PHP Basic Syntax

1. PHP Opening and Closing Tags

PHP code is embedded within HTML using PHP tags. The basic PHP opening tag is <?php, and the closing tag is ?>.

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<?php
// Your PHP code here
?>

All PHP code must be placed within these tags to execute properly.

2. Comments in PHP

Comments are used to explain code and are ignored during execution. PHP supports single-line and multi-line comments.

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// Single-line comment
# Another way to write single-line comments

/*
Multi-line comment
spanning multiple lines
*/

3. Echo and Print Statements

echo and print are used to output text to the screen. While echo can take multiple parameters, print behaves as a function that returns a value.

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<?php
echo "Hello, World!";
print "Hello, PHP!";
?>

4. PHP Variables

Variables in PHP start with a $ sign, followed by the variable name. Variable names must begin with a letter or underscore and cannot contain spaces.

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<?php
$variableName = "Value";
$number = 10;
?>

PHP is a loosely typed language, so you don't have to declare the data type of a variable.

5. PHP Data Types

PHP supports several data types, including:

• String: A sequence of characters. E.g., "Hello"
• Integer: Non-decimal numbers. E.g., 123
• Float: Decimal numbers. E.g., 3.14
• Boolean: True or False values.
• Array: An indexed collection of values.
• Object: Instances of classes.

6. Basic Operators in PHP

PHP provides various operators to perform operations:

• Arithmetic Operators: +, -, *, /, %
• Assignment Operators: =, +=, -=, etc.
• Comparison Operators: ==, !=, ===, !==
• Logical Operators: &&, ||, !

Operators help you perform calculations and comparisons within your code.

7. PHP Basic Syntax Example

Here’s a simple example that combines these basic PHP syntax elements:

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<?php
// Declare a variable
$name = "John Doe";

// Output a greeting message
echo "Hello, " . $name . "!";

// Perform a calculation
$sum = 5 + 10;
echo "The sum is: " . $sum;
?>

8. Conclusion

Understanding the basic syntax of PHP is essential for further learning. With these foundational elements, you’re ready to explore more advanced PHP concepts.