relative include paths? What's the use?

[Doug]

If I were to write an include with a relative path like

include("../conf/config.php");

What is the use?

As far as I understand it, the path is relative to the first script that
is called by php.

In other words, if the current working directory is /www/ and you were
"executing" a.php in that directory, then a.php included
/www/include/b.php by doing include("includ e/b.php");, then b.php tried
to include file /www/config/c.php, by doing include("../config/c.php) it
would not work. Instead php would be looking in /config for c.php and
it would not find it (?!).

Relative paths in include directives seem useless, because the paths are
not relative to the file that the include directive is in, like you
would expect them to be. These includes are totally dependant on where
the original file was "run" from.

Can any one shed some light on why relative paths in includes are of
-any- practical use in PHP? Or, is this a bug?

PHP 4.3.4 (cli) (built: Mar 9 2004 11:40:14)

By the way, I am just trying to separate my php project files into a few
directories. I just want to be able to include them without using
absolute paths. These files in these different directories should be
able to include each other.

-d

[Chung Leong]

Re: relative include paths? What's the use?

"Doug" <dougd99@XXXear thlinkXXX.net> wrote in message
news:rsqbc.9130 $yN6.6152@newsr ead2.news.atl.e arthlink.net...[color=blue]
>
> If I were to write an include with a relative path like
>
> include("../conf/config.php");
>
> What is the use?
>
> As far as I understand it, the path is relative to the first script that
> is called by php.[/color]

That's because in PHP, an include is an runtime operation and not a
preprocess macro expansion. As an operation, it's perfectly logical that
relative paths are relative to the runtime path and not the source path.
This is certainly not a bug.

To do multiple level relative includes, you can use __FILE__ to determine
the location of the current file, and append the directory path in the
include statement. Example:

<?

$CURRENT_SOURCE _FOLDER = dirname(__FILE_ _);

require_once("$ CURRENT_SOURCE_ FOLDER/grumpy.php");
require_once("$ CURRENT_SOURCE_ FOLDER/sleepy.php");
require_once("$ CURRENT_SOURCE_ FOLDER/sneezy.php");

....

[Jan Pieter Kunst]

Re: relative include paths? What's the use?

In article <rsqbc.9130$yN6 .6152@newsread2 .news.atl.earth link.net>,
Doug <dougd99@XXXear thlinkXXX.net> wrote:
[color=blue]
> Can any one shed some light on why relative paths in includes are of
> -any- practical use in PHP? Or, is this a bug?[/color]

I use them in the following way:

The first file included in every script is a small config file (in the
same directory as the script itself, so it's guaranteed to be found in a
default PHP setup) which sets the include paths. In that file I have
something like this:

ini_set('includ e_path', ini_get('includ e_path') . ':' .
realpath('relat ive/path/to/include_directo ry'));

Because of the 'realpath' function, which translates relative paths to
absolute paths, I can copy the directory tree of my application to
another machine and everything will keep working, even if the directory
structure 'above' my application is different.

JP

--
Sorry, <devnull@cauce. org> is een "spam trap".
E-mail adres is <jpk"at"akamail .com>, waarbij "at" = @.

[Rudi Ahlers]

Re: relative include paths? What's the use?

Ok, but how often do you find that even though you don't use relative paths,
your sites doesn't work? Even if the top structure is different from your
development PC than your server / ISP server? I haven't had to use it yet.
In ASP yes, but not really in PHP

--

Kind Regards
Rudi Ahlers
+27 (82) 926 1689

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends
(John 15:13).
"Jan Pieter Kunst" <devnull@cauce. org> wrote in message
news:devnull-4C0B3E.17212403 042004@news1.ne ws.xs4all.nl...
In article <rsqbc.9130$yN6 .6152@newsread2 .news.atl.earth link.net>,
Doug <dougd99@XXXear thlinkXXX.net> wrote:
[color=blue]
> Can any one shed some light on why relative paths in includes are of
> -any- practical use in PHP? Or, is this a bug?[/color]

I use them in the following way:

The first file included in every script is a small config file (in the
same directory as the script itself, so it's guaranteed to be found in a
default PHP setup) which sets the include paths. In that file I have
something like this:

ini_set('includ e_path', ini_get('includ e_path') . ':' .
realpath('relat ive/path/to/include_directo ry'));

Because of the 'realpath' function, which translates relative paths to
absolute paths, I can copy the directory tree of my application to
another machine and everything will keep working, even if the directory
structure 'above' my application is different.

