Autoload file not found: PHP require() error in XAMPP environment

Ecom
1 
I'm running into a problem with my PHP project in XAMPP. When I try to load the page, I get these errors:

Warning: Can't open the autoload file. It says the file or folder doesn't exist.

Fatal error: The script can't continue because it can't find the autoload file.

This happens in the bootstrap.php file. The line causing trouble is:

require VENDOR . 'autoload.php';

I've checked, and the path seems right. But for some reason, it's not finding the file. Any ideas on what might be going wrong or how to fix this? I'm pretty new to PHP, so I'm not sure where to look next.
2

This issue often stems from incorrect file paths or Composer setup. First, double-check your VENDOR constant definition. Try using an absolute path instead:

require DIR . ‘/vendor/autoload.php’;

If that doesn’t work, ensure you’ve run ‘composer install’ in your project directory. This generates the necessary autoload files.

Also, verify file permissions. XAMPP sometimes has issues with this. You might need to adjust them:

chmod -R 755 /path/to/your/project

If problems persist, check your XAMPP configuration. Ensure it’s correctly set up for your project’s root directory.

Lastly, confirm there are no typos in your file names or paths. A single character off can cause this error.

3

hey mate, have u checked if the vendor folder actually exists? sometimes it gets deleted or not created properly. also, try using an absolute path like this:

require DIR . ‘/vendor/autoload.php’;

if that doesn’t work, run ‘composer install’ in ur project folder. that should create the autoload file if it’s missing.

4

Hey there! Have you tried checking if your Composer setup is all good? Sometimes these autoload issues pop up when Composer hasn’t done its thing properly.

Maybe give this a shot:

Open your command prompt, navigate to your project folder, and run ‘composer dump-autoload’. This refreshes all the autoload stuff and might just fix your problem.

Also, I’m curious – are you using any specific frameworks or just vanilla PHP? Some frameworks have their own quirks with autoloading that might be worth looking into.

Let me know if that helps or if you need more ideas to troubleshoot. We’ll get this sorted out!