Autoload classes and functions from different files and directories

Question

I have this autoload code :

function __autoload($class_name)
{
    //class directories
    $directorys = array(
        './Controls/',
        './Config/',
        './Utility/'
    );
    //for each directory
    foreach($directorys as $directory)
    {
        //see if the file exsists
        if(file_exists($directory.$class_name . '.php'))
        {
            require_once($directory.$class_name . '.php');
            //only require the class once, so quit after to save effort (if you got more, then name them something else
            return;
        }
    }
}

I have three directories that they're holding all of my classes and functions.

Can I create a single autoload file in Controls directory and use it to load all function or classes in other php files I mean for example index.php file in /portal/main/index.php

is it possible to load classes that are controls and config in index.php file without including any file in above of index.php file

I mean autoload automatically understands which file is requesting a class or function and include that file for it.

updated code :

function __autoload($class_name)
{
    //class directories
    $directorys = array(
        '/Controls/',
        '/Config/',
        '/Utility/'
    );
    //for each directory

    $ds = "/"; //Directory Seperator
    $dir = dirname(__DIR__); //Get Current file path
    $windir = "\\"; //Windows Directory Seperator
    $path = str_replace($windir, $ds, $dir);

    foreach($directorys as $directory)
    {
        //see if the file exsists
        if(file_exists( $path . $directory . $class_name . '.php'))
        {
            require_once( $path . $directory . $class_name . '.php');
            //only require the class once, so quit after to save effort (if you got more, then name them something else
            return;
        }
    }
}

I have updated the code and it include files, but the only problem that i have is that this function is not running automatically,

for example my autoload file is in : root/Controls/autoload.php and I need some classes and functions in :root/portal/index.php

when i define classes in index.php i get error that the file is not exists and i should manually call autoload.php file in index.php

how can i make autoload smart which i shouldn't have include it in each file for including classes ?

please help me out. thanks in advance

Answer 1

Simple manual solution : put your autoload file in your project root and include it in your index file this will do the job.

but if you want to use htaccess or php.ini : Place a file called .user.ini into the document root and add the auto_prepend_file directive in there:

auto_prepend_file = /home/user/domain.com/init.php

The file must be inside PHP's include_path. So you must either set the file's directory to be in the include_path inside php.ini, or do it in the .htaccess with a php_value statement.

php_value include_path ".:/path/to/file_directory"
php_value auto_prepend_file "file.php

If you use the above method in .htaccess, be sure to copy the include_path from php.ini in and add the :/path_to/file_directory so you don't lose any already needed includes.

Alternatively, just add :/path/to/file_directory to include_path directly in the php.ini

Update

If you cannot modify the include_path, you might try specifying a relative path to the auto_prepend_file. This should work since the file path sent is processed identically as if it was called with require():

php_value auto_prepend_file "./file.php"