Question

Let’s create a very simple example file:

index.php:

<?php

$connection = mysqli_connect('localhost', 'user', 'pass', 'db');
// connection established successfully

echo 'doing something here for like 500 lines of code';

include('functions.php');
echo countCTR(12, 15);

?>

Now, the problem is in functions.php:

<?php

function countCTR($input1, $input2){
   /* in this function I need my database connection ($connection)
      which was established already in index.php before this
      file was included. however, the $connection isn't open
      inside this function. Do I have to execute mysqli_connect
      inside every function I define?
   */
}

?>

Answer 1

You shouldn’t.
Just use global keyword.

function countCTR($input1, $input2){
    global $connection;
}