ABSPATH

WordPress core is symlinked to platform-managed files on WP Cloud. As a result, ABSPATH points to the managed WordPress directory rather than the site’s writable htdocs directory. Plugins and themes that use ABSPATH to locate files under wp-content can therefore build the wrong path.

Understand the WP Cloud path

The following test shows where ABSPATH points:

<?php var_dump( ABSPATH );Code language: HTML, XML (xml)Copy

On a WP Cloud site, it returns:

string(19) "/srv/htdocs/__wp__/"Code language: JavaScript (javascript)Copy

The __wp__ directory is the symlinked WordPress core location. Use ABSPATH when code needs a WordPress core path, but not to find a plugin, theme, upload, or other file under wp-content.

This means the constant’s value is valid, but its meaning differs from the site-root assumption made by some portable WordPress code.

Use WP_CONTENT_DIR for site-owned files

This path is incorrect on WP Cloud because it assumes wp-content is inside the managed core directory:

$target_path = ABSPATH . 'wp-content/plugins/order-tracking/order-sheets/';Code language: PHP (php)Copy

Build the path from WP_CONTENT_DIR instead:

$target_path = WP_CONTENT_DIR . '/plugins/order-tracking/order-sheets/';Code language: PHP (php)Copy

ABSPATH includes a trailing slash; WP_CONTENT_DIR does not. Include the separator when appending a path to WP_CONTENT_DIR.

Define a portable site-root constant

Code that needs the site root rather than wp-content can define its own constant from WP_CONTENT_DIR:

define( 'EXAMPLE_SITE_ROOT', str_replace( 'wp-content', '', WP_CONTENT_DIR ) );Code language: JavaScript (javascript)Copy

On WP Cloud, EXAMPLE_SITE_ROOT resolves to /srv/htdocs/. It can then be used without depending on WP Cloud’s symlinked core path:

$target_path = EXAMPLE_SITE_ROOT . 'wp-content/plugins/order-tracking/order-sheets/';Code language: PHP (php)Copy

The WordPress filesystem reference and WP_Filesystem_Base::wp_content_dir() provide additional options for code that works with the WordPress filesystem.