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PHP 5

PHP is a server-side scripting language that is used to create dynamic web pages. It allows developers to add PHP code to HTML files which is executed on the server to generate dynamic web page content. PHP code can connect to databases, validate and sanitize user input, generate images and files, and much more. The document provides an overview of PHP including what it is, how to write basic PHP code, PHP syntax, variables, and functions.

Uploaded by

Akshit Gupta
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
111 views

PHP 5

PHP is a server-side scripting language that is used to create dynamic web pages. It allows developers to add PHP code to HTML files which is executed on the server to generate dynamic web page content. PHP code can connect to databases, validate and sanitize user input, generate images and files, and much more. The document provides an overview of PHP including what it is, how to write basic PHP code, PHP syntax, variables, and functions.

Uploaded by

Akshit Gupta
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PHP 5 Tutorial

Next ❯

PHP is a server scripting language, and a powerful tool for making dynamic
and interactive Web pages.

PHP is a widely-used, free, and efficient alternative to competitors such as


Microsoft's ASP.

Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<?php
echo "My first PHP script!";
?>

</body>
</html>

What is PHP?
 PHP is an acronym for "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor"
 PHP is a widely-used, open source scripting language
 PHP scripts are executed on the server
 PHP is free to download and use

PHP is an amazing and popular language!

It is powerful enough to be at the core of the biggest blogging system on the


web (WordPress)!
It is deep enough to run the largest social network (Facebook)!
It is also easy enough to be a beginner's first server side language!
What is a PHP File?
 PHP files can contain text, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP code
 PHP code are executed on the server, and the result is returned to the
browser as plain HTML
 PHP files have extension ".php"

What Can PHP Do?


 PHP can generate dynamic page content
 PHP can create, open, read, write, delete, and close files on the server
 PHP can collect form data
 PHP can send and receive cookies
 PHP can add, delete, modify data in your database
 PHP can be used to control user-access
 PHP can encrypt data

With PHP you are not limited to output HTML. You can output images, PDF files,
and even Flash movies. You can also output any text, such as XHTML and XML.

Why PHP?
 PHP runs on various platforms (Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac OS X, etc.)
 PHP is compatible with almost all servers used today (Apache, IIS, etc.)
 PHP supports a wide range of databases
 PHP is free. Download it from the official PHP resource: www.php.net
 PHP is easy to learn and runs efficiently on the server side

Next ❯

What Do I Need?
To start using PHP, you can:

 Find a web host with PHP and MySQL support


 Install a web server on your own PC, and then install PHP and MySQL

Use a Web Host With PHP Support


If your server has activated support for PHP you do not need to do anything.

Just create some .php files, place them in your web directory, and the server
will automatically parse them for you.

You do not need to compile anything or install any extra tools.

Because PHP is free, most web hosts offer PHP support.

Set Up PHP on Your Own PC


However, if your server does not support PHP, you must:

 install a web server


 install PHP
 install a database, such as MySQL

The official PHP website (PHP.net) has installation instructions for


PHP: http://php.net/manual/en/install.php

PHP 5 Syntax
Next ❯

A PHP script is executed on the server, and the plain HTML result is sent
back to the browser.
Basic PHP Syntax
A PHP script can be placed anywhere in the document.

A PHP script starts with <?php and ends with ?>:

<?php
// PHP code goes here
?>

The default file extension for PHP files is ".php".

A PHP file normally contains HTML tags, and some PHP scripting code.

Below, we have an example of a simple PHP file, with a PHP script that uses a
built-in PHP function "echo" to output the text "Hello World!" on a web page:

Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<h1>My first PHP page</h1>

<?php
echo "Hello World!";
?>

</body>
</html>

Note: PHP statements end with a semicolon (;).

Comments in PHP
A comment in PHP code is a line that is not read/executed as part of the
program. Its only purpose is to be read by someone who is looking at the code.
Comments can be used to:

 Let others understand what you are doing


 Remind yourself of what you did - Most programmers have experienced
coming back to their own work a year or two later and having to re-figure
out what they did. Comments can remind you of what you were thinking
when you wrote the code

PHP supports several ways of commenting:

Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<?php
// This is a single-line comment

# This is also a single-line comment

/*
This is a multiple-lines comment block
that spans over multiple
lines
*/

// You can also use comments to leave out parts of a code line
$x = 5 /* + 15 */ + 5;
echo $x;
?>

</body>
</html>

PHP Case Sensitivity


In PHP, all keywords (e.g. if, else, while, echo, etc.), classes, functions, and
user-defined functions are NOT case-sensitive.

In the example below, all three echo statements below are legal (and equal):

Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<?php
ECHO "Hello World!<br>";
echo "Hello World!<br>";
EcHo "Hello World!<br>";
?>

</body>
</html>

However; all variable names are case-sensitive.

In the example below, only the first statement will display the value of the
$color variable (this is because $color, $COLOR, and $coLOR are treated as
three different variables):

Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<?php
$color = "red";
echo "My car is " . $color . "<br>";
echo "My house is " . $COLOR . "<br>";
echo "My boat is " . $coLOR . "<br>";
?>

</body>
</html>

PHP 5 Variables
Next ❯

Variables are "containers" for storing information.


Creating (Declaring) PHP Variables
In PHP, a variable starts with the $ sign, followed by the name of the variable:

Example
<?php
$txt = "Hello world!";
$x = 5;
$y = 10.5;
?>

After the execution of the statements above, the variable $txt will hold the
value Hello world!, the variable $x will hold the value 5, and the
variable $y will hold the value 10.5.

Note: When you assign a text value to a variable, put quotes around the value.

Note: Unlike other programming languages, PHP has no command for declaring


a variable. It is created the moment you first assign a value to it.

Think of variables as containers for storing data.

PHP Variables
A variable can have a short name (like x and y) or a more descriptive name
(age, carname, total_volume).

Rules for PHP variables:

 A variable starts with the $ sign, followed by the name of the variable
 A variable name must start with a letter or the underscore character
 A variable name cannot start with a number
 A variable name can only contain alpha-numeric characters and
underscores (A-z, 0-9, and _ )
 Variable names are case-sensitive ($age and $AGE are two different
variables)

Remember that PHP variable names are case-sensitive!


Output Variables
The PHP echo statement is often used to output data to the screen.

The following example will show how to output text and a variable:

Example
<?php
$txt = "Welcome.com";
echo "I love $txt!";
?>

The following example will produce the same output as the example above:

Example
<?php
$txt = "Welcome.com";
echo "I love " . $txt . "!";
?>

The following example will output the sum of two variables:

Example
<?php
$x = 5;
$y = 4;
echo $x + $y;
?>

Note: You will learn more about the echo statement and how to output data to
the screen in the next chapter.

PHP is a Loosely Typed Language


In the example above, notice that we did not have to tell PHP which data type
the variable is.

PHP automatically converts the variable to the correct data type, depending on
its value.

In other languages such as C, C++, and Java, the programmer must declare
the name and type of the variable before using it.

PHP Variables Scope


In PHP, variables can be declared anywhere in the script.

The scope of a variable is the part of the script where the variable can be
referenced/used.

