PHP include file into custom "namespace"

Question

I need to require/ include a file to fetch configuration values from a foreign software into the one I am just developing.

Is it possible to somehow process the external php file via include/ require and either load all variables from it into an array or at least set it into kind of a custom namespace to prevent it from resetting existent variables?

The external application is pretty old and uses plain PHP and variable assignments to prepare it for the run.

Example:

$db_type = 'mysql';
$db_user = 'hello';
$db_pass = 'world';
$charset = 'UTF-8';

Your Common Sense · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-22 06:47:14Z

6

You can include this code inside of a function. And all these variables will be in the local scope.

function get_old_data() {
    include 'old.php';

    // do whatever you want with these variables

}

answered May 22, 2013 at 6:47

Your Common Sense

158k42 gold badges226 silver badges374 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

1 Comment

ChrJantz Over a year ago

Great, thank you! Just totally forgot that functions got their own local scope.

kms · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-22 06:52:09Z

1

I'm assuming you know the names of the config vars you want to use from the external config.

You could create a function in which you include the file, build an array from the vars, and that you can then return to the caller.

In that case the external file will be executed in the function's local scope, and should not override outer vars.

function loadconfig() {
  include 'external.php';
  // do calculations and build var_array
  return $var_array;
}

answered May 22, 2013 at 6:52

kms

3892 silver badges6 bronze badges

Comments

sectus · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-22 07:00:27Z

0

You can use return inside included file.

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.

Include.

Example:

// config.php
return array('db_type' => 'mysql',
    'db_user' => 'hello',
    'db_pass' => 'world',
    'charset' => 'UTF-8',);

Then use it like this

$config = include 'config.php';

Even like this

$connection = new Connection(include 'config.php');

edited May 22, 2013 at 7:00

answered May 22, 2013 at 6:48

sectus

15.7k5 gold badges59 silver badges97 bronze badges

1 Comment

ChrJantz Over a year ago

Thank you for your idea - I already know this way but as I said it is an existent external application and I am unable to modify the file which terminates the ability to simply return an array in the config file.

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

PHP include file into custom "namespace"

3 Answers 3

1 Comment

Comments

1 Comment

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

3 Answers 3

1 Comment

Comments

1 Comment

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related