Title: Using $wpdb outside wordpress Last modified: August 19, 2016 --- # Using $wpdb outside wordpress * Resolved [dcole07](https://wordpress.org/support/users/dcole07/) * (@dcole07) * [17 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/) * I’m writing a plugin, but a AJAX request is calling a php file and I want to create tables and save data that have the same prefix as the other WordPress tables. * The problem is you can NOT just global $wpdb and have it work, because no other files are involved! What file should I include so that the $wpdb could be global? Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 18 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/page/2/?output_format=md) * [scribu](https://wordpress.org/support/users/scribu/) * (@scribu) * [17 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793323) * Probably `wp-includes/wp-db.php`. * [whooami](https://wordpress.org/support/users/whooami/) * (@whooami) * [17 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793347) * whenever you want to use wordpress fucntions OR variables outside of wordpress, you need to include `wp-blog-header.php` * [WordyPresser](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jeremyduffy/) * (@jeremyduffy) * [17 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793701) * How do you include it? I know it’s in the root, but how do I reference it? I tried many things, but it either didn’t work or gave me an access denied error. * All I want is to be able to reference the WPDB value in my AJAX handler file. * [whooami](https://wordpress.org/support/users/whooami/) * (@whooami) * [17 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793702) * > How do you include it? * [http://us.php.net/include/](http://us.php.net/include/) * there are hundreds, if not thousands, of examples of php includes inside all of the wordpress files themselves. * Actually, thinking about that again the devs tend to use requires but the format is identical. 🙂 * [WordyPresser](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jeremyduffy/) * (@jeremyduffy) * [17 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793703) * To be specific, I have a template that calls an AJAX function and loads another file (which isn’t a template, just a PHP file). How can I have WordPress functions and variables available in that file? * [WordyPresser](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jeremyduffy/) * (@jeremyduffy) * [17 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793704) * Whooami, I used include, but it gave me an error. Also, how do I reference it? I can just use “/wp-blog-header.php” for the one in root, but what about when the wordpress install isn’t in the root? How do I find it or does it just have to be hard-coded? * [whooami](https://wordpress.org/support/users/whooami/) * (@whooami) * [17 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793705) * did you look at the link I provided? * You reference it, using the **path to it**, **from the file you are including it in**. * do we need a primer on paths? * ./ == current directory ../ == one directory up ../stuff == one directory up** and** then into stuff. * ../../ == 2 directories up. * ../../morestuff == 2 directories up **and** then into morestuff * [WordyPresser](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jeremyduffy/) * (@jeremyduffy) * [17 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793706) * Error: `Warning: require(./wp-blog-header.php) [function.require]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory` * [whooami](https://wordpress.org/support/users/whooami/) * (@whooami) * [17 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793707) * ./things == inside the current directory and then into the subdirectory named things. * — * If you stop pasting, and typing and start reading .. * [WordyPresser](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jeremyduffy/) * (@jeremyduffy) * [17 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793708) * Hmm… I suppose the themes are always the same depth… I just don’t want to make it difficult for people who use my code and have non-standard installations. So I suppose I’ll have to use require(“../../../wp-blog-header.php); * (using that, it’s working. As long as no one is putting their theme and deeper or more shallow than normal, I guess it will work). * Thanks! * [whooami](https://wordpress.org/support/users/whooami/) * (@whooami) * [17 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793709) * if you are doing this for a plugin, there are other options. there are all kinds of preassigned variables that could handle simplifying that. * [WordyPresser](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jeremyduffy/) * (@jeremyduffy) * [17 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793710) * Not a plugin in this case. Actual file here: * [http://www.jeremyduffy.com/advanced-blog-search/](http://www.jeremyduffy.com/advanced-blog-search/) * [Glenn Ansley](https://wordpress.org/support/users/blepoxp/) * (@blepoxp) * [17 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793726) * Does anyone know how I would go about doing this now that the wp-content directory can be moved if the blog isn’t in the site root? * [Glenn Ansley](https://wordpress.org/support/users/blepoxp/) * (@blepoxp) * [17 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793727) * Nevermind: I wound up just passing the ABSPATH constant through the ajax request as a var. Then I included the file I needed. * `mysack.setVar( "wp_root" , "" );` * Moderator [Samuel Wood (Otto)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/otto42/) * (@otto42) * WordPress.org Admin * [17 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/#post-793728) * … Ugh. * If you have to have an external file include the WP functions because you’re referencing them directly like that, then you’re pretty much doing it wrong. * Consider alternate approaches, like passing the actual data you need to the files directly, or generating the files on the fly from the plugin, or some such thing. * Because every time you include the entirety of WordPress again when only one page is being viewed, you increase the server load by double. And God kills a kitten. Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 18 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/page/2/?output_format=md) The topic ‘Using $wpdb outside wordpress’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [global](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/global/) * [wpdb](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/wpdb/) * 18 replies * 7 participants * Last reply from: [superbibi75](https://wordpress.org/support/users/superbibi75/) * Last activity: [17 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/using-wpdb-outside-wordpress/page/2/#post-793731) * Status: resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics