Title: Base PHP Classes Plugins Sharing Classes and Organization? Last modified: August 20, 2016 --- # Base PHP Classes Plugins Sharing Classes and Organization? * [stvcg00](https://wordpress.org/support/users/stvcg00/) * (@stvcg00) * [15 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/base-php-classes-plugins-sharing-classes-and-organization-1/) * Base PHP Classes + Plugins + Sharing Classes and Organization? * I have several SOAP classes and base php classes that I will need to share across plugins… What is the recommendation handling a PHP class library across multiple plug ins… Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total) * Thread Starter [stvcg00](https://wordpress.org/support/users/stvcg00/) * (@stvcg00) * [15 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/base-php-classes-plugins-sharing-classes-and-organization-1/#post-2150341) * Uhg… Can any one help? * Thread Starter [stvcg00](https://wordpress.org/support/users/stvcg00/) * (@stvcg00) * [15 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/base-php-classes-plugins-sharing-classes-and-organization-1/#post-2150342) * Please? anyone??… I am so frustrated with wordpress right now… * [Kraignos](https://wordpress.org/support/users/kraignos/) * (@kraignos) * [15 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/base-php-classes-plugins-sharing-classes-and-organization-1/#post-2150343) * At first sight, two ways come to my mind: 1. make a lib/ folder at the root of your wordpress install. Both of your plugins target this folder * - pros : easy maintenance -> you edit your base classes and services one time for all your plugins - cons : a pain to re-use if you move your plugins to another wordpress * - make a lib folder for each plugin * - pros : all the file the plugin needs are included in the same folder so, easy to move. allows differences in the base classes and services configuration for each plugin - cons : you have to update your base classes and services twice :/ * I guess you already reached that conclusion, so I’m not really helping. Maybe someone would have better ideas… * Thread Starter [stvcg00](https://wordpress.org/support/users/stvcg00/) * (@stvcg00) * [15 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/base-php-classes-plugins-sharing-classes-and-organization-1/#post-2150345) * Thank you for replying! =O) =O) =O) =O) * I greatly appreciate it! =O) =O) =O) =O) * Option 2 seems like the more times you load a library the more to would compound on performance because you are increasing the amount of code to be executed? * Also I noticed I have to name each class differently because it can not load it multiple times or it generates and error… * I tried Option 1 in my theme but it doesn’t seem to share over to a plugin and theme but generates an error because the plugin will not see the class but the theme will and vice versa? * [Kraignos](https://wordpress.org/support/users/kraignos/) * (@kraignos) * [15 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/base-php-classes-plugins-sharing-classes-and-organization-1/#post-2150360) * > Option 2 seems like the more times you load a library the more to would compound > on performance because you are increasing the amount of code to be executed? * No, because with opt’2 you want to make sure each plugin will load the lib ** relative to his own** path and don’t even be aware of the lib/ folder in the other plugin’s file structure. That’s why you can easily re-use this plug on many projects. Easy to deploy ! Assuming this file structure for example : * |_wp-content/ ….|_plugins/ ……..|_mypluginNumberOne/ …………|__myPluginNumberOne. php (entry-point of the plugin) …………|_libs/ …………….|_myclass.class.php …………….| _foo.class.php …………….|_ … ……..|_myAwesomePlugPlug/ …………|_myAwesomePlugPlug.php( entry-point of the plugin) …………|_libs/ …………….|_myclass.class.php …………….|_somethingUseful. class.php …………….|_bar.class.php * You’ll have something like this in both entry-points scripts `` But each plugin will load HIS own copy of “myclass.class.php”, located in HIS own lib/ folder. So there won’t be any conflict or file which is loaded twice. The server will load only files requested by the script. * > Also I noticed I have to name each class differently because it can not load > it multiple times or it generates and error… * Yep, you can’t call two vars/functions/classes, etc. with the same name otherwise it will raise a conflict. Or you’ll have to use _namespaces_ [http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.namespaces.php](http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.namespaces.php) But you can stick with avoiding duplicate names, it’s a lot easier ^^ * > I tried Option 1 in my theme but it doesn’t seem to share over to a plugin > and theme but generates an error because the plugin will not see the class > but the theme will and vice versa? * Don’t have enough clues to tell you why it did not work for you, but it should. * Thread Starter [stvcg00](https://wordpress.org/support/users/stvcg00/) * (@stvcg00) * [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/base-php-classes-plugins-sharing-classes-and-organization-1/#post-2150716) * I also noticed that you can load your library into the themes “functions.php” and the “functions.php” loads before the plugins load… * Therefore i can load all my based classes in this file and then extend customized plugins from “functions.php” It seems kind of unorganized but it seems to works… * It would be great if word press had to levels of customization…. the plugin folder and a global library folder the library folder would be a folder where one can upload base classes to where you could utilize these in your theme and plugins… this will help me reuse code. * [MartyThornley](https://wordpress.org/support/users/martythornley/) * (@martythornley) * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/base-php-classes-plugins-sharing-classes-and-organization-1/#post-2150728) * Try just adding your classes into “wp-content/mu-plugins/”, a little talked about feature. Anything in the “mu-plugins” as in “Must Use” gets loaded before all plugins. The only trick is that it won’t dig into folders, so all files need to just sit in the “mu-plugins” directory or you need to have a main file, like“ my-classes.php” then a directory with all your classes and use “my-classes.php to include them all. * This would include the classes before you load any plugins so they should all be available to any plugin. Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total) The topic ‘Base PHP Classes Plugins Sharing Classes and Organization?’ is closed to new replies. * 7 replies * 3 participants * Last reply from: [MartyThornley](https://wordpress.org/support/users/martythornley/) * Last activity: [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/base-php-classes-plugins-sharing-classes-and-organization-1/#post-2150728) * Status: not resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics