PHP $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] is empty when called from a Cron Tab

Question

When I use the following code:

I get a nice list off all server variables. However, when I enter the same code i

Answer 1

When you execute via cron, are you just calling php myscript.php or are you accessing the php script via http? If you're executing directly via http then the apache variables (such as DocumentRoot) will not be available.

Answer 2

It's best not to rely on this variable as it isn't always set (just as you discovered).

Try setting and using a constant like this instead:

define('PUBLIC_PATH', '/var/www/path/to/public');

// OR something like:

define('PUBLIC_PATH', dirname(__DIR__) . '/public');

Now use PUBLIC_PATH instead of $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT']