Bootstrapping the MODX API from an External PHP File

External PHP scripts are a common integration point in legacy projects, but they only work reliably when the MODX API is bootstrapped correctly.

Typical Bootstrap

require_once($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . '/manager/includes/protect.inc.php');
require_once($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . '/manager/includes/config.inc.php');
define('MODX_API_MODE', true);
require_once($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . '/manager/includes/document.parser.class.inc.php');
$modx = new DocumentParser;
$modx->getSettings();

Why Calls Still Fail

Developers often assume that once the parser is instantiated, every helper will behave like it does inside a normal page request. But some calls still require additional context or explicit parameters.

Practical Rule

If a chunk or parser call fails in an external script, first confirm the bootstrap sequence, then confirm what runtime context that helper expects. Standalone scripts rarely have the same document state as a normal page load.