In PHP, operators are special symbols used to perform operations on variables and values. Operators help you perform a variety of tasks, such as mathematical calculations, string manipulations, logical comparisons, and more. Understanding operators is essential for writing effective and efficient PHP code. PHP operators are categorized into several types:
Let us now learn about each of these operators in detail.
1. Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic operators are used to perform basic arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and modulus.
Operator | Name | Syntax | Operation |
---|
+ | Addition | $x + $y | Sum the operands |
- | Subtraction | $x - $y | Differences in the Operands |
* | Multiplication | $x * $y | Product of the operands |
/ | Division | $x / $y | The quotient of the operands |
** | Exponentiation | $x ** $y | $x raised to the power $y |
% | Modulus | $x % $y | The remainder of the operands |
Note: The exponentiation has been introduced in PHP 5.6.
Example: This example explains the arithmetic operators in PHP.
PHP
<?php
// Define two numbers
$x = 10;
$y = 3;
// Addition
echo "Addition: " . ($x + $y) . "\n";
// Subtraction
echo "Subtraction: " . ($x - $y) . "\n";
// Multiplication
echo "Multiplication: " . ($x * $y) . "\n";
// Division
echo "Division: " . ($x / $y) . "\n";
// Exponentiation
echo "Exponentiation: " . ($x ** $y) . "\n";
// Modulus
echo "Modulus: " . ($x % $y) . "\n";
?>
OutputAddition: 13
Subtraction: 7
Multiplication: 30
Division: 3.3333333333333
Exponentiation: 1000
Modulus: 1
2. Logical Operators
Logical operators are used to operate with conditional statements. These operators evaluate conditions and return a boolean result (true or false).
Operator | Name | Syntax | Operation |
---|
and | Logical AND | $x and $y | True if both the operands are true else false |
or | Logical OR | $x or $y | True if either of the operands is true otherwise, it is false |
xor | Logical XOR | $x xor $y | True if either of the operands is true and false if both are true |
&& | Logical AND | $x && $y | True if both the operands are true else false |
|| | Logical OR | $x || $y | True if either of the operands is true otherwise, it is false |
! | Logical NOT | !$x | True if $x is false |
Example: This example describes the logical & relational operators in PHP.
PHP
<?php
$x = 50;
$y = 30;
if ($x == 50 and $y == 30)
echo "and Success \n";
if ($x == 50 or $y == 20)
echo "or Success \n";
if ($x == 50 xor $y == 20)
echo "xor Success \n";
if ($x == 50 && $y == 30)
echo "&& Success \n";
if ($x == 50 || $y == 20)
echo "|| Success \n";
if (!$z)
echo "! Success \n";
?>
Outputand Success
or Success
xor Success
&& Success
|| Success
! Success
3. Comparison Operators
Comparison operators are used to compare two values and return a Boolean result (true or false).
Operator | Name | Syntax | Operation |
---|
== | Equal To | $x == $y | Returns True if both the operands are equal |
!= | Not Equal To | $x != $y | Returns True if both the operands are not equal |
<> | Not Equal To | $x <> $y | Returns True if both the operands are unequal |
=== | Identical | $x === $y | Returns True if both the operands are equal and are of the same type |
!== | Not Identical | $x == $y | Returns True if both the operands are unequal and are of different types |
< | Less Than | $x < $y | Returns True if $x is less than $y |
> | Greater Than | $x > $y | Returns True if $x is greater than $y |
<= | Less Than or Equal To | $x <= $y | Returns True if $x is less than or equal to $y |
>= | Greater Than or Equal To | $x >= $y | Returns True if $x is greater than or equal to $y |
Example: This example describes the comparison operator in PHP.
PHP
<?php
$a = 80;
$b = 50;
$c = "80";
// Here var_dump function has been used to
// display structured information. We will learn
// about this function in complete details in further
// articles.
var_dump($a == $c) . "\n";
var_dump($a != $b) . "\n";
var_dump($a <> $b) . "\n";
var_dump($a === $c) . "\n";
var_dump($a !== $c) . "\n";
var_dump($a < $b) . "\n";
var_dump($a > $b) . "\n";
var_dump($a <= $b) . "\n";
var_dump($a >= $b);
?>
Outputbool(true)
Warning: A non-numeric value encountered in /home/guest/sandbox/Solution.php on line 10
bool(true)
Warning: A non-numeric value encountered in /home/guest/sandbox/Solution.php on line 11
...
4. Conditional or Ternary Operators
These operators are used to compare two values and take either of the results simultaneously, depending on whether the outcome is TRUE or FALSE. These are also used as a shorthand notation for the if...else statement that we will read in the article on decision making.
Syntax:
$var = (condition)? value1 : value2;
Here, the condition will either be evaluated as true or false. If the condition evaluates to True, then value1 will be assigned to the variable $var; otherwise, value2 will be assigned to it.
