How to get a PHP file to be included across files in different directories?

[bearfrods]

Currently I have created some php based webpages and uploaded them to my web hosting server.It has a PHP 5.1.6
installed.With this I am able to include files only that are in the same directory(they work well using require() fn).If not an error message displaying some "no such file" in directory appears in the page.I would like to use them to be included in different direcetories.What should I do?

[axew3]

Hello, you can use, both the two instructions, include or require in php, they to the same, but in different way.
You should use require_once in php, when the included file should be included, by the php parser engine, only one time while a script or program is parsed.
Use the php include instruction, as in your case, in any others situations (html files maybe).
You can see many easy examples at php.net php online manual for the include/require that are very well explained:
http://php.net/manual/en/function.include.php
by the way if you like to include files that resides in differents directories, you can use, for example code like this (the include using relative path):

<?php
include('./dir/otherDir/index.php');
?>

The include() construct will emit a warning if it cannot find a file; this is different behavior from require(), which will emit a fatal error.

[axew3]

p.s in the php online manual, this maybe help you (i have simplified the php.net example):

<?php
if(!include('./themes/skin/index.php'))
{
  // file was missing so include default theme
  require('./themes/default_theme/index.php');
}
?>

Or maybe this works better

<?php
if(file_exsists('./themes/skin/index.php'))
   include('./themes/skin/index.php');
else
   require('./themes/default_theme/index.php');
?>

p.s if any more helpn needed just let know