PHP has three different variable scopes:

 local
 global
 static

Global and Local Scope


A variable declared outside a function has a GLOBAL SCOPE and can only be
accessed outside a function:

Example
<?php
$x = 5; // global scope

function myTest() {
    // using x inside this function will generate an error
    echo "<p>Variable x inside function is: $x</p>";
} 
myTest();
echo "<p>Variable x outside function is: $x</p>";
?>

A variable declared within a function has a LOCAL SCOPE and can only be


accessed within that function:

Example
<?php
function myTest() {
    $x = 5; // local scope
    echo "<p>Variable x inside function is: $x</p>";
} 
myTest();

// using x outside the function will generate an error


echo "<p>Variable x outside function is: $x</p>";
?>

You can have local variables with the same name in different functions, because
local variables are only recognized by the function in which they are declared.

PHP The global Keyword


The global keyword is used to access a global variable from within a function.

To do this, use the global keyword before the variables (inside the function):

Example
<?php
$x = 5;
$y = 10;

function myTest() {
    global $x, $y;
    $y = $x + $y;
}

myTest();
echo $y; // outputs 15
?>
PHP also stores all global variables in an array called $GLOBALS[index].
The index holds the name of the variable. This array is also accessible from
within functions and can be used to update global variables directly.

The example above can be rewritten like this:

Example
<?php
$x = 5;
$y = 10;

function myTest() {
    $GLOBALS['y'] = $GLOBALS['x'] + $GLOBALS['y'];
} 

myTest();
echo $y; // outputs 15
?>

PHP The static Keyword


Normally, when a function is completed/executed, all of its variables are
deleted. However, sometimes we want a local variable NOT to be deleted. We
need it for a further job.

To do this, use the static keyword when you first declare the variable:

Example
<?php
function myTest() {
    static $x = 0;
    echo $x;
    $x++;
}

myTest();
myTest();
myTest();
?>
Then, each time the function is called, that variable will still have the
information it contained from the last time the function was called.

Note: The variable is still local to the function.

PHP 5 echo and print Statements

In PHP there are two basic ways to get output: echo and print.

In this tutorial we use echo (and print) in almost every example. So, this
chapter contains a little more info about those two output statements.

PHP echo and print Statements


echo and print are more or less the same. They are both used to output data to
the screen.

The differences are small: echo has no return value while print has a return
value of 1 so it can be used in expressions. echo can take multiple parameters
(although such usage is rare) while print can take one argument. echo is
marginally faster than print.

The PHP echo Statement


The echo statement can be used with or without parentheses: echo or echo().

Display Text

The following example shows how to output text with the echo command
(notice that the text can contain HTML markup):

Example
<?php
echo "<h2>PHP is Fun!</h2>";
echo "Hello world!<br>";
echo "I'm about to learn PHP!<br>";
echo "This ", "string ", "was ", "made ", "with multiple parameters.";
?>

Display Variables

The following example shows how to output text and variables with the echo
statement:

Example
<?php
$txt1 = "Learn PHP";
$txt2 = "Welcome.com";
$x = 5;
$y = 4;

echo "<h2>" . $txt1 . "</h2>";


echo "Study PHP at " . $txt2 . "<br>";
echo $x + $y;
?>

The PHP print Statement


The print statement can be used with or without parentheses: print or print().

Display Text

The following example shows how to output text with the print command
(notice that the text can contain HTML markup):

Example
<?php
print "<h2>PHP is Fun!</h2>";
print "Hello world!<br>";
print "I'm about to learn PHP!";
?>
Display Variables

The following example shows how to output text and variables with the print
statement:

Example
<?php
$txt1 = "Learn PHP";
$txt2 = "Welcome.com";
$x = 5;
$y = 4;

print "<h2>" . $txt1 . "</h2>";


print "Study PHP at " . $txt2 . "<br>";
print $x + $y;
?>

PHP 5 Data Types

PHP Data Types


Variables can store data of different types, and different data types can do
different things.

PHP supports the following data types:

 String
 Integer
 Float (floating point numbers - also called double)
 Boolean
 Array
 Object
 NULL
 Resource

PHP String
A string is a sequence of characters, like "Hello world!".

A string can be any text inside quotes. You can use single or double quotes:

Example
<?php 
$x = "Hello world!";
$y = 'Hello world!';

echo $x;
echo "<br>"; 
echo $y;
?>

PHP Integer
An integer data type is a non-decimal number between -2,147,483,648 and
2,147,483,647.

Rules for integers:

 An integer must have at least one digit


 An integer must not have a decimal point
 An integer can be either positive or negative
 Integers can be specified in three formats: decimal (10-based),
hexadecimal (16-based - prefixed with 0x) or octal (8-based - prefixed
with 0)

In the following example $x is an integer. The PHP var_dump() function returns


the data type and value:

Example
<?php 
$x = 5985;
var_dump($x);
?>
PHP Float
A float (floating point number) is a number with a decimal point or a number in
exponential form.

In the following example $x is a float. The PHP var_dump() function returns the
data type and value:

Example
<?php 
$x = 10.365;
var_dump($x);
?>

PHP Boolean
A Boolean represents two possible states: TRUE or FALSE.

$x = true;
$y = false;

Booleans are often used in conditional testing. You will learn more about
conditional testing in a later chapter of this tutorial.

PHP Array
An array stores multiple values in one single variable.

In the following example $cars is an array. The PHP var_dump() function


returns the data type and value:

Example
<?php 
$cars = array("Volvo","BMW","Toyota");
var_dump($cars);
?>

You will learn a lot more about arrays in later chapters of this tutorial.

PHP Object
An object is a data type which stores data and information on how to process
that data.

In PHP, an object must be explicitly declared.

First we must declare a class of object. For this, we use the class keyword. A
class is a structure that can contain properties and methods:

Example
<?php
class Car {
    function Car() {
        $this->model = "VW";
    }
}

// create an object
$herbie = new Car();

// show object properties


echo $herbie->model;
?>

You will learn more about objects in a later chapter of this tutorial.

PHP NULL Value


Null is a special data type which can have only one value: NULL.

A variable of data type NULL is a variable that has no value assigned to it.

Tip: If a variable is created without a value, it is automatically assigned a value


of NULL.

Variables can also be emptied by setting the value to NULL:

Example
<?php
$x = "Hello world!";
$x = null;
var_dump($x);
?>

PHP Resource
The special resource type is not an actual data type. It is the storing of a
reference to functions and resources external to PHP.

A common example of using the resource data type is a database call.

We will not talk about the resource type here, since it is an advanced topic.

PHP 5 Strings

A string is a sequence of characters, like "Hello world!".

PHP String Functions


In this chapter we will look at some commonly used functions to manipulate
strings.
Get The Length of a String
The PHP strlen() function returns the length of a string.

The example below returns the length of the string "Hello world!":

Example
<?php
echo strlen("Hello world!"); // outputs 12
?>

The output of the code above will be: 12.

Count The Number of Words in a String


The PHP str_word_count() function counts the number of words in a string:

Example
<?php
echo str_word_count("Hello world!"); // outputs 2
?>

The output of the code above will be: 2.

Reverse a String
The PHP strrev() function reverses a string:
Example
<?php
echo strrev("Hello world!"); // outputs !dlrow olleH
?>

The output of the code above will be: !dlrow olleH.

