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Using include_once / require_once in settings.php leads to unexpected behavior

Open on Drupal.org →
Created on 31 August 2016, over 8 years ago
Updated 1 February 2023, about 2 years ago

It's fairly common to split up settings and configuration between multiple files, and to include these files in settings.php.

However, it appears that settings.php is read multiple times during site installs, leading to unexpected behavior if you use include_once or require_once (instead of include or require) in settings.php. For instance, if you set $config_directories in a separate file and call it with require_once, the site install task will not be able to read it, and a random config_directory value will be written to settings.php.

I believe the root cause is that settings.php is being included by the core install / bootstrap tasks multiple times. The first time, $config_directories is not defined as a global prior to the file being included, so this variable is simply lost. Only on a later include (such as in Drupal\Core\Site\Settings::Initialize()) is $config_directories defined as a global, but by this point it's too late as the variable won't be read again.

I can see two solutions: either document in settings.php that you shouldn't use include_once / require_once, or find all of the functions where settings.php is included by core and ensure that in each case all of the possible variables are defined as globals.

🐛 Bug report
Status

Needs work

Version

9.5

Component
Bootstrap  →

Last updated 24 days ago

No maintainer
Created by

🇺🇸United States dane powell

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It's likely this issue predates Contrib.social: some issue and comment data are missing.

  • Comment about 2 years ago →
    🇺🇸United States smustgrave

    Can the MR be updated for 10.1 please.

  • Comment over 1 year ago →
    🇦🇺Australia cafuego

    This issue is now making my drush calls fail on Drupal 10.1 because my skeleton settings.php used require_once to grab pretty much *all* actual config from a place I manage with config-as-code tools. When I run drush I get:

    In Settings.php line 171:                                                    
    Missing $settings['hash_salt'] in settings.php.

    Of course, when Drupal is accessed through the web server, it bootstraps fine and everything works as expected.

  • Comment over 1 year ago →
    🇩🇪Germany szeidler Berlin

    We're running into the same issue as #19. The error is triggered when using `include_once`. With `include` it works just fine.

    For us the error message only happens when using Drush 12. With Drush 11 it works fine.

    In Settings.php line 171:                                                    
    Missing $settings['hash_salt'] in settings.php.
  • Comment 27 days ago →
    🇺🇸United States brad.bulger

    A colleague reports discovering a problem with require/require_once in 10.3. Our settings.php file requires default.settings.php and then adds some customization. What we found:

    BUT instead it HAS TO BE
    "require('default.settings.php')". During a cache clear request
    \Drupal\Core\Site\Settings.php gets initialized twice (once before clearing,
    once after). Each time Settings::initialize() invokes "require
    sites/default/settings.php". It has to return the exact same information both
    times. But the require_once line meant that the second time around it was
    dropping default.settings.php.

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