Enabling and disabling the PHP register_globals directive

This article describes how to enable and disable the register_globals directive in a custom php.ini file.

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Important

The information in this article only applies to certain types of hosting accounts. To determine whether or not the information below applies to your account, please see this article.

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Note

This article assumes that you have already set up a custom php.ini file on your web site. If you have not already set up a custom php.ini file, please read this article first.

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Important

This article only applies to PHP 5.3 and earlier versions. The register_globals directive was removed in PHP 5.4.

Using the register_globals directive

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Warning

The register_globals directive is disabled by default. You should be aware of the security implications of enabling the register_globals directive. For more information, please visit http://php.net/manual/en/security.globals.php.

When the register_globals directive is enabled, PHP creates variables automatically from HTML form parameters and cookie data. To enable this functionality, use a text editor to modify the register_globals directive in the php.ini file as follows:

register_globals = on

To disable this functionality, modify the register_globals directive in the php.ini file as follows:

register_globals = off

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Tip

To verify the current value of the register_globals directive and other directives, you can use the phpinfo() function. For more information, please see this article.

More Information

• To view a complete list of php.ini directives, please visit http://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.list.php.

• For more information about the register_globals directive, please visit http://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.core.php#ini.register-globals.

Related Articles

• Custom php.ini files

• Using php.ini directives