Search For a Specific Text Within a String


The PHP strpos() function searches for a specific text within a string.

If a match is found, the function returns the character position of the first
match. If no match is found, it will return FALSE.

The example below searches for the text "world" in the string "Hello world!":

Example
<?php
echo strpos("Hello world!", "world"); // outputs 6
?>

The output of the code above will be: 6.

Tip: The first character position in a string is 0 (not 1).

Replace Text Within a String


The PHP str_replace() function replaces some characters with some other
characters in a string.

The example below replaces the text "world" with "Dolly":

Example
<?php
echo str_replace("world", "Dolly", "Hello world!"); // outputs Hello
Dolly!
?>

The output of the code above will be: Hello Dolly!

PHP 5 Constants

Constants are like variables except that once they are defined they cannot
be changed or undefined.

PHP Constants
A constant is an identifier (name) for a simple value. The value cannot be
changed during the script.

A valid constant name starts with a letter or underscore (no $ sign before the
constant name).

Note: Unlike variables, constants are automatically global across the entire


script.

Create a PHP Constant


To create a constant, use the define() function.

Syntax
define(name, value, case-insensitive)

Parameters:
 name: Specifies the name of the constant
 value: Specifies the value of the constant
 case-insensitive: Specifies whether the constant name should be case-
insensitive. Default is false

The example below creates a constant with a case-sensitive name:

Example
<?php
define("GREETING", "Welcome to Welcome.com!");
echo GREETING;
?>

The example below creates a constant with a case-insensitive name:

Example
<?php
define("GREETING", "Welcome to Welcome.com!", true);
echo greeting;
?>

Constants are Global


Constants are automatically global and can be used across the entire script.

The example below uses a constant inside a function, even if it is defined


outside the function:

Example
<?php
define("GREETING", "Welcome to Welcome.com!");

function myTest() {
    echo GREETING;
}
 
myTest();
?>

PHP 5 Operators

PHP Operators
Operators are used to perform operations on variables and values.

PHP divides the operators in the following groups:

 Arithmetic operators
 Assignment operators
 Comparison operators
 Increment/Decrement operators
 Logical operators
 String operators
 Array operators

PHP Arithmetic Operators


The PHP arithmetic operators are used with numeric values to perform common
arithmetical operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication etc.

Operator Name Example Result

+ Addition $x + $y Sum of $x and $y

- Subtraction $x - $y Difference of $x and $y


* Multiplication $x * $y Product of $x and $y

/ Division $x / $y Quotient of $x and $y

% Modulus $x % $y Remainder of $x divided by $y

** Exponentiation $x ** $y Result of raising $x to the $y'th power


(Introduced in PHP 5.6)

PHP Assignment Operators


The PHP assignment operators are used with numeric values to write a value to
a variable.

The basic assignment operator in PHP is "=". It means that the left operand
gets set to the value of the assignment expression on the right.

Assignmen Same as... Description


t

x=y x=y The left operand gets set to the value of the expression on
the right

x += y x=x+y Addition
x -= y x=x-y Subtraction

x *= y x=x*y Multiplication

x /= y x=x/y Division

x %= y x=x%y Modulus

PHP Comparison Operators


The PHP comparison operators are used to compare two values (number or
string):

Operator Name Example Result

== Equal $x == $y Returns true if $x is equal to $y

=== Identical $x === $y Returns true if $x is equal to $y, and they a


of the same type

!= Not equal $x != $y Returns true if $x is not equal to $y


<> Not equal $x <> $y Returns true if $x is not equal to $y

!== Not identical $x !== $y Returns true if $x is not equal to $y, or they
are not of the same type

> Greater than $x > $y Returns true if $x is greater than $y

< Less than $x < $y Returns true if $x is less than $y

>= Greater than or $x >= $y Returns true if $x is greater than or equal to


equal to $y

<= Less than or equal $x <= $y Returns true if $x is less than or equal to $y
to

PHP Increment / Decrement Operators


The PHP increment operators are used to increment a variable's value.

The PHP decrement operators are used to decrement a variable's value.

Operator Name Description

++$x Pre-increment Increments $x by one, then returns $x


$x++ Post-increment Returns $x, then increments $x by one

--$x Pre-decrement Decrements $x by one, then returns $x

$x-- Post-decrement Returns $x, then decrements $x by one

PHP Logical Operators


The PHP logical operators are used to combine conditional statements.

Operator Name Example Result

and And $x and $y True if both $x and $y are true

or Or $x or $y True if either $x or $y is true

xor Xor $x xor $y True if either $x or $y is true, but not


both

&& And $x && $y True if both $x and $y are true

|| Or $x || $y True if either $x or $y is true


! Not !$x True if $x is not true

PHP String Operators


PHP has two operators that are specially designed for strings.

Operator Name Example Result

. Concatenation $txt1 . $txt2 Concatenation of $txt1 and


$txt2

.= Concatenation $txt1 .= $txt2 Appends $txt2 to $txt1


assignment

PHP Array Operators


The PHP array operators are used to compare arrays.

Operator Name Example Result

+ Union $x + $y Union of $x and $y


== Equality $x == $y Returns true if $x and $y have the same key/value p

=== Identity $x === $y Returns true if $x and $y have the same key/value p
in the same order and of the same types

!= Inequality $x != $y Returns true if $x is not equal to $y

<> Inequality $x <> $y Returns true if $x is not equal to $y

!== Non- $x !== $y Returns true if $x is not identical to $y


identity

PHP 5 if...else...elseif Statements

Conditional statements are used to perform different actions based on


different conditions.

PHP Conditional Statements


Very often when you write code, you want to perform different actions for
different conditions. You can use conditional statements in your code to do this.

In PHP we have the following conditional statements:

 if statement - executes some code if one condition is true


 if...else statement - executes some code if a condition is true and
another code if that condition is false
 if...elseif....else statement - executes different codes for more than two
conditions
 switch statement - selects one of many blocks of code to be executed

PHP - The if Statement


The if statement executes some code if one condition is true.

Syntax
if (condition) {
     code to be executed if condition is true;
}

The example below will output "Have a good day!" if the current time (HOUR) is
less than 20:

Example
<?php
$t = date("H");

if ($t < "20") {
    echo "Have a good day!";
}
?>

PHP - The if...else Statement


The if....else statement executes some code if a condition is true and another
code if that condition is false.

Syntax
if (condition) {
    code to be executed if condition is true;
} else {
    code to be executed if condition is false;
}

The example below will output "Have a good day!" if the current time is less
than 20, and "Have a good night!" otherwise:

Example
<?php
$t = date("H");

if ($t < "20") {
    echo "Have a good day!";
} else {
    echo "Have a good night!";
}
?>

PHP - The if...elseif....else Statement


The if....elseif...else statement executes different codes for more than two
conditions.

