Access Joomla 4 framework from external php file

[cloudfaction]

Steps to reproduce the issue

create php file to include joomla framework. works in J3

define('_JEXEC', 1);

// this file is in a subfolder 'scripts' under the main joomla folder
define('JPATH_BASE', realpath(dirname(FILE) . '/..'));
require_once JPATH_BASE . '/includes/defines.php';
require_once JPATH_BASE . '/includes/framework.php';

// instantiate application
$app = JFactory::getApplication('site');

Expected result

framework loaded, able to use it

Actual result

framework not loaded

System information (as much as possible)

J4 RC3

Additional comments

I am aware of jfactory, to be changed to factory, and use PHP namespaces. but even then i cannot get the J4 framework loaded in external page.

[dgrammatiko]

Check the include directory, you need to load one more file:

// this file is in a subfolder 'scripts' under the main joomla folder
define('JPATH_BASE', realpath(dirname(FILE) . '/..'));
require_once JPATH_BASE . '/includes/defines.php';
require_once JPATH_BASE . '/includes/framework.php';
require_once JPATH_BASE . '/includes/app.php';

[cloudfaction]

sorry, not working

define('_JEXEC', 1);
define('JPATH_BASE', realpath(dirname(FILE) . '/../../'));

require_once JPATH_BASE . '/includes/defines.php';
require_once JPATH_BASE . '/includes/framework.php';
require_once JPATH_BASE . '/includes/app.php';

use Joomla\CMS\Factory;
$mainframe = Factory::getApplication('site');

---

_{This comment was created with the J!Tracker Application at issues.joomla.org/tracker/joomla-cms/34586.}

[cloudfaction]

Phil, you are probably right, but i have been seeking this answer and have not found it. Until now. Thank you for your reply. I will close this now.

[mavrosxristoforos]

Unfortunately something goes wrong with this method. While the application is loaded successfully, if you try to JRoute::_() something right below the code provided by @PhilETaylor, the site breaks.

$link = JRoute::_('index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1');

This causes a ClassNotFoundError in [components/com_content/services/provider.php] (line 46)
The error message says:

Attempted to load class "AssociationsHelper" from namespace
"Joomla\Component\Content\Administrator\Helper".
Did you forget a "use" statement for another namespace?

If you call $app->execute(); before JRoute::_() it works normally, but it loads the website, because... well obviously, the app is executed.

In my case, I need to load the framework in order to use ajax from within a module extension, without introducing a whole component, just to load a few things from the database. Any insight would be really appreciated.

[mavrosxristoforos]

Just found a joomla.stackexchange.com post that solves it. I didn't delete my comments, because I think this information is useful, as this issue appears very high on Google when someone searches to load Joomla 4 from an external php file.

The solution is to register extension namespaces, after setting the application as global app.

...
// Set the application as global app
\Joomla\CMS\Factory::$application = $app;

$app->createExtensionNamespaceMap();

Source: https://joomla.stackexchange.com/questions/32145/joomla-4-error-when-i-use-getarticleroute