If I use absolute paths, I can't move the whole directory to a new location. If I use relative paths, I can't move individual files to new locations.
What's the solution here? Do you set up a config file that holds the root path and go from there? Or do you have a rule like: Never move files around?
I've seen in some projects that people use dirname(FILE). What is the point of that, I mean, why not simply leave it out since the dirname is relative anyway (depending on where the file sits)?
you should use a config file that will be included in each file first line, for example your app look like this
root / App / Plugins
inside your root dir : app-config.php
if ( !defined('ABSPATH') )
define('ABSPATH', dirname(__FILE__) . '/');
now, suppose you have to include a plugin file, so
inside your Plugin dir : my-plugin.php
require_once '../../app-config.php';
now everything below this line can use ABSPATH
example do you want to load an image
<img src='".ABSPATH."Public/images/demo.png' alt=''/>
now, the thing is more simple if your app is designed to automatically load some files like
plugin-widget-1.php
so that everything inside this file or any other file loaded by the my-plugin.php
file can use the ABSPATH
without include each time the app-config.php
file.
with this in mind you can have all the short-hand you want into the app-config.php
example
define('UPLOAD_PATH', ABSPATH. 'Public/uploads/');
define('IMAGES_PATH', ABSPATH. 'Public/images/');
define('HELPERS_PATH', ABSPATH. 'App/helpers/');
...
so, now that you have all defined, if you need to move a file, let's say one folder forward example:
root / App / Plugins / Utils
just inlucde require_once '../../../app-config.php';
obviously i suppose that you are not changing paths each time =) anyway if you need to do so is always more simple to change one file inclusion instead of hundreds.
hope this make sense to you =)