Relative paths

Running into problems with relative paths for various files. I'm trying to segregate related scripts into their own folders. ie header & footer into a template folder. admin functions into an admin folder etc...

I'm running into the most basic problems such as - a page in the admin folder includes the header file.
include("../template/header.inc.php");

The header file is being included ok but the CSS link inside the header file isn't correct.
echo ' <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="' .$APP_BASE. '/template/screen.css" media="screen" />';

$APP_BASE is created using
$APP_BASE = '//' . $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] . rtrim(dirname($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']), '/\\');

The generated CSS link turns out as:
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//nexus/raw/admin/template/screen.css" media="screen" />

How do I create these links properly? I can't use "../template/screen.css" because I have a few general files which are in the application root. Using the "../" causes the file path to be in the server root in that case.

Appreciate the help.

... the CSS link inside the header file isn't correct.You did not actually state what was wrong with that CSS link (other than it should have a http: before the // to make it a properly formed, fully specified, URL.)

But, I will guess that because dirname($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']) is the path to the file that is including the header and that this changes depending on which file is including the header file, that you are getting a varying path to the css file?

Don't use the $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] in this situation. If you are trying to make an absolute URL to the css file, just do that -
$APP_BASE = 'http://' . $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];
...
echo '<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="' .$APP_BASE. '/your_actual_full_path_here_to_the/template/screen.css" media="screen" />';

Also, because files that the browser fetches directly (images, external javascript, external css...) use the / = "domain root" rule, you can also just use -
echo '<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/your_actual_full_path_here_to_the/template/screen.css" media="screen" />';Edit: Also, take a look at the __FILE__ magic constant - http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.constants.predefined.php if you want to get the path to the included file instead of the file that is doing the including.

I think you have 2 options:

1) Add more to the href that calls the CSS file. I was going to say to use $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] - but you are already. However, it doesn't appear to be creating any output. You'll need to figure out why - I have no idea at this late hour ;)

2) don't bother putting the domain name - just use a directory path starting with "/" So, if your CSS file is at http://www.example.com/templates/style.css then your link tag should have href="/templates/style.css" and then you may be able to leave PHP right out of it, (this is what I usually do).

Or just use the base tag.