Why would using absolute paths instead of relative paths help in this situation?

Using absolute paths instead of relative paths can help in this situation because it ensures that the file paths are always correctly referenced regardless of the current working directory. This is particularly useful when including files across different directories or when the script is being executed from different locations. Absolute paths provide a fixed reference point to the files, making the script more robust and less prone to errors related to file path resolution.

// Using absolute paths to include files
include_once(__DIR__ . '/path/to/include/file.php');