The question might prompt some people to say a definitive YES or NO almost immediately, but please read on...
I have a simple website where there are 30 php pages (each has some php server side code + HTML/CSS etc...). No complicated hierarchy, nothing. Just 30 pages.
I also have a set of purely back-end php files - the ones that have code for saving stuff to database, doing authentication, sending emails, processing orders and the like. These will be reused by those 30 content-pages.
I have a master php file to which I send a parameter. This specifies which one of those 30 files is needed and it includes the appropriate content-page. But each one of those may require a variable number of back-end files to be included. For example one content page may require nothing from back-end, while another might need the database code, while something else might need the emailer, database and the authentication code etc...
I guess whatever back-end page is required, can be included in the appropriate content page, but one small change in the path and I have to edit tens of files. It will be too cumbersome to check which content page is requested (switch-case type of thing) and include the appropriate back-end files, in the master php file. Again, I have to make many changes if a single path changes.
Being lazy, I included ALL back-end files inthe master file so that no content page can request something that is not included.
First question - is this a good practice? if it is done by anyone at all.
Second, will there be a performance problem or any kind of problem due to me including all the back-end files regardless of whether they are needed?
EDIT
The website gets anywhere between 3000 - 4000 visits a day.