Syntax
if (condition) {
    code to be executed if this condition is true;
} elseif (condition) {
    code to be executed if this condition is true;
} else {
    code to be executed if all conditions are false;
}

The example below will output "Have a good morning!" if the current time is
less than 10, and "Have a good day!" if the current time is less than 20.
Otherwise it will output "Have a good night!":
Example
<?php
$t = date("H");

if ($t < "10") {
    echo "Have a good morning!";
} elseif ($t < "20") {
    echo "Have a good day!";
} else {
    echo "Have a good night!";
}
?>

PHP 5- The switch Statement


The switch statement is used to perform different actions based on different
conditions.

The PHP switch Statement


Use the switch statement to select one of many blocks of code to be
executed.

Syntax
switch (n) {
    case label1:
          code to be executed if n=label1;
        break;
    case label2:
         code to be executed if n=label2;
        break;
    case label3:
         code to be executed if n=label3;
        break;
    ...
    default:
          code to be executed if n is different from all labels;
}

This is how it works: First we have a single expression n (most often a


variable), that is evaluated once. The value of the expression is then compared
with the values for each case in the structure. If there is a match, the block of
code associated with that case is executed. Use break to prevent the code from
running into the next case automatically. The default statement is used if no
match is found.

Example
<?php
$favcolor = "red";

switch ($favcolor) {
    case "red":
        echo "Your favorite color is red!";
        break;
    case "blue":
        echo "Your favorite color is blue!";
        break;
    case "green":
        echo "Your favorite color is green!";
        break;
    default:
        echo "Your favorite color is neither red, blue, nor green!";
}
?>

PHP 5 while Loops

PHP while loops execute a block of code while the specified condition is true.

PHP Loops
Often when you write code, you want the same block of code to run over and
over again in a row. Instead of adding several almost equal code-lines in a
script, we can use loops to perform a task like this.

In PHP, we have the following looping statements:

 while - loops through a block of code as long as the specified condition is


true
 do...while - loops through a block of code once, and then repeats the
loop as long as the specified condition is true
 for - loops through a block of code a specified number of times
 foreach - loops through a block of code for each element in an array

The PHP while Loop


The while loop executes a block of code as long as the specified condition is
true.

Syntax
while (condition is true) {
     code to be executed;
}

The example below first sets a variable $x to 1 ($x = 1). Then, the while loop
will continue to run as long as $x is less than, or equal to 5 ($x <= 5). $x will
increase by 1 each time the loop runs ($x++):

Example
<?php 
$x = 1; 

while($x <= 5) {
    echo "The number is: $x <br>";
    $x++;
} 
?>
The PHP do...while Loop
The do...while loop will always execute the block of code once, it will then check
the condition, and repeat the loop while the specified condition is true.

Syntax
do {
    code to be executed;
} while (condition is true);

The example below first sets a variable $x to 1 ($x = 1). Then, the do while
loop will write some output, and then increment the variable $x with 1. Then
the condition is checked (is $x less than, or equal to 5?), and the loop will
continue to run as long as $x is less than, or equal to 5:

Example
<?php 
$x = 1; 

do {
    echo "The number is: $x <br>";
    $x++;
} while ($x <= 5);
?>

Notice that in a do while loop the condition is tested AFTER executing the
statements within the loop. This means that the do while loop would execute its
statements at least once, even if the condition is false the first time.

The example below sets the $x variable to 6, then it runs the loop, and then
the condition is checked:

Example
<?php 
$x = 6;

do {
    echo "The number is: $x <br>";
    $x++;
} while ($x <= 5);
?>
PHP 5 for Loops

PHP for loops execute a block of code a specified number of times.

The PHP for Loop


The for loop is used when you know in advance how many times the script
should run.

Syntax
for (init counter; test counter; increment counter) {
    code to be executed;
}

Parameters:

 init counter: Initialize the loop counter value


 test counter: Evaluated for each loop iteration. If it evaluates to TRUE,
the loop continues. If it evaluates to FALSE, the loop ends.
 increment counter: Increases the loop counter value

The example below displays the numbers from 0 to 10:

Example
<?php 
for ($x = 0; $x <= 10; $x++) {
    echo "The number is: $x <br>";
} 
?>

The PHP foreach Loop


The foreach loop works only on arrays, and is used to loop through each
key/value pair in an array.

Syntax
foreach ($array  as $value) {
    code to be executed;
}

For every loop iteration, the value of the current array element is assigned to
$value and the array pointer is moved by one, until it reaches the last array
element.

The following example demonstrates a loop that will output the values of the
given array ($colors):

Example
<?php 
$colors = array("red", "green", "blue", "yellow"); 

foreach ($colors as $value) {
    echo "$value <br>";
}
?>Ru

PHP 5 Functions

The real power of PHP comes from its functions; it has more than 1000 built-
in functions.

PHP User Defined Functions


Besides the built-in PHP functions, we can create our own functions.
A function is a block of statements that can be used repeatedly in a program.

A function will not execute immediately when a page loads.

A function will be executed by a call to the function.

Create a User Defined Function in PHP


A user defined function declaration starts with the word "function":

Syntax
function functionName() {
    code to be executed;
}

Note: A function name can start with a letter or underscore (not a number).

Tip: Give the function a name that reflects what the function does!

Function names are NOT case-sensitive.

In the example below, we create a function named "writeMsg()". The opening


curly brace ( { ) indicates the beginning of the function code and the closing
curly brace ( } ) indicates the end of the function. The function outputs "Hello
world!". To call the function, just write its name:

Example
<?php
function writeMsg() {
    echo "Hello world!";
}

writeMsg(); // call the function


?>
PHP Function Arguments
Information can be passed to functions through arguments. An argument is just
like a variable.

Arguments are specified after the function name, inside the parentheses. You
can add as many arguments as you want, just separate them with a comma.

The following example has a function with one argument ($fname). When the
familyName() function is called, we also pass along a name (e.g. Jani), and the
name is used inside the function, which outputs several different first names,
but an equal last name:

Example
<?php
function familyName($fname) {
    echo "$fname Refsnes.<br>";
}

familyName("Jani");
familyName("Hege");
familyName("Stale");
familyName("Kai Jim");
familyName("Borge");
?>

The following example has a function with two arguments ($fname and $year):

Example
<?php
function familyName($fname, $year) {
    echo "$fname Refsnes. Born in $year <br>";
}

familyName("Hege", "1975");
familyName("Stale", "1978");
familyName("Kai Jim", "1983");
?>

PHP Default Argument Value


The following example shows how to use a default parameter. If we call the
function setHeight() without arguments it takes the default value as argument:

Example
<?php
function setHeight($minheight = 50) {
    echo "The height is : $minheight <br>";
}

setHeight(350);
setHeight(); // will use the default value of 50
setHeight(135);
setHeight(80);
?>

PHP Functions - Returning values


To let a function return a value, use the return statement: 

Example
<?php
function sum($x, $y) {
    $z = $x + $y;
    return $z;
}

echo "5 + 10 = " . sum(5, 10) . "<br>";


echo "7 + 13 = " . sum(7, 13) . "<br>";
echo "2 + 4 = " . sum(2, 4);
?>
n example »

Run e PHP 5 Arrays


Next ❯

An array stores multiple values in one single variable:


Example
<?php
$cars = array("Volvo", "BMW", "Toyota");
echo "I like " . $cars[0] . ", " . $cars[1] . " and " .
$cars[2] . ".";
?>

What is an Array?
An array is a special variable, which can hold more than one value at a time.

