PHP include relative path -

i have file /root/update/test.php. there's file, /root/connect.php; file has line

include "../config.php"; 

in /root/update/test.php. there's code

set_include_path(".:/root"); include "connect.php"; 

when run /root/update/test.php, finds connect.php, fails find config.php, giving me

php warning:  include(../config.php): failed open stream: no such file or directory in /root/connect.php on line 2 php warning:  include(): failed opening '../config.php' inclusion (include_path='.:/root') 

this confusing me because warnings make seem i'm doing correctly - include path /root, , it's looking file ../config.php (/config.php), exists. can clear me? note using absolute paths not option me, due deploying production server have no access to.

ubuntu/apache

you include using __dir__:

include(dirname(__dir__).'/config.php'); 

__dir__ 'magical' , returns directory of current file without trailing slash. it's absolute path, have concatenate file name __dir__. in case, need ascend directory use php's dirname ascends file tree, , here can access config.php.

you set root path in method too:

define('root_path', dirname(__dir__) . '/'); 

in test.php set root @ /root/ level.

include(root_path.'config.php'); 

should work include config file want.