WEB APPLICATIONS

Introduction to PHP FOR EVERYBODY

Introduction to PHP
Dr. Charles Severance
www.wa4e.com
 WEB APPLICATIONS
Introduction to PHP FOR EVERYBODY

Keywords
 WEB APPLICATIONS
Introduction to PHP FOR EVERYBODY

Keywords
abstract and array() as break case catch class clone
const continue declare default do else elseif end
declare endfor endforeach endif endswitch endwhile
extends final for foreach function global goto if
implements interface instanceof namespace new or
private protected public static switch $this throw try
use var while xor

http://php.net/manual/en/reserved.php
 WEB APPLICATIONS
Introduction to PHP FOR EVERYBODY

Variable Names
• Start with a dollar sign ($) followed by a letter or underscore,
followed by any number of letters, numbers, or underscores
• Case matters
$abc = 12; abc = 12;
$total = 0; $2php = 0;
$largest_so_far = 0; $bad-punc = 0;

http://php.net/manual/en/language.variables.basics.php
 WEB APPLICATIONS
Introduction to PHP FOR EVERYBODY

Variable Name Weirdness

Things that look like variables but are missing a dollar sign can be
confusing.

$x = 2; $x = 2;
$y = x + 5; y = $x + 5;
print $y; print $x;

5 Parse error
 WEB APPLICATIONS
Introduction to PHP FOR EVERYBODY

Variable Name Weirdness

Things that look like variables but are missing a dollar sign as an
array index are unpredictable....

$x = 5;
$y = array("x" => "Hello");
print $y[x];

Hello
 WEB APPLICATIONS
Introduction to PHP FOR EVERYBODY

Strings / Different + Awesome

• String literals can use single quotes or double quotes.
• The backslash (\) is used as an “escape” character.
• Strings can span multiple lines - the newline is part of the
string.
• In double-quoted strings, variable values are expanded.
• Concatenation is the "." not "+" (more later).

http://php.net/manual/en/language.types.string.php
 WEB APPLICATIONS
Introduction to PHP FOR EVERYBODY

<?php
echo "this is a simple string\n"; Double Quote
echo "You can also have embedded newlines in
strings this way as it is
okay to do";

// Outputs: This will expand:

// a newline
echo "This will expand: \na newline";

// Outputs: Variables do 12
$expand = 12;
echo "Variables do $expand\n";
 WEB APPLICATIONS
Introduction to PHP FOR EVERYBODY

<?php
echo 'this is a simple string'; Single Quote

echo 'You can also have embedded newlines in

strings this way as it is
okay to do';

// Outputs: Arnold once said: "I'll be back"

echo 'Arnold once said: "I\'ll be back"';

// Outputs: This will not expand: \n a newline

echo 'This will not expand: \n a newline';

// Outputs: Variables do not $expand $either

echo 'Variables do not $expand $either';
 WEB APPLICATIONS
Introduction to PHP FOR EVERYBODY

Comments in PHP J
echo 'This is a test'; // This is a c++ style comment
/* This is a multi line comment
yet another line of comment */
echo 'This is yet another test';
echo 'One Final Test'; # This is a shell-style comment

http://php.net/manual/en/language.basic-syntax.comments.php
 WEB APPLICATIONS
Introduction to PHP FOR EVERYBODY

Output
• echo is a language construct - can <?php
be treated like a function with $x = "15" + 27;
one parameter. Without echo $x;
parentheses, it accepts multiple echo("\n");
echo $x, "\n";
parameters.
print $x;
• print is a function - only one print "\n";
print($x);
parameter, but parentheses are
print("\n");
optional so it can look like a ?>
language construct.
 WEB APPLICATIONS
Introduction to PHP FOR EVERYBODY

Acknowledgements / Contributions
These slides are Copyright 2010- Charles R. Severance Continue new Contributors and Translators here
(www.dr-chuck.com) as part of www.wa4e.com and made
available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Please maintain this last slide in all copies of the document
to comply with the attribution requirements of the license. If
you make a change, feel free to add your name and
organization to the list of contributors on this page as you
republish the materials.

Initial Development: Charles Severance, University of

Michigan School of Information

Insert new Contributors and Translators here including

names and dates