Open file from a different folder in PHP

Question

Let’s say I have two folders in my PHP server root directory: x and y. There are two more directories inside the x folder: a and b. In the /x/a directory I have the index.php file and in the /y folder a stuff.php file.
From my /x/a/index.php file, I want to include the /y/stuff.php file. How do I do that?
My server doesn’t allow including files from other domains, so adding the full URL doesn’t work! Also, I’d like to know how to start a path from the root in PHP. I use ./blabla from the index of my root and ../blabla from directories in the root, but, unfortunately, .../blabla doesn’t work from 2nd grade directories.

Answer 1

To access the root begin your path with "/".

If you want to go up one directory from where you are currently, e.g. from /x/a/ to /x/ you could use "../".

If you want to go back up two directories (e.g. from /x/a/ to /) you could use "../../" (rather than ".../" which you mentioned).

Answer 2

try:

include "../../y/stuff.php";