Prepend and Append Files with .htaccess
One of the lessor known and used capabilities of .htaccess files is the ability to prepend and append includes to every page request. Doing so avoids needing to code <?php require('footer.php'); ?> in every template file you wat to use them in. Here's the .htaccess code:
# Prepend the file
php_value auto_prepend_file "/dir/path/utilities.php"
# Append file to bottom of page
php_value auto_append_file "/dir/path/templates/footer.php"
Now don't mistake this post as me telling you to use this strategy; using this functionality creates a layer of indirection that could confuse a team of developers if they don't all have a grasp of where automatically included files are coming from. Just wanted to let you know this was possible!
![Serving Fonts from CDN]()
For maximum performance, we all know we must put our assets on CDN (another domain). Along with those assets are custom web fonts. Unfortunately custom web fonts via CDN (or any cross-domain font request) don't work in Firefox or Internet Explorer (correctly so, by spec) though...
![CSS Gradients]()
With CSS border-radius, I showed you how CSS can bridge the gap between design and development by adding rounded corners to elements. CSS gradients are another step in that direction. Now that CSS gradients are supported in Internet Explorer 8+, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome...
![Highlighter: A MooTools Search & Highlight Plugin]()
Searching within the page is a major browser functionality, but what if we could code a search box in JavaScript that would do the same thing? I set out to do that using MooTools and ended up with a pretty decent solution.
The MooTools JavaScript Class
The...
![Duplicate DeSandro’s CSS Effect]()
I recently stumbled upon David DeSandro's website when I saw a tweet stating that someone had stolen/hotlinked his website design and code, and he decided to do the only logical thing to retaliate: use some simple JavaScript goodness to inject unicorns into their page.
this strategy is often used to hook a profiler into an existing app, which works great in DEV environments
see e.g. http://xhprof.io/
I can see it now, the /html directory full of code snippets, and an incredibly convoluted htaccess file that conditionally assembles the various pages for a site. :)
Quick! Turn it into a framework!
I’ve used to use this technique, but dropped it for a while now.
It appears very useful at first but can be dangerous actually…
One of its weakness is the impossibility to “un” prepend or “un” append according to directory or filematch directives.
How can i use the .httaccess pre-append a .php file? i have tried using—– php_value auto_prepend_file “inc.php”
Am getting this error: Fatal error: Unknown: Failed opening required ‘inc.php” (include_path=’.;D:\xampp\php\PEAR’) in Unknown on line 0
@Matthew
have you tried using full path like /var/www/site/dir/file.php?
.htaccess – is a single file for all project. And I think it’s a bad practice to prepend files, because they will prepend on all pages.
I find it hard to believe @ Pluto htaccess allows if statements.
Thanks Chris, this would be a great way to append a “copyright link” that can’t easily be found.