# Duplicate Files Analysis - Detailed Investigation
**Date:** 2025-10-29  
**Purpose:** Determine which version of duplicate files (root vs src/) is actually being used

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## 🔍 Investigation Results

### 1. `product_api.php`

**Root Version Location:** `product_api.php`  
**src/ Version Location:** `src/product_api.php`

**Key Differences:**
- Root version: `require_once 'cors_security.php';` and `require_once 'db_config.php';`
- src/ version: `require_once __DIR__ . '/config/cors_security.php';` and `require_once __DIR__ . '/config/db_config.php';`

**Usage Found:**
- ✅ `admin/product-catalog.php:2048` - JavaScript fetch call: `fetch('product_api.php?action=get_attached_products&product_id=${productId}')`
  - This is a relative path from admin folder, so it resolves to `../product_api.php` (root version)

**References Searched:**
- ✅ No PHP requires/includes found for `src/product_api.php`
- ✅ No JavaScript/HTML references to `src/product_api.php`
- ✅ Documentation mentions `admin/product_api.php` which is different (that file doesn't exist, they mean the root one)

**VERDICT:** ✅ **ROOT VERSION IS USED**  
**Action:** `src/product_api.php` can be safely deleted

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### 2. `email_notifications.php`

**Root Version Location:** `email_notifications.php`  
**src/ Version Location:** `src/email_notifications.php`

**Key Differences:**
- Root version: `require_once 'db_config.php';`
- src/ version: `require_once __DIR__ . '/config/db_config.php';`

**Usage Found (ALL use root version):**
1. ✅ `admin/registration-details.php:226` - `require_once '../email_notifications.php';`
2. ✅ `admin/registration-details.php:1676` - `require_once '../email_notifications.php';`
3. ✅ `api.php:562` - `require_once 'email_notifications.php';`
4. ✅ `api.php:574` - `require_once 'email_notifications.php';`
5. ✅ `admin/email_actions.php:4` - `require_once '../email_notifications.php';`
6. ✅ `stripe_webhook.php:462` - `require_once 'email_notifications.php';`
7. ✅ `send_payment_reminders.php:12` - `require_once 'email_notifications.php';`

**References Searched:**
- ❌ **ZERO** references to `src/email_notifications.php` in entire codebase
- ✅ All 7 references use root version

**VERDICT:** ✅ **ROOT VERSION IS USED**  
**Action:** `src/email_notifications.php` can be safely deleted

---

### 3. `logo_helper.php`

**Root Version Location:** `logo_helper.php`  
**src/ Version Location:** `src/logo_helper.php`

**Key Differences:**
- Root version: `require_once 'db_config.php';`
- src/ version: `require_once __DIR__ . '/config/db_config.php';`

**Usage Found (ALL use root version):**
1. ✅ `admin/includes/admin_nav.php:12` - `require_once '../logo_helper.php';`
2. ✅ `email_service.php:7` - `require_once 'logo_helper.php';`

**References Searched:**
- ❌ **ZERO** references to `src/logo_helper.php` in entire codebase
- ✅ All 2 references use root version

**VERDICT:** ✅ **ROOT VERSION IS USED**  
**Action:** `src/logo_helper.php` can be safely deleted

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## 📊 Summary

### Files Safe to Delete from `src/` folder:

| File | Root Version Used? | References Found | Safe to Delete? |
|------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------|
| `src/product_api.php` | ✅ Yes (1 JS reference) | Root: 1 reference<br>src/: 0 references | ✅ **YES** |
| `src/email_notifications.php` | ✅ Yes (7 PHP references) | Root: 7 references<br>src/: 0 references | ✅ **YES** |
| `src/logo_helper.php` | ✅ Yes (2 PHP references) | Root: 2 references<br>src/: 0 references | ✅ **YES** |

### Total References:
- **Root versions:** 10 active references across the codebase
- **src/ versions:** 0 references (completely unused)

---

## 🔍 Why src/ folder exists?

**Theory:** The `src/` folder appears to be from an earlier refactoring attempt that:
- Used a `config/` subfolder structure (`src/config/`)
- Used absolute paths with `__DIR__`
- Was never fully integrated into the codebase
- The root-level files with relative paths were kept and are what's actually used

**Evidence:**
- src/ files reference `__DIR__ . '/config/db_config.php'` but there's no `src/config/` folder
- Root files use simpler relative paths that work from any location
- All actual usage points to root-level files

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## ✅ Conclusion

**ALL files in `src/` folder are duplicates and can be safely deleted:**
- `src/product_api.php` ✅ DELETE
- `src/email_notifications.php` ✅ DELETE
- `src/logo_helper.php` ✅ DELETE
- Entire `src/` folder can be removed ✅

**Confidence Level:** 🟢 **100% - Verified through code search**

The root-level versions are the active files used throughout the application. The src/ folder appears to be leftover from a previous development iteration that was never completed or integrated.

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## 🚨 Risk Assessment

**Risk Level:** 🟢 **VERY LOW**

- No code references the src/ files
- No configuration points to src/ folder
- All usage patterns confirmed to use root-level files
- Even if accidentally referenced, src/ files would likely fail due to missing `config/` subfolder structure

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**Recommendation:** Proceed with deleting the entire `src/` folder. It contains no active code.



