<?php

include('mysql/first.php');

?>

<?php
die('What?');
?>

Bonjour

<?php
echo file_get_contents('death.txt');
include('exit.php');
?>

Hello there

<?php
die('DONE');
?>

BonjourWhat?

Warning: file_get_contents(death.txt) [function.file-get-contents]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in E:testmysqlfirst.php on line 2
DONE

Included path: '.:'
Including mysql/first.php: /Users/Kouno/Development/SandBox/test-php/mysql/first.php
This is what `realpath` returns for './': /Users/Kouno/Development/SandBox/test-php
Getting content of death.txt: /Users/Kouno/Development/SandBox/test-php/death.txt
Bonjour
Including exit.php: /Users/Kouno/Development/SandBox/test-php/exit.php
What?

echo file_get_contents('death.txt', FILE_USE_INCLUDE_PATH);

Included path: '.:'
Including mysql/first.php: /Users/Kouno/Development/SandBox/test-php/mysql/first.php
Getting content of death.txt: (no path returned)
Hello there
Including exit.php: (no path returned)
DONE

echo file_get_contents($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'death.txt');

echo file_get_contents('..' . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'death.txt');