How to include a file that has includes (Including nested includes)

Question

I am trying to get SSI to work for my SMF forums, but the way I'm doing it seems to be different than the intended method. I want to include the SSI.php file from a child of a different directory. In other words, the SSI.php file is located at /home/account/public_html/forums/SSI.php and the file that says include SSI.php is at /home/account/public_html/dev/extension/page/file.php.

If I put include "/home/account/public_html/forums/SSI.php"; I get

require_once(/QueryString.php): failed to open stream: No such file or
directory in '/home/account/public_html/forums/SSI.php line 64'

I get that same result if I put it as a relative path.

I've tried chdir and $_SERVER["DOCUMENT_ROOT"], with the same results.

Beginning of SSI.php (Where the error shows up) is:

<?php

/**
 * Simple Machines Forum (SMF)
 *
 * @package SMF
 * @author Simple Machines http://www.simplemachines.org
 * @copyright 2011 Simple Machines
 * @license http://www.simplemachines.org/about/smf/license.php BSD
 *
 * @version 2.0.17
 */

// Don't do anything if SMF is already loaded.
if (defined('SMF'))
    return true;

define('SMF', 'SSI');

// We're going to want a few globals... these are all set later.
global $time_start, $maintenance, $msubject, $mmessage, $mbname, $language;
global $boardurl, $boarddir, $sourcedir, $webmaster_email, $cookiename;
global $db_server, $db_name, $db_user, $db_prefix, $db_persist, $db_error_send, $db_last_error;
global $db_connection, $modSettings, $context, $sc, $user_info, $topic, $board, $txt;
global $smcFunc, $ssi_db_user, $scripturl, $ssi_db_passwd, $db_passwd, $cachedir;
global $image_proxy_enabled, $image_proxy_secret, $image_proxy_maxsize;
global $auth_secret, $cookie_no_auth_secret;

// Remember the current configuration so it can be set back.
$ssi_magic_quotes_runtime = function_exists('get_magic_quotes_gpc') && get_magic_quotes_runtime();
if (function_exists('set_magic_quotes_runtime'))
    @set_magic_quotes_runtime(0);
$time_start = microtime();

// Just being safe...
foreach (array('db_character_set', 'cachedir') as $variable)
    if (isset($GLOBALS[$variable]))
        unset($GLOBALS[$variable]);

// Get the forum's settings for database and file paths.
require_once(dirname(__FILE__) . '/Settings.php');

// Make absolutely sure the cache directory is defined.
if ((empty($cachedir) || !file_exists($cachedir)) && file_exists($boarddir . '/cache'))
    $cachedir = $boarddir . '/cache';

$ssi_error_reporting = error_reporting((defined('E_STRICT') ? E_ALL | E_STRICT : E_ALL) & ~E_DEPRECATED);
/* Set this to one of three values depending on what you want to happen in the case of a fatal error.
    false:  Default, will just load the error sub template and die - not putting any theme layers around it.
    true:   Will load the error sub template AND put the SMF layers around it (Not useful if on total custom pages).
    string: Name of a callback function to call in the event of an error to allow you to define your own methods. Will die after function returns.
*/
$ssi_on_error_method = false;

// Don't do john didley if the forum's been shut down competely.
if ($maintenance == 2 && (!isset($ssi_maintenance_off) || $ssi_maintenance_off !== true))
    die($mmessage);

// Fix for using the current directory as a path.
if (substr($sourcedir, 0, 1) == '.' && substr($sourcedir, 1, 1) != '.')
    $sourcedir = dirname(__FILE__) . substr($sourcedir, 1);

// Load the important includes.
require_once($sourcedir . '/QueryString.php');
require_once($sourcedir . '/Subs.php');
require_once($sourcedir . '/Errors.php');
require_once($sourcedir . '/Load.php');
require_once($sourcedir . '/Security.php');

File.php is much simpler, consisting of this:

<?php 
include "/home/account/public_html/forums/SSI.php"; 
echo $sourcedir;
?>

Since this code is going to be used on a variety of different installs, not all of which allow editing of SSI.php, I'd love a way to make it work without having to edit SSI.php. Anything can be put in the file.php though.

Edit: Not a permissions issue. isreadable() returns true for all three files, and I can append to them without issue.

i think its a permission reason, try change the permission/owner of the file and its parents — GNassro, Aug 15 '20 at 05:22
@GNassro Nope, not a permissions reason. isreadable() returns true. I'll add that up top. Each individual file can be edited. From what I've read, PHP uses the calling file to reference any relative links, and I don't see a way to change that in the calling file. — Quinn Beltramo, Aug 15 '20 at 06:40

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Aug 15 '20 at 07:10

it seems you are use require/require_once inside file that already included using relative path, so the solution is using absolute path.

NB: __DIR__ constant will be a good way to define the absolute path of the file specialy if used inside include see

So try to change $sourcedir to __DIR__ because refer to the error message you mentionned (require_once(/QueryString.php)), $sourcedir is empty.

for exemple: if SSI.php and QueryString.php are in the same directory, try to change this:

require_once(__DIR__ . '/QueryString.php');

the same things to other require/include files

How to include a file that has includes (Including nested includes)

1 Answers1