Finding The Server's Document Root

[Itshim]

I have a directory where I store files of sensitive data (db credentials, and such) along with other files where I have altered the permissions, so that PHP can write to the files. Because of the nature of these files I place this directory outside the server's DOCUMENT ROOT

I am trying to figure out how I can dynamically locate the directory above the server's DOCUMENT ROOT. Normally I retrieve the $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] value from PHP, drop off the last directory in the path and I'm there.

The problem I am now having is with sub-domains, which (in the file system realm) is just a directory some where in server's DOCUEMNT ROOT, but the problem is that the DOCUMENT ROOT for a sub-domain is not the server's DOCUMENT ROOT, so the above method does not work.

Through PHP I can access the files in the directory without problems, but I have hard-coded the path in the scripts, and I wanted to find a way to dynamically locate the server's DOCUMENT ROOT.

Thanks.

 

[jpadie]

would something like this help?

$abspathtocwd =  dirname( __FILE__ );
include = $abspathtocwd.'/../../somefile.php';

 

[Itshim]

I see what you are getting at, but I hoping to find a way to get the value of $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] (when not reading from a sub-domain); even if I am parsing a file in a sub-domain.

I thought PHP may store the value of the server's document root (not the domain's doc root) some where.

I have come up with a hack that works, but just wanted to make sure I'm not missing a valid way of getting the value.

Thanks

 

[lgarner]

The DocumentRoot is defined by the web server, and that's all PHP gets to work with. It sounds like you want to discover a specific one of potentially many DocumentRoots, which PHP won't be able to see.

In this case I'd probably place a global config file somewhere and source it in the PHP scripts. It would define something like $PrivateDir="/var/

http://www/secrets";

 

[Itshim]

lgarner, I think that would be the best solution, and is what I have decided to go with.

Thank you both...