If you have a list of items (a list of car names, for example), storing the cars in
single variables could look like this:

$cars1 = "Volvo";
$cars2 = "BMW";
$cars3 = "Toyota";

However, what if you want to loop through the cars and find a specific one? And
what if you had not 3 cars, but 300?

The solution is to create an array!

An array can hold many values under a single name, and you can access the
values by referring to an index number.

Create an Array in PHP


In PHP, the array() function is used to create an array:

array();

In PHP, there are three types of arrays:

 Indexed arrays - Arrays with a numeric index


 Associative arrays - Arrays with named keys
 Multidimensional arrays - Arrays containing one or more arrays
PHP Indexed Arrays
There are two ways to create indexed arrays:

The index can be assigned automatically (index always starts at 0), like this:

$cars = array("Volvo", "BMW", "Toyota");

or the index can be assigned manually:

$cars[0] = "Volvo";
$cars[1] = "BMW";
$cars[2] = "Toyota";

The following example creates an indexed array named $cars, assigns three
elements to it, and then prints a text containing the array values:

Example
<?php
$cars = array("Volvo", "BMW", "Toyota");
echo "I like " . $cars[0] . ", " . $cars[1] . " and " .
$cars[2] . ".";
?>

Get The Length of an Array - The count()


Function
The count() function is used to return the length (the number of elements) of
an array:

Example
<?php
$cars = array("Volvo", "BMW", "Toyota");
echo count($cars);
?>

Loop Through an Indexed Array


To loop through and print all the values of an indexed array, you could use a for
loop, like this:

Example
<?php
$cars = array("Volvo", "BMW", "Toyota");
$arrlength = count($cars);

for($x = 0; $x < $arrlength; $x++) {


    echo $cars[$x];
    echo "<br>";
}
?>

PHP Associative Arrays


Associative arrays are arrays that use named keys that you assign to them.

There are two ways to create an associative array: 

$age = array("Peter"=>"35", "Ben"=>"37", "Joe"=>"43");

or:

$age['Peter'] = "35";
$age['Ben'] = "37";
$age['Joe'] = "43";

The named keys can then be used in a script:

Example
<?php
$age = array("Peter"=>"35", "Ben"=>"37", "Joe"=>"43");
echo "Peter is " . $age['Peter'] . " years old.";
?>

Loop Through an Associative Array


To loop through and print all the values of an associative array, you could use a
foreach loop, like this:

Example
<?php
$age = array("Peter"=>"35", "Ben"=>"37", "Joe"=>"43");

foreach($age as $x => $x_value) {


    echo "Key=" . $x . ", Value=" . $x_value;
    echo "<br>";
}
?>
xample »

PHP 5 Sorting Arrays

The elements in an array can be sorted in alphabetical or numerical order,


descending or ascending.

PHP - Sort Functions For Arrays


In this chapter, we will go through the following PHP array sort functions:

 sort() - sort arrays in ascending order


 rsort() - sort arrays in descending order
 asort() - sort associative arrays in ascending order, according to the value
 ksort() - sort associative arrays in ascending order, according to the key
 arsort() - sort associative arrays in descending order, according to the
value
 krsort() - sort associative arrays in descending order, according to the
key

Sort Array in Ascending Order - sort()


The following example sorts the elements of the $cars array in ascending
alphabetical order:

Example
<?php
$cars = array("Volvo", "BMW", "Toyota");
sort($cars);
?>

The following example sorts the elements of the $numbers array in ascending
numerical order:

Example
<?php
$numbers = array(4, 6, 2, 22, 11);
sort($numbers);
?>

Sort Array in Descending Order - rsort()


The following example sorts the elements of the $cars array in descending
alphabetical order:

Example
<?php
$cars = array("Volvo", "BMW", "Toyota");
rsort($cars);
?>

The following example sorts the elements of the $numbers array in descending
numerical order:

Example
<?php
$numbers = array(4, 6, 2, 22, 11);
rsort($numbers);
?>

Sort Array (Ascending Order), According to


Value - asort()
The following example sorts an associative array in ascending order, according
to the value:

Example
<?php
$age = array("Peter"=>"35", "Ben"=>"37", "Joe"=>"43");
asort($age);
?>

Sort Array (Ascending Order), According to Key


- ksort()
The following example sorts an associative array in ascending order, according
to the key:

Example
<?php
$age = array("Peter"=>"35", "Ben"=>"37", "Joe"=>"43");
ksort($age);
?>

Sort Array (Descending Order), According to


Value - arsort()
The following example sorts an associative array in descending order, according
to the value:

Example
<?php
$age = array("Peter"=>"35", "Ben"=>"37", "Joe"=>"43");
arsort($age);
?>

Sort Array (Descending Order), According to


Key - krsort()
The following example sorts an associative array in descending order, according
to the key:

Example
<?php
$age = array("Peter"=>"35", "Ben"=>"37", "Joe"=>"43");
krsort($age);
?>

PHP 5 Multidimensional Arrays


Earlier in this tutorial, we have described arrays that are a single list of
key/value pairs.

However, sometimes you want to store values with more than one key.

This can be stored in multidimensional arrays.

PHP - Multidimensional Arrays


A multidimensional array is an array containing one or more arrays.

PHP understands multidimensional arrays that are two, three, four, five, or
more levels deep. However, arrays more than three levels deep are hard to
manage for most people.

The dimension of an array indicates the number of indices you need to


select an element.

 For a two-dimensional array you need two indices to select an element


 For a three-dimensional array you need three indices to select an element

PHP - Two-dimensional Arrays


A two-dimensional array is an array of arrays (a three-dimensional array is an
array of arrays of arrays).

First, take a look at the following table:

Name Stock Sold

Volvo 22 18

BMW 15 13
Saab 5 2

Land Rover 17 15

We can store the data from the table above in a two-dimensional array, like
this:

$cars = array
  (
  array("Volvo",22,18),
  array("BMW",15,13),
  array("Saab",5,2),
  array("Land Rover",17,15)
  );

Now the two-dimensional $cars array contains four arrays, and it has two
indices: row and column.

To get access to the elements of the $cars array we must point to the two
indices (row and column):

Example
<?php
echo $cars[0][0].": In stock: ".$cars[0][1].", sold: ".$cars[0]
[2].".<br>";
echo $cars[1][0].": In stock: ".$cars[1][1].", sold: ".$cars[1]
[2].".<br>";
echo $cars[2][0].": In stock: ".$cars[2][1].", sold: ".$cars[2]
[2].".<br>";
echo $cars[3][0].": In stock: ".$cars[3][1].", sold: ".$cars[3]
[2].".<br>";
?>

We can also put a For loop inside another For loop to get the elements of the
$cars array (we still have to point to the two indices):
Example
<?php
for ($row = 0; $row < 4; $row++) {
  echo "<p><b>Row number $row</b></p>";
  echo "<ul>";
  for ($col = 0; $col < 3; $col++) {
    echo "<li>".$cars[$row][$col]."</li>";
  }
  echo "</ul>";
}
?>

PHP 5 Global Variables - Superglobals

Superglobals were introduced in PHP 4.1.0, and are built-in variables that
are always available in all scopes.