JP

--
Sorry, <devnull@cauce. org> is een "spam trap".
E-mail adres is <jpk"at"akamail .com>, waarbij "at" = @.

[Doug]

Re: relative include paths? What's the use?



Chung Leong wrote:[color=blue]
> "Doug" <dougd99@XXXear thlinkXXX.net> wrote in message
> news:rsqbc.9130 $yN6.6152@newsr ead2.news.atl.e arthlink.net...
>[color=green]
>>If I were to write an include with a relative path like
>>
>>include("../conf/config.php");
>>
>>What is the use?
>>
>>As far as I understand it, the path is relative to the first script that
>>is called by php.[/color]
>
>
> That's because in PHP, an include is an runtime operation and not a
> preprocess macro expansion. As an operation, it's perfectly logical that
> relative paths are relative to the runtime path and not the source path.
> This is certainly not a bug.
>
> To do multiple level relative includes, you can use __FILE__ to determine
> the location of the current file, and append the directory path in the
> include statement. Example:
>
> <?
>
> $CURRENT_SOURCE _FOLDER = dirname(__FILE_ _);
>
> require_once("$ CURRENT_SOURCE_ FOLDER/grumpy.php");
> require_once("$ CURRENT_SOURCE_ FOLDER/sleepy.php");
> require_once("$ CURRENT_SOURCE_ FOLDER/sneezy.php");[/color]



Regardless of the implementatatio n details (runtime vs. preprocess),
they could've done it either way. Just like the makers of gcc could
have chose to do it either way. The PHP programmers chose to make the
path relative to the first script that is called by php.

In your example, you changed the paths to be absolute. That makes it so
that the file included would be the file that most people expect will be
included in the first place.

Could some one give me a practical example of a -relative- path being
used in PHP?


-d

[Jan Pieter Kunst]

Re: relative include paths? What's the use?

In article <r8idnTOMSfZ9fv PdRVn-hg@is.co.za>,
"Rudi Ahlers" <SP4M_Rudi@SP4M _Bonzai.org.za_ SP4M> wrote:
[color=blue]
> Ok, but how often do you find that even though you don't use relative paths,
> your sites doesn't work? Even if the top structure is different from your
> development PC than your server / ISP server? I haven't had to use it yet.
> In ASP yes, but not really in PHP[/color]

Well, on my development machine I have my sites in my home folder
(~/Sites on Mac OS X) and on the server (also Mac OS X) they are in
/Library/WebServer/Documents.

It was also very convenient when we went from Linux (webserver in
/usr/local/httpd/htdocs) to Mac OS X -- I could simply copy my sites
without breaking anything.

JP

--
Sorry, <devnull@cauce. org> is een "spam trap".
E-mail adres is <jpk"at"akamail .com>, waarbij "at" = @.

[Chung Leong]

Re: relative include paths? What's the use?

"Doug" <dougd99@XXXear thlinkXXX.net> wrote in message
news:HDCbc.9139 $NL4.2247@newsr ead3.news.atl.e arthlink.net...[color=blue]
> Regardless of the implementatatio n details (runtime vs. preprocess),
> they could've done it either way. Just like the makers of gcc could
> have chose to do it either way. The PHP programmers chose to make the
> path relative to the first script that is called by php.[/color]

The fact that it's an runtime operation makes a big difference. Suppose I
write a function that include a file:

function CustomInclude($ path) {
include($path);
echo "<!-- including $path -->";
}

And suppose I place this function in /chung/utilities/useless/functions.php.
When I pass a relative path to this function in some project, I certainly
wouldn't want the path to be relative to the file containing the function.

[Doug]

Re: relative include paths? What's the use?



Chung Leong wrote:[color=blue]
> "Doug" <dougd99@XXXear thlinkXXX.net> wrote in message
> news:HDCbc.9139 $NL4.2247@newsr ead3.news.atl.e arthlink.net...
>[color=green]
>>Regardless of the implementatatio n details (runtime vs. preprocess),
>>they could've done it either way. Just like the makers of gcc could
>>have chose to do it either way. The PHP programmers chose to make the
>>path relative to the first script that is called by php.[/color]
>
>
> The fact that it's an runtime operation makes a big difference. Suppose I
> write a function that include a file:
>
> function CustomInclude($ path) {
> include($path);
> echo "<!-- including $path -->";
> }
>
> And suppose I place this function in /chung/utilities/useless/functions.php.
> When I pass a relative path to this function in some project, I certainly
> wouldn't want the path to be relative to the file containing the function.[/color]

good point.

-d