Fix PHP Include Path Error
Budget: £250 – £750 GBP
My custom-built PHP site runs perfectly on the production server, yet when I spin it up locally with `php -S localhost:8000` (or the bundled `start.bat`) the home page crashes immediately because PHP cannot locate several files referenced through include/require.
There are no symbolic links in the codebase, so the problem sits squarely with how those relative paths are being resolved on Windows and macOS environments. I need you to trace the source of the failure, correct the path logic—whether that means adjusting `__DIR__`, `realpath`, autoload rules, or refactoring the includes—and then prove the fix does not break any other section of the project.
What I expect from you
• Diagnose the error locally (I’ll provide the repo).
• Patch the path/include handling so the site loads cleanly from the built-in PHP server.
• Run a quick regression pass across the rest of the pages to confirm nothing else is impacted.
• Document the change in a short read-me note so I can understand and replicate it.
If you’re comfortable troubleshooting vanilla PHP projects and routinely work in local development setups, this should be straightforward. Tell me briefly how you intend to approach the diagnosis and I’ll forward you the code.
There are no symbolic links in the codebase, so the problem sits squarely with how those relative paths are being resolved on Windows and macOS environments. I need you to trace the source of the failure, correct the path logic—whether that means adjusting `__DIR__`, `realpath`, autoload rules, or refactoring the includes—and then prove the fix does not break any other section of the project.
What I expect from you
• Diagnose the error locally (I’ll provide the repo).
• Patch the path/include handling so the site loads cleanly from the built-in PHP server.
• Run a quick regression pass across the rest of the pages to confirm nothing else is impacted.
• Document the change in a short read-me note so I can understand and replicate it.
If you’re comfortable troubleshooting vanilla PHP projects and routinely work in local development setups, this should be straightforward. Tell me briefly how you intend to approach the diagnosis and I’ll forward you the code.