PHP Global Variables - Superglobals


Several predefined variables in PHP are "superglobals", which means that they
are always accessible, regardless of scope - and you can access them from any
function, class or file without having to do anything special.

The PHP superglobal variables are:

 $GLOBALS
 $_SERVER
 $_REQUEST
 $_POST
 $_GET
 $_FILES
 $_ENV
 $_COOKIE
 $_SESSION
This chapter will explain some of the superglobals, and the rest will be
explained in later chapters.

PHP $GLOBALS
$GLOBALS is a PHP super global variable which is used to access global
variables from anywhere in the PHP script (also from within functions or
methods).

PHP stores all global variables in an array called $GLOBALS[index].


The index holds the name of the variable.

The example below shows how to use the super global variable $GLOBALS:

Example
<?php 
$x = 75; 
$y = 25;
 
function addition() { 
    $GLOBALS['z'] = $GLOBALS['x'] + $GLOBALS['y']; 
}
 
addition(); 
echo $z; 
?>

In the example above, since z is a variable present within the $GLOBALS array,
it is also accessible from outside the function!

PHP $_SERVER
$_SERVER is a PHP super global variable which holds information about
headers, paths, and script locations.
The example below shows how to use some of the elements in $_SERVER:

Example
<?php 
echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'];
?>

The following table lists the most important elements that can go inside
$_SERVER:

Element/Code Description

$_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] Returns the filename of the


currently executing script

$_SERVER['GATEWAY_INTERFACE'] Returns the version of the Common


Gateway Interface (CGI) the server
is using

$_SERVER['SERVER_ADDR'] Returns the IP address of the host


server

$_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] Returns the name of the host server


(such as www.welcome.com)

$_SERVER['SERVER_SOFTWARE'] Returns the server identification


string (such as Apache/2.2.24)

$_SERVER['SERVER_PROTOCOL'] Returns the name and revision of


the information protocol (such as
HTTP/1.1)

$_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] Returns the request method used to


access the page (such as POST)

$_SERVER['REQUEST_TIME'] Returns the timestamp of the start


of the request (such as
1377687496)

$_SERVER['QUERY_STRING'] Returns the query string if the page


is accessed via a query string

$_SERVER['HTTP_ACCEPT'] Returns the Accept header from the


current request

$_SERVER['HTTP_ACCEPT_CHARSET' Returns the Accept_Charset header


] from the current request (such as
utf-8,ISO-8859-1)

$_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] Returns the Host header from the


current request

$_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'] Returns the complete URL of the


current page (not reliable because
not all user-agents support it)

$_SERVER['HTTPS'] Is the script queried through a


secure HTTP protocol

$_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] Returns the IP address from where


the user is viewing the current page

$_SERVER['REMOTE_HOST'] Returns the Host name from where


the user is viewing the current page

$_SERVER['REMOTE_PORT'] Returns the port being used on the


user's machine to communicate
with the web server

$_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME'] Returns the absolute pathname of


the currently executing script

$_SERVER['SERVER_ADMIN'] Returns the value given to the


SERVER_ADMIN directive in the
web server configuration file (if your
script runs on a virtual host, it will
be the value defined for that virtual
host) (such as
someone@welcome.com)
$_SERVER['SERVER_PORT'] Returns the port on the server
machine being used by the web
server for communication (such as
80)

$_SERVER['SERVER_SIGNATURE'] Returns the server version and


virtual host name which are added
to server-generated pages

$_SERVER['PATH_TRANSLATED'] Returns the file system based path


to the current script

$_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'] Returns the path of the current


script

$_SERVER['SCRIPT_URI'] Returns the URI of the current page

PHP $_REQUEST
PHP $_REQUEST is used to collect data after submitting an HTML form.

The example below shows a form with an input field and a submit button. When
a user submits the data by clicking on "Submit", the form data is sent to the file
specified in the action attribute of the <form> tag. In this example, we point to
this file itself for processing form data. If you wish to use another PHP file to
process form data, replace that with the filename of your choice. Then, we can
use the super global variable $_REQUEST to collect the value of the input field:

Example
<html>
<body>

<form method="post" action="<?php echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'];?>">
  Name: <input type="text" name="fname">
  <input type="submit">
</form>

<?php
if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
    // collect value of input field
    $name = $_REQUEST['fname'];
    if (empty($name)) {
        echo "Name is empty";
    } else {
        echo $name;
    }
}
?>

</body>
</html>

PHP $_POST
PHP $_POST is widely used to collect form data after submitting an HTML form
with method="post". $_POST is also widely used to pass variables.

The example below shows a form with an input field and a submit button. When
a user submits the data by clicking on "Submit", the form data is sent to the file
specified in the action attribute of the <form> tag. In this example, we point to
the file itself for processing form data. If you wish to use another PHP file to
process form data, replace that with the filename of your choice. Then, we can
use the super global variable $_POST to collect the value of the input field:

Example
<html>
<body>

<form method="post" action="<?php echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'];?>">
  Name: <input type="text" name="fname">
  <input type="submit">
</form>

<?php
if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
    // collect value of input field
    $name = $_POST['fname'];
    if (empty($name)) {
        echo "Name is empty";
    } else {
        echo $name;
    }
}
?>

</body>
</html>

PHP $_GET
PHP $_GET can also be used to collect form data after submitting an HTML form
with method="get".

$_GET can also collect data sent in the URL.

Assume we have an HTML page that contains a hyperlink with parameters:

<html>
<body>

<a href="test_get.php?subject=PHP&web=Welcome.com">Test $GET</a>

</body>
</html>

When a user clicks on the link "Test $GET", the parameters "subject" and "web"
are sent to "test_get.php", and you can then access their values in
"test_get.php" with $_GET.

The example below shows the code in "test_get.php":


Example
<html>
<body>

<?php 
echo "Study " . $_GET['subject'] . " at " . $_GET['web'];
?>

</body>
</html>

PHP 5 Form Handling


Next ❯

The PHP superglobals $_GET and $_POST are used to collect form-data.

PHP - A Simple HTML Form


The example below displays a simple HTML form with two input fields and a
submit button:

Example
<html>
<body>

<form action="welcome.php" method="post">
Name: <input type="text" name="name"><br>
E-mail: <input type="text" name="email"><br>
<input type="submit">
</form>

</body>
</html>
When the user fills out the form above and clicks the submit button, the form
data is sent for processing to a PHP file named "welcome.php". The form data is
sent with the HTTP POST method.

To display the submitted data you could simply echo all the variables. The
"welcome.php" looks like this:

<html>
<body>

Welcome <?php echo $_POST["name"]; ?><br>


Your email address is: <?php echo $_POST["email"]; ?>

</body>
</html>

The output could be something like this:

Welcome John
Your email address is john.doe@example.com

The same result could also be achieved using the HTTP GET method:

Example
<html>
<body>

<form action="welcome_get.php" method="get">
Name: <input type="text" name="name"><br>
E-mail: <input type="text" name="email"><br>
<input type="submit">
</form>

</body>
</html>

and "welcome_get.php" looks like this:

<html>
<body>

Welcome <?php echo $_GET["name"]; ?><br>


Your email address is: <?php echo $_GET["email"]; ?>
</body>
</html>

The code above is quite simple. However, the most important thing is missing.
You need to validate form data to protect your script from malicious code.

