using $GLOBALS['base_path'] A quick one - is it ok to use this? I can't seem to get access to $base_url in my node which is set in my settings.php file.
No, it's not OK to use it directly. Always use base_path() function instead. There are two benefits:


You will not risk accidental change in the original variable, so you will not cause other modules to fail if you'll make a mistake.
If, for whatever reason, Drupal will change way it stores base path, your module will continue to work properly.