include()
The include() statement includes and evaluates
the specified file.
The documentation below also applies to require().
The two constructs are identical in every way except how they handle
failure. They both produce a
Warning, but require()
results in a Fatal Error.
In other words, use require() if you want
a missing file to halt processing of the page. include() does
not behave this way, the script will continue regardless. Be sure to have an
appropriate include_path setting as well.
Be warned that parse error in included file doesn't cause processing halting
in PHP versions prior to PHP 4.3.5. Since this version, it does.
Files for including are first looked for in each include_path entry
relative to the current working directory, and then in the directory of
current script.
E.g. if your include_path
is libraries, current working directory is /www/,
you included include/a.php and there is include "b.php"
in that file, b.php is first looked in /www/libraries/
and then in /www/include/.
If filename begins with ./ or ../, it
is looked only in the current working directory.
When a file is included, the code it contains inherits the
variable scope of the
line on which the include occurs. Any variables available at that line
in the calling file will be available within the called file, from that
point forward.
However, all functions and classes defined in the included file have the
global scope.
Example #1 Basic include() example
vars.php
<?php
$color = 'green';
$fruit = 'apple';
?>
test.php
<?php
echo "A $color $fruit"; // A
include 'vars.php';
echo "A $color $fruit"; // A green apple
?>
If the include occurs inside a function within the calling file,
then all of the code contained in the called file will behave as
though it had been defined inside that function. So, it will follow
the variable scope of that function.
An exception to this rule are magic constants which are
evaluated by the parser before the include occurs.
Example #2 Including within functions
<?php
function foo()
{
global $color;
include 'vars.php';
echo "A $color $fruit";
}
/* vars.php is in the scope of foo() so *
* $fruit is NOT available outside of this *
* scope. $color is because we declared it *
* as global. */
foo(); // A green apple
echo "A $color $fruit"; // A green
?>
When a file is included, parsing drops out of PHP mode and
into HTML mode at the beginning of the target file, and resumes
again at the end. For this reason, any code inside the target
file which should be executed as PHP code must be enclosed within
valid PHP start
and end tags.
If "URL fopen wrappers"
are enabled in PHP (which they are in the default configuration),
you can specify the file to be included using a URL (via HTTP or
other supported wrapper - see List of Supported Protocols/Wrappers for a list
of protocols) instead of a local pathname. If the target server interprets
the target file as PHP code, variables may be passed to the included
file using a URL request string as used with HTTP GET. This is
not strictly speaking the same thing as including the file and having
it inherit the parent file's variable scope; the script is actually
being run on the remote server and the result is then being
included into the local script.
WarningWindows versions of PHP
prior to PHP 4.3.0 do not support access of remote files via this function,
even if allow_url_fopen is enabled.
Example #3 include() through HTTP
<?php
/* This example assumes that www.example.com is configured to parse .php
* files and not .txt files. Also, 'Works' here means that the variables
* $foo and $bar are available within the included file. */
// Won't work; file.txt wasn't handled by www.example.com as PHP
include 'http://www.example.com/file.txt?foo=1&bar=2';
// Won't work; looks for a file named 'file.php?foo=1&bar=2' on the
// local filesystem.
include 'file.php?foo=1&bar=2';
// Works.
include 'http://www.example.com/file.php?foo=1&bar=2';
$foo = 1;
$bar = 2;
include 'file.txt'; // Works.
include 'file.php'; // Works.
?>
Warning
Security warning
Remote file may be processed at the remote server (depending on the file
extension and the fact if the remote server runs PHP or not) but it still
has to produce a valid PHP script because it will be processed at the
local server. If the file from the remote server should be processed
there and outputted only, readfile() is much better
function to use. Otherwise, special care should be taken to secure the
remote script to produce a valid and desired code.
See also Remote files,
fopen() and file() for related
information.
Handling Returns: It is possible to execute a return()
statement inside an included file in order to terminate processing in that
file and return to the script which called it. Also, it's possible to return
values from included files. You can take the value of the include call as
you would a normal function. This is not, however, possible when including
remote files unless the output of the remote file has
valid PHP start
and end tags (as with any local file). You can declare the needed
variables within those tags and they will be introduced at whichever point
the file was included.
Because include() is a special language construct,
parentheses are not needed around its argument. Take care when comparing
return value.
Example #4 Comparing return value of include
<?php
// won't work, evaluated as include(('vars.php') == 'OK'), i.e. include('')
if (include('vars.php') == 'OK') {
echo 'OK';
}
// works
if ((include 'vars.php') == 'OK') {
echo 'OK';
}
?>
Example #5 include() and the return() statement
return.php
<?php
$var = 'PHP';
return $var;
?>
noreturn.php
<?php
$var = 'PHP';
?>
testreturns.php
<?php
$foo = include 'return.php';
echo $foo; // prints 'PHP'
$bar = include 'noreturn.php';
echo $bar; // prints 1
?>
$bar is the value 1 because the include
was successful. Notice the difference between the above examples. The first uses
return() within the included file while the other does not.
If the file can't be included, FALSE is returned and
E_WARNING is issued.
If there are functions defined in the included file, they can be used in the
main file independent if they are before return() or after.
If the file is included twice, PHP 5 issues fatal error because functions
were already declared, while PHP 4 doesn't complain about functions
defined after return().
It is recommended to use include_once() instead of
checking if the file was already included and conditionally return inside
the included file.
Another way to "include" a PHP file into a variable is to capture the
output by using the Output Control
Functions with include(). For example:
Example #6 Using output buffering to include a PHP file into a string
<?php
$string = get_include_contents('somefile.php');
function get_include_contents($filename) {
if (is_file($filename)) {
ob_start();
include $filename;
$contents = ob_get_contents();
ob_end_clean();
return $contents;
}
return false;
}
?>
In order to automatically include files within scripts, see also the
auto_prepend_file and
auto_append_file
configuration options in php.ini.
Note: Because this is a
language construct and not a function, it cannot be called using
variable functions
See also require(), require_once(),
include_once(), get_included_files(),
readfile(), virtual(), and
include_path.
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