Think SECURITY when processing PHP forms!

This page does not contain any form validation, it just shows how you can send
and retrieve form data.

However, the next pages will show how to process PHP forms with security in
mind! Proper validation of form data is important to protect your form from
hackers and spammers!

GET vs. POST


Both GET and POST create an array (e.g. array( key => value, key2 => value2,
key3 => value3, ...)). This array holds key/value pairs, where keys are the
names of the form controls and values are the input data from the user.

Both GET and POST are treated as $_GET and $_POST. These are superglobals,
which means that they are always accessible, regardless of scope - and you can
access them from any function, class or file without having to do anything
special.

$_GET is an array of variables passed to the current script via the URL
parameters.

$_POST is an array of variables passed to the current script via the HTTP POST
method.

When to use GET?


Information sent from a form with the GET method is visible to everyone (all
variable names and values are displayed in the URL). GET also has limits on the
amount of information to send. The limitation is about 2000 characters.
However, because the variables are displayed in the URL, it is possible to
bookmark the page. This can be useful in some cases.

GET may be used for sending non-sensitive data.

Note: GET should NEVER be used for sending passwords or other sensitive


information!

When to use POST?


Information sent from a form with the POST method is invisible to others (all
names/values are embedded within the body of the HTTP request) and has no
limits on the amount of information to send.

Moreover POST supports advanced functionality such as support for multi-part


binary input while uploading files to server.

However, because the variables are not displayed in the URL, it is not possible
to bookmark the page.

Developers prefer POST for sending form data.

PHP 5 Form Validation

This and the next chapters show how to use PHP to validate form data.

PHP Form Validation


Think SECURITY when processing PHP forms!

These pages will show how to process PHP forms with security in mind. Proper
validation of form data is important to protect your form from hackers and
spammers!
The HTML form we will be working at in these chapters, contains various input
fields: required and optional text fields, radio buttons, and a submit button:

The validation rules for the form above are as follows:

Field Validation Rules

Name Required. + Must only contain letters and whitespace

E-mail Required. + Must contain a valid email address (with @ and .)

Website Optional. If present, it must contain a valid URL

Comment Optional. Multi-line input field (textarea)

Gender Required. Must select one

First we will look at the plain HTML code for the form:

Text Fields
The name, email, and website fields are text input elements, and the comment
field is a textarea. The HTML code looks like this:

Name: <input type="text" name="name">


E-mail: <input type="text" name="email">
Website: <input type="text" name="website">
Comment: <textarea name="comment" rows="5" cols="40"></textarea>

Radio Buttons
The gender fields are radio buttons and the HTML code looks like this:

Gender:
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="female">Female
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="male">Male

The Form Element


The HTML code of the form looks like this:

<form method="post" action="<?php echo


htmlspecialchars($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]);?>">

When the form is submitted, the form data is sent with method="post".

What is the $_SERVER["PHP_SELF"] variable?

The $_SERVER["PHP_SELF"] is a super global variable that returns the filename


of the currently executing script.

So, the $_SERVER["PHP_SELF"] sends the submitted form data to the page
itself, instead of jumping to a different page. This way, the user will get error
messages on the same page as the form.

What is the htmlspecialchars() function?

The htmlspecialchars() function converts special characters to HTML entities.


This means that it will replace HTML characters like < and > with &lt; and &gt;.
This prevents attackers from exploiting the code by injecting HTML or Javascript
code (Cross-site Scripting attacks) in forms.
Big Note on PHP Form Security
The $_SERVER["PHP_SELF"] variable can be used by hackers!

If PHP_SELF is used in your page then a user can enter a slash (/) and then
some Cross Site Scripting (XSS) commands to execute.

Cross-site scripting (XSS) is a type of computer security vulnerability


typically found in Web applications. XSS enables attackers to inject
client-side script into Web pages viewed by other users.

Assume we have the following form in a page named "test_form.php":

<form method="post" action="<?php echo $_SERVER["PHP_SELF"];?>">

Now, if a user enters the normal URL in the address bar like
"http://www.example.com/test_form.php", the above code will be translated to:

<form method="post" action="test_form.php">

So far, so good.

However, consider that a user enters the following URL in the address bar:

http://www.example.com/test_form.php/%22%3E%3Cscript%3Ealert('hacked')
%3C/script%3E

In this case, the above code will be translated to:

<form method="post"
action="test_form.php/"><script>alert('hacked')</script>

This code adds a script tag and an alert command. And when the page loads,
the JavaScript code will be executed (the user will see an alert box). This is just
a simple and harmless example how the PHP_SELF variable can be exploited.

Be aware of that any JavaScript code can be added inside the <script>


tag! A hacker can redirect the user to a file on another server, and that file can
hold malicious code that can alter the global variables or submit the form to
another address to save the user data, for example.
How To Avoid $_SERVER["PHP_SELF"] Exploits?
$_SERVER["PHP_SELF"] exploits can be avoided by using the htmlspecialchars()
function.

The form code should look like this:

<form method="post" action="<?php echo


htmlspecialchars($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]);?>">

The htmlspecialchars() function converts special characters to HTML entities.


Now if the user tries to exploit the PHP_SELF variable, it will result in the
following output:

<form method="post"
action="test_form.php/&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt;alert('hacked')&lt;/scri
pt&gt;">

The exploit attempt fails, and no harm is done!

Validate Form Data With PHP


The first thing we will do is to pass all variables through PHP's
htmlspecialchars() function.

When we use the htmlspecialchars() function; then if a user tries to submit the
following in a text field:

<script>location.href('http://www.hacked.com')</script>

- this would not be executed, because it would be saved as HTML escaped code,
like this:

&lt;script&gt;location.href('http://www.hacked.com')&lt;/script&gt;

The code is now safe to be displayed on a page or inside an e-mail.

We will also do two more things when the user submits the form:

1. Strip unnecessary characters (extra space, tab, newline) from the user
input data (with the PHP trim() function)
2. Remove backslashes (\) from the user input data (with the PHP
stripslashes() function)

The next step is to create a function that will do all the checking for us (which is
much more convenient than writing the same code over and over again).

We will name the function test_input().

Now, we can check each $_POST variable with the test_input() function, and
the script looks like this:

Example
<?php
// define variables and set to empty values
$name = $email = $gender = $comment = $website = "";

if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
  $name = test_input($_POST["name"]);
  $email = test_input($_POST["email"]);
  $website = test_input($_POST["website"]);
  $comment = test_input($_POST["comment"]);
  $gender = test_input($_POST["gender"]);
}

function test_input($data) {
  $data = trim($data);
  $data = stripslashes($data);
  $data = htmlspecialchars($data);
  return $data;
}
?>

Notice that at the start of the script, we check whether the form has been
submitted using $_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"]. If the REQUEST_METHOD is
POST, then the form has been submitted - and it should be validated. If it has
not been submitted, skip the validation and display a blank form.

However, in the example above, all input fields are optional. The script works
fine even if the user does not enter any data.

