setting up new user.conf file

[blackrose]

I've currently got a PowerBookG4 1.3GHZ with OS X 10.3.8. I have turned on personal web sharing. I have successfuly been able to view files in the sites folder when I type in the PowerBooks name across the network. However what I'm looking to do is create create a new profile only for the apache server configuration as a test server. I will eventually install php and mysql for local use only, what I'd like to do is use the apache server configuration to test php scripts on my local machine. I would like it when I type in htp://localhost/~test/ to get the contents not of a sites folder within a users account but of a folder that I created elsewhere. I noticed in the .conf file for each user that is found at /Private/etc/httpd/users/(user name).conf a text statement like such:

<Directory "/Users/(user name)/Sites/">
Options Indexes MultiViews
AllowOverride None
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
</Directory>

I was wondering how I could create something similar but for a "test" user and change the line that says: <Directory "/Users/(user name)/Sites/"> to a line that is closer to <Directory "/www/u/username/htdocs/"> because this is how the hosting company that I'm with (PowWeb) organizes each users files- u is replaced with the first letter of the master user and username is replaced with the actual username and htdocs is the actual web accessible folder. I've already created the apropriate directories. What I'm trying to do is test the php files which will have absolute "include" statements to files outside of the htdocs folder similar to
<?php include("/www/u/username/SideMenu.txt"); ?>

So If any one has any ideas on how to set this up it will gladly be appreciated.

[michaelsanford]

If you have absolute include statements then a /much/ simpler way of going about it is this:

<?php
	 // This is index.php
	 require_once('paths.inc.php');
	 echo "<a href=\"" . $abs_path_prefix . $file_name . "\">Link name</a>";
?>

<?php
	 // This is paths.inc.php
	 $abs_path_prefix = "/www/u/username/htdocs/";
?>

Then just change your $abs_path_prefix when you deploy your site and all your links will work.