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How to Fix PHP Fatal Error: require() Failed to Open 'data/tdk.php' File

M66 2025-07-18

Introduction

In PHP development, we often encounter the error message: fatal error: require(): Failed opening required 'data/tdk.php'. This error is usually related to issues such as incorrect file paths, missing files, or insufficient file permissions. Fortunately, it's relatively easy to fix. This article will introduce several common solutions to help developers quickly identify and resolve this issue.

Check the File Path

The first step when encountering the "fatal error: require()" message is to check if the file path used in the code is correct. In PHP, file paths are typically relative to the current PHP script's location.

For example, if the current script is located in the directory "/var/www/html" and the required file "data/tdk.php" is located in the directory "/var/www/html/data", the correct file path should be "data/tdk.php".

It's also important to note that file path conventions vary across operating systems. For instance, Windows uses a backslash "\" as a path separator, while Unix/Linux systems use a forward slash "/". Therefore, make sure to use the appropriate separator based on the operating system you're working with.

Check if the File Exists

If the path is correct but you still encounter the error, it might be due to the file not existing. You should verify whether the required file is present in the specified directory. If the file is missing, you'll need to recreate it or adjust the code accordingly to ensure that the file can be generated correctly.

Check File Permissions

Another common cause of the "Failed opening required" error is insufficient file permissions. If PHP needs to read or write to a file or directory and the permissions are not set correctly, PHP will not be able to access the file, leading to an error.

In Linux/Unix systems, you can check the file or directory permissions using the following command:

ls -l

The output will show "r" for read, "w" for write, and "x" for execute permissions. Each group of three characters (e.g., "rwxr-xr-x") represents the permissions for the file's owner, group, and others.

If the permissions are incorrect, you can use the following command to modify them:

chmod

For example, setting permissions to "755" means the file owner has read, write, and execute permissions, while the group and others have read and execute permissions.

Use Absolute Path

If the above methods do not resolve the issue, you can try using an absolute path. Unlike relative paths, absolute paths are not affected by the current PHP script's directory and offer more stable file access.

You can use the following code to get the absolute path of the current script:

$path = dirname(__FILE__);

After obtaining the absolute path, you can directly use it to access the required file:

require_once($path . "/data/tdk.php");

Conclusion

By following these steps, we can effectively resolve the "fatal error: require(): Failed opening required" issue. It's important to carefully check file paths, file permissions, and the existence of files during development. To avoid this error in the future, make sure to properly manage file paths and permissions in your PHP code, ensuring that PHP can correctly access the required files.