Including files from a directory

Question

Does (a) have any benefits over (b)?

a) A function that returns the path to the file.

include util("array");

function util($name)
{
    return PATH."utils/$name.php";
}

b) A function that directly includes the file.

util("array");

function util($name)
{
    include PATH."utils/$name.php";
}

Answer 1

I'd take the second option, because it would allow you to switch between include(), include_once(), require() and require_once() easily, in case you ever need that.

Answer 2

I'd recommend using classes and __autoload