require_once()
The require_once() statement includes and evaluates
the specified file during the execution of the script.
This is a behavior similar to the require() statement,
with the only difference being that if the code from a file has already
been included, it will not be included again. See the documentation for
require() for more information on how this statement
works.
require_once() should be used in cases where
the same file might be included and evaluated more than once during a
particular execution of a script, and you want to be sure that it is
included exactly once to avoid problems with function redefinitions,
variable value reassignments, etc.
For examples on using require_once() and
include_once(), look at the
» PEAR code included in the
latest PHP source code distributions.
Return values are the same as with include(). If the file
was already included, this function returns TRUE
Note:
require_once() was added in PHP 4.0.1
Note:
Be aware, that the behaviour of require_once()
and include_once() may not be what you expect
on a non case sensitive operating system (such as Windows).
Example #1 require_once() is case insensitive on Windows
<?php
require_once "a.php"; // this will include a.php
require_once "A.php"; // this will include a.php again on Windows! (PHP 4 only)
?>
This behaviour changed in PHP 5 - the path is normalized first so that
C:\PROGRA~1\A.php is realized the same as
C:\Program Files\a.php and the file is required just once.
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.
See also require(),
include(), include_once(),
get_required_files(),
get_included_files(), readfile(), and
virtual().