: --=[solution]=-- ........snip........ : in some_function.inc: : if ( !defined("MAINFILE") ) die ("this is a include file!"); : include(CONFIGDIR . "config.inc"); I'm afraid I don't feel this is much of a solution, since most linux/apache servers are, by default, configured with no special handlers for files of type ".inc". If you really want to remove all security problems, make sure the include files are of type php so their contents will not be revealed simply by browsing to them. This is an easier solution than saying "or make sure your configuration files have handlers for 'inc' files" because in cohosting solutions, you have little say over the configration. todd[1]