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Asked: 2026-06-14T20:21:49+00:00

I have a directory/file tree as follows: index.php /frame/main_class.php /frame/func/function_1.php /frame/func/function_1.php /cfg/config.php //index.php require(‘frame/main_class.php’);

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I have a directory/file tree as follows:

index.php

/frame/main_class.php
/frame/func/function_1.php
/frame/func/function_1.php
/cfg/config.php

//index.php

require('frame/main_class.php');
new main_class;

//frame/main_class.php

class main_class{
    public function __construct(){
        require('func/function_1.php');
        require('func/function_2.php');
        require('cfg/config.php');
    }
}

The weird part is that it works. Maybe it is late and I am having a dumb-moment, but shouldn’t “require(‘cfg/config’);” be written “require(‘../cfg/config.php’);” ?

And if it is using the root of index.php, then “require(‘func/function_1.php’);” shouldn’t work, right?

I have quadruple checked the remote server thinking that maybe there was a stray file or two… there isn’t.
How can the two require statements have a different base path…..?

Does anyone know of a code snippet that could cause this to happen? I am working with some $_SERVER variables but I don’t appear to be changing any of them….!?

“Files are included based on the file path given or, if none is given, the include_path specified. If the file isn’t found in the include_path, include will finally check in the calling script’s own directory and the current working directory before failing.” Explicitly saying include dirname(__FILE__) . '/path/to/file.php';avoids this confusion. – DCoder

Link to PHP Manual on “dirname”.

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    The PHP engine will look for the requested files in the current directory, but it will also look for them in the list of paths defined in INCLUDE_PATH. If the include path lists the path from where your script is running then the given code will work. If not then it wont.

    For that reason amongst others it’s not a good idea to rely on the include path to resolve the path of included files. You should give the full path instead.

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