Operator | Name | Operation |
---|
?: | Ternary | If the condition is true? then $x : or else $y. This means that if the condition is true, then the left result of the colon is accepted otherwise, the result is on the right. |
Example: This example describes the Conditional or Ternary operators in PHP.
PHP
<?php
$x = -12;
echo ($x > 0) ? 'The number is positive' : 'The number is negative';
?>
OutputThe number is negative
5. Assignment Operators
Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables. These operators allow you to assign a value and perform operations in a single step.
Operator | Name | Syntax | Operation |
---|
= | Assign | $x = $y | Operand on the left obtains the value of the operand on the right |
+= | Add then Assign | $x += $y | Simple Addition same as $x = $x + $y |
-= | Subtract then Assign | $x -= $y | Simple subtraction same as $x = $x - $y |
*= | Multiply then Assign | $x *= $y | Simple product same as $x = $x * $y |
/= | Divide, then assign (quotient) | $x /= $y | Simple division same as $x = $x / $y |
%= | Divide, then assign (remainder) | $x %= $y | Simple division same as $x = $x % $y |
Example: This example describes the assignment operator in PHP.
PHP
<?php
// Simple assign operator
$y = 75;
echo $y, "\n";
// Add then assign operator
$y = 100;
$y += 200;
echo $y, "\n";
// Subtract then assign operator
$y = 70;
$y -= 10;
echo $y, "\n";
// Multiply then assign operator
$y = 30;
$y *= 20;
echo $y, "\n";
// Divide then assign(quotient) operator
$y = 100;
$y /= 5;
echo $y, "\n";
// Divide then assign(remainder) operator
$y = 50;
$y %= 5;
echo $y;
?>
6. Array Operators
These operators are used in the case of arrays. Here are the array operators, along with their syntax and operations, that PHP provides for the array operation.
Operator | Name | Syntax | Operation |
---|
+ | Union | $x + $y | Union of both, i.e., $x and $y |
== | Equality | $x == $y | Returns true if both have the same key-value pair |
!= | Inequality | $x != $y | Returns True if both are unequal |
=== | Identity | $x === $y | Returns True if both have the same key-value pair in the same order and of the same type |
!== | Non-Identity | $x !== $y | Returns True if both are not identical to each other |
<> | Inequality | $x <> $y | Returns True if both are unequal |
Example: This example describes the array operation in PHP.
PHP
<?php
$x = array("k" => "Car", "l" => "Bike");
$y = array("a" => "Train", "b" => "Plane");
var_dump($x + $y);
var_dump($x == $y) . "\n";
var_dump($x != $y) . "\n";
var_dump($x <> $y) . "\n";
var_dump($x === $y) . "\n";
var_dump($x !== $y) . "\n";
?>
Output:
array(4) {
["k"]=>
string(3) "Car"
["l"]=>
string(4) "Bike"
["a"]=>
string(5) "Train"
["b"]=>
string(5) "Plane"
}
bool(false)
bool(true)
bool(true)
bool(false)
bool(true)
7. Increment/Decrement Operators
These are called the unary operators as they work on single operands. These are used to increment or decrement values.
Operator | Name | Syntax | Operation |
---|
++ | Pre-Increment | ++$x | First, increment $x by one, then return $x |
-- | Pre-Decrement | --$x | First, decrement $x by one, then return $x |
++ | Post-Increment | $x++ | First returns $x, then increment it by one |
-- | Post-Decrement | $x-- | First, return $x, then decrement it by one |
Example: This example describes the Increment/Decrement operators in PHP.
PHP
<?php
$x = 2;
echo ++$x, " First increments then prints \n";
echo $x, "\n";
$x = 2;
echo $x++, " First prints then increments \n";
echo $x, "\n";
$x = 2;
echo --$x, " First decrements then prints \n";
echo $x, "\n";
$x = 2;
echo $x--, " First prints then decrements \n";
echo $x;
?>
Output3 First increments then prints
3
2 First prints then increments
3
1 First decrements then prints
1
2 First prints then decrements
1
8. String Operators
This operator is used for the concatenation of 2 or more strings using the concatenation operator ('.'). We can also use the concatenating assignment operator ('.=') to append the argument on the right side to the argument on the left side.
Operator | Name | Syntax | Operation |
---|
. | Concatenation | $x.$y | Concatenated $x and $y |
.= | Concatenation and assignment | $x.=$y | First, it concatenates then assigns, the same as $x = $x.$y |
Example: This example describes the string operator in PHP.
PHP
<?php
$x = "Geeks";
$y = "for";
$z = "Geeks!!!";
echo $x . $y . $z, "\n";
$x .= $y . $z;
echo $x;
?>
OutputGeeksforGeeks!!!
GeeksforGeeks!!!
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