The next step is to make input fields required and create error messages if
needed.
PHP 5 Forms - Required Fields

This chapter shows how to make input fields required and create error
messages if needed.

PHP - Required Fields


From the validation rules table on the previous page, we see that the "Name",
"E-mail", and "Gender" fields are required. These fields cannot be empty and
must be filled out in the HTML form.

Field Validation Rules

Name Required. + Must only contain letters and whitespace

E-mail Required. + Must contain a valid email address (with @ and .)

Website Optional. If present, it must contain a valid URL

Comment Optional. Multi-line input field (textarea)

Gender Required. Must select one

In the previous chapter, all input fields were optional.


In the following code we have added some new variables: $nameErr, $emailErr,
$genderErr, and $websiteErr. These error variables will hold error messages for
the required fields. We have also added an if else statement for each $_POST
variable. This checks if the $_POST variable is empty (with the PHP empty()
function). If it is empty, an error message is stored in the different error
variables, and if it is not empty, it sends the user input data through the
test_input() function:

<?php
// define variables and set to empty values
$nameErr = $emailErr = $genderErr = $websiteErr = "";
$name = $email = $gender = $comment = $website = "";

if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
  if (empty($_POST["name"])) {
    $nameErr = "Name is required";
  } else {
    $name = test_input($_POST["name"]);
  }

  if (empty($_POST["email"])) {
    $emailErr = "Email is required";
  } else {
    $email = test_input($_POST["email"]);
  }

  if (empty($_POST["website"])) {
    $website = "";
  } else {
    $website = test_input($_POST["website"]);
  }

  if (empty($_POST["comment"])) {
    $comment = "";
  } else {
    $comment = test_input($_POST["comment"]);
  }

  if (empty($_POST["gender"])) {
    $genderErr = "Gender is required";
  } else {
    $gender = test_input($_POST["gender"]);
  }
}
?>
PHP - Display The Error Messages
Then in the HTML form, we add a little script after each required field, which
generates the correct error message if needed (that is if the user tries to submit
the form without filling out the required fields):

Example
<form method="post" action="<?php echo htmlspecialchars
($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]);?>">

Name: <input type="text" name="name">
<span class="error">* <?php echo $nameErr;?></span>
<br><br>
E-mail:
<input type="text" name="email">
<span class="error">* <?php echo $emailErr;?></span>
<br><br>
Website:
<input type="text" name="website">
<span class="error"><?php echo $websiteErr;?></span>
<br><br>
Comment: <textarea name="comment" rows="5" cols="40"></textarea>
<br><br>
Gender:
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="female">Female
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="male">Male
<span class="error">* <?php echo $genderErr;?></span>
<br><br>
<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Submit"> 

</form>

The next step is to validate the input data, that is "Does the Name field contain
only letters and whitespace?", and "Does the E-mail field contain a valid e-mail
address syntax?", and if filled out, "Does the Website field contain a valid
URL?".
PHP 5 Forms - Validate E-mail and URL

This chapter shows how to validate names, e-mails, and URLs.

PHP - Validate Name


The code below shows a simple way to check if the name field only contains
letters and whitespace. If the value of the name field is not valid, then store an
error message:

$name = test_input($_POST["name"]);
if (!preg_match("/^[a-zA-Z ]*$/",$name)) {
  $nameErr = "Only letters and white space allowed"; 
}

The preg_match() function searches a string for pattern, returning true


if the pattern exists, and false otherwise.

PHP - Validate E-mail


The easiest and safest way to check whether an email address is well-formed is
to use PHP's filter_var() function.

In the code below, if the e-mail address is not well-formed, then store an error
message:

$email = test_input($_POST["email"]);
if (!filter_var($email, FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL)) {
  $emailErr = "Invalid email format"; 
}

PHP - Validate URL


The code below shows a way to check if a URL address syntax is valid (this
regular expression also allows dashes in the URL). If the URL address syntax is
not valid, then store an error message:

$website = test_input($_POST["website"]);
if (!preg_match("/\b(?:(?:https?|ftp):\/\/|www\.)[-a-z0-9+&@#\/%?
=~_|!:,.;]*[-a-z0-9+&@#\/%=~_|]/i",$website)) {
  $websiteErr = "Invalid URL"; 
}

PHP - Validate Name, E-mail, and URL


Now, the script looks like this:

Example
<?php
// define variables and set to empty values
$nameErr = $emailErr = $genderErr = $websiteErr = "";
$name = $email = $gender = $comment = $website = "";

if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
  if (empty($_POST["name"])) {
    $nameErr = "Name is required";
  } else {
    $name = test_input($_POST["name"]);
    // check if name only contains letters and whitespace
    if (!preg_match("/^[a-zA-Z ]*$/",$name)) {
      $nameErr = "Only letters and white space allowed"; 
    }
  }

  if (empty($_POST["email"])) {
    $emailErr = "Email is required";
  } else {
    $email = test_input($_POST["email"]);
    // check if e-mail address is well-formed
    if (!filter_var($email, FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL)) {
      $emailErr = "Invalid email format"; 
    }
  }

  if (empty($_POST["website"])) {
    $website = "";
  } else {
    $website = test_input($_POST["website"]);
    // check if URL address syntax is valid (this regular expression
also allows dashes in the URL)
    if (!preg_match("/\b(?:(?:https?|ftp):\/\/|www\.)[-a-z0-9+&@#\/%?
=~_|!:,.;]*[-a-z0-9+&@#\/%=~_|]/i",$website)) {
      $websiteErr = "Invalid URL"; 
    }
  }

  if (empty($_POST["comment"])) {
    $comment = "";
  } else {
    $comment = test_input($_POST["comment"]);
  }

  if (empty($_POST["gender"])) {
    $genderErr = "Gender is required";
  } else {
    $gender = test_input($_POST["gender"]);
  }
}
?>

The next step is to show how to prevent the form from emptying all the input
fields when the user submits the form.

PHP 5 Complete Form Example

This chapter shows how to keep the values in the input fields when the user
hits the submit button.

PHP - Keep The Values in The Form


To show the values in the input fields after the user hits the submit button, we
add a little PHP script inside the value attribute of the following input fields:
name, email, and website. In the comment textarea field, we put the script
between the <textarea> and </textarea> tags. The little script outputs the
value of the $name, $email, $website, and $comment variables. 

Then, we also need to show which radio button that was checked. For this, we
must manipulate the checked attribute (not the value attribute for radio
buttons):

Name: <input type="text" name="name" value="<?php echo $name;?>">

E-mail: <input type="text" name="email" value="<?php echo $email;?>">

Website: <input type="text" name="website" value="<?php echo


$website;?>">

Comment: <textarea name="comment" rows="5" cols="40"><?php echo


$comment;?></textarea>

Gender:
<input type="radio" name="gender"
<?php if (isset($gender) && $gender=="female") echo "checked";?>
value="female">Female
<input type="radio" name="gender"
<?php if (isset($gender) && $gender=="male") echo "checked";?>
value="male">Male

PHP - Complete Form Example


Here is the complete code for the PHP Form Validation Example:

Example
PHP Form Validation Example
* required field.
Name:   * 

E-mail:   * 

Website:   

Comment:   

Gender:  Female  Male * 

Submit

Your Input:

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