lost&quot; and can't find &quot;CreateEmailConnection&quot;...
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Don't see __APPROOT_ being used in the code you posted.
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Gentlemen! 
 
Ray, thanks for the code. Julian, thanks for the heads up as far as what was not being referenced. 
 
I had two files with the same name opened up and I was making changes to the wrong file. But, that aside, it was still needful to have these things defined like you did so I could make the right changes in the right place. 
 
Thanks!
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<div class="content wysiwyg-content">
I recognize this as a Construct, but what's the nomenclature? When I go out to the manual, it doesn't list anything. 
 
From what I can gather, it's establishing the path of the root directory of the application, but how is it doing that?
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I recognize this as a Construct, but what's the nomenclature? When I go out to the manual, it doesn't list anything. 

From what I can gather, it's establishing the path of the root directory of the application, but how is it doing that?

What is define(&quot;__APPROOT__&quot;, __DIR__);

PHP is a widely-used server-side scripting language especially suited for web development, powering tens of millions of sites from Facebook to personal WordPress blogs. PHP is often paired with the MySQL relational database, but includes support for most other mainstream databases. By utilizing different Server APIs, PHP can work on many different web servers as a server-side scripting language.

What is define(&quot;__APPROOT__&quot;, __DIR__);

What is define("APPROOT", DIR);