[SOLVED] Access Variables in included files

Nixeon · January 5, 2009

I'm not sure if im doing this right, but thought someone might be able to point me in the right direction. I'm making a website run by php and have put all the variable I need set in a file to be included into my code, but it's only "half" working. Sorry if my explaining confuses you:

I have a file with my variables called install_settings.config:

<?php
$content_directory = '/components/';
$theme = 'mypanel';

$install_domain = 'http://www.gredo.co.uk/';
$install_directory = 'mypanelbeta/';
$theme_directory = '/themes/';
$admin_directory = '/admin/';

global $root_directory;
$root_directory = $install_domain . $install_directory . $content_directory; 
$theme_root = $install_domain . $install_directory . $theme_directory;

?>

This is then included into my index.php and all the variables are picked up and working fine:

<?php
include('install_settings.config');
?>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<title>myPanel Beta</title>

<link rel="stylesheet" media="screen" type="text/css" href="<?php echo $theme_root . $theme;?>/css/reset.css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" media="screen" type="text/css" href="<?php echo $theme_root . $theme;?>/css/main.css" />
<!--[if lte IE 6]>
<link rel="stylesheet" media="screen" type="text/css" href="css/ie6.css" />
<![endif]-->

</head>
<body>
<?php
//Set the current page variable
if(isset($_GET['page'])) {
		   $current_directory = $_GET['page'];
		   } else {
			   $current_directory = 'dashboard';
		   };
if(isset($_GET['slevel'])) {
		   $current_page = $_GET['slevel'];
		   } else {
			   $current_page = 'front';
		   };
$current_path = $current_directory . '/' . $current_page . '.php';

//Include the header file
include ($root_directory . 'header.php');

//Load in the current page
include($root_directory . $current_path);

//Include sidebar file
include($root_directory . 'sidebar.php');

//Include footer file
include($root_directory . 'footer.php');
?>
</body>
</head>

Then I run into problems when trying to include the subnavigation bar on the subpage. For example on the feedback page /feedback/front.php, when I try to include the navigation file using the $root_directory, it comes up with an error saying it cant find the file, and when I echo the variable in the included file it isn't set?

<?php
include($root_directory . 'navigation/nav_feedback.php');

?>

<div id="content">
<h3>Leave Some Feedback</h3>
   	<p>To contact the site admin please use the form below. To help response times please select the correct feed back type from the drop down menu.</p>
  <form name="form_feedback" title="form_feedback" method="post" action="">
    <h4>Feedback Type</h4>
    <select name="dropdown_feedbacktype" class="select">
      <option value="None">Please Select</option>
      <option value="Technical Help">Technical Help</option>
      <option value="New Idea">New Idea</option>
      <option value="Complaint">Complaint</option>
      <option value="Request Functionality">Request Functionality</option>
    </select>
    <h4>Username</h4>
    <input type="text" class="textfield small" value="USERNAME" disabled />
    <h4>Message</h4>
    <textarea class="textarea large" rows="5"></textarea>
    <div style="height:15px;"></div>
    <input type="submit" class="button" value="Send Feedback" />
    <input type="reset" class="button" value="Clear Form" />
    </form>
    
    </div>

What I don't get is that the variables are picked up in index.php however won't work in anything included into index.php? I hope this makes sense... have i missed something like a variable setting or is this just impossible!!!?

Thanks In Advanced

premiso · January 5, 2009

I would use constants with define in the settings file for root directory.

If it still fails when using that post back and let us know. That way it cannot get overwritten by accident and stays the same throughout the whole script.

RussellReal · January 5, 2009

WELL

1 thing I can say is..

name your file

install_settings.config.php

including a txt file does the same as including a .php, however... If a user does

yoursite.com/install_settings.config

they'd get alot of information about your site.. and thats never good.. keep it secret.. keep it .php

ALSO

// config.php
$var1 = "hello";

// workit.php
echo $var1;

// index.php
include('config.php');
include('workit.php');

that should display "hello" if it doesn't maybe reinstall php :S idk wat else to say

premiso · January 5, 2009

WELL

1 thing I can say is..

name your file

install_settings.config.php

including a txt file does the same as including a .php, however... If a user does

yoursite.com/install_settings.config

they'd get alot of information about your site.. and thats never good.. keep it secret.. keep it .php

lol cannot believe I missed that.

On a sidetracked note, I usually set a variable in my php files called "$included" is that variable is not set then nothing is included and the script just dies. It helps prevent the intrusion that Russell was talking about, however that can be overkill, but I like to play things pretty safe when it comes to my site =)

RussellReal · January 5, 2009

// config.php
$var1 = "hello";
// workit.php
echo $var1;
// index.php
include('config.php');
include('workit.php');
that should display "hello" if it doesn't maybe reinstall php :S idk wat else to say

http://lovinglori.com/file3.php

I did the exact same thing

file1 sets $var1

file 2 echoes $var1

file3 includes both

and output is exactly how it should be..

T-Bird · January 5, 2009

So you're including a file inside an included file?

Included files are supposed to take on the scope of the file that included them. I don't know how this works with nested includes though. In the first included file I'd make all pertinent variables (like $root_directory) global. This should allow the subinclude to access them.

Nixeon · January 6, 2009

I've tried all of the above but still can't get it to work. Perhaps it's something else I'm doing that's wrong. Thanks for the heads up about adding .php onto the end of the file.

I still can't work out what I'm doing wrong because all the variables work in index.php.

I've got it working like this:

>> index.php loads in install_settings.config.php (contains the variables)

>> index.php uses these variable to include the current page in this case front.php

>> front.php then tries to use the variables to include the sub_nav.php however it can't access the variables.

Is it because they have already been used in index.php? Do you think that setting the $root_directory variable in index.php instead of install_settings.config.php may help (goes to try this).

Nixeon · January 6, 2009

Trying the above didn't work. however when i change the line :

$install_domain = 'http://www.gredo.co.uk/';

to

$install_domain = '../';

in install_settings.config.php everything works fine... now im really confused.

Thanks for all the help

premiso · January 6, 2009

Trying the above didn't work. however when i change the line :

$install_domain = 'http://www.gredo.co.uk/';

to

$install_domain = '../';

in install_settings.config.php everything works fine... now im really confused.

Thanks for all the help

Easy explanation. You were using a web address to include php, the address should only be used on html side to display images style sheets etc. For the internal stuff, including php code, you have to use the actual file server path, not the virtual domain path.

Nixeon · January 6, 2009

Trying the above didn't work. however when i change the line :

$install_domain = 'http://www.gredo.co.uk/';

to

$install_domain = '../';

in install_settings.config.php everything works fine... now im really confused.

Thanks for all the help

Easy explanation. You were using a web address to include php, the address should only be used on html side to display images style sheets etc. For the internal stuff, including php code, you have to use the actual file server path, not the virtual domain path.

ooh! Okay that's for the help guys will bear this in mind in future!

Sign In

[SOLVED] Access Variables in included files

Recommended Posts

Nixeon

Link to comment

Share on other sites

premiso

Link to comment

Share on other sites

RussellReal

Link to comment

Share on other sites

premiso

Link to comment

Share on other sites

RussellReal

Link to comment

Share on other sites

T-Bird

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Nixeon

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Nixeon

Link to comment

Share on other sites

premiso

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Nixeon

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Join the conversation

Browse

Activity

Important Information