PHP Functions
PHP function is a piece of code that can be reused many times. It can take input as
argument list and return value. There are thousands of built-in functions in PHP.
In PHP, we can define Conditional function, Function within
Function and Recursive function also.
Advantage of PHP Functions
Code Reusability: PHP functions are defined only once and can be invoked many
times, like in other programming languages.
Less Code: It saves a lot of code because you don't need to write the logic many
times. By the use of function, you can write the logic only once and reuse it.
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Easy to understand: PHP functions separate the programming logic. So it is easier to
understand the flow of the application because every logic is divided in the form of
functions.
PHP User-defined Functions
We can declare and call user-defined functions easily. Let's see the syntax to declare
user-defined functions.
Syntax
function functionname(){
//code to be executed
}
Note: Function name must be start with letter and underscore only like other labels in
PHP. It can't be start with numbers or special symbols.
PHP Functions Example
File: function1.php
<?php
function sayHello(){
echo "Hello PHP Function";
}
sayHello();//calling function
?>
Output:
Hello PHP Function
PHP Parameterized Function
PHP Parameterized functions are the functions with parameters. You can pass any
number of parameters inside a function. These passed parameters act as variables
inside your function.
They are specified inside the parentheses, after the function name.
The output depends upon the dynamic values passed as the parameters into the
function.
PHP Parameterized Example 1
Addition and Subtraction
In this example, we have passed two parameters $x and $y inside two
functions add() and sub().
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Parameter Addition and Subtraction Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<?php
//Adding two numbers
function add($x, $y) {
$sum = $x + $y;
echo "Sum of two numbers is = $sum <br><br>";
}
add(467, 943);
//Subtracting two numbers
function sub($x, $y) {
$diff = $x - $y;
echo "Difference between two numbers is = $diff";
}
sub(943, 467);
?>
</body>
</html>
Output:
PHP Variable Length Argument
Function
PHP supports variable length argument function. It means you can pass 0, 1 or n
number of arguments in function. To do so, you need to use 3 ellipses (dots) before
the argument name.
The 3 dot concept is implemented for variable length argument since PHP 5.6.
Let's see a simple example of PHP variable length argument function.
<?php
function add(...$numbers) {
$sum = 0;
foreach ($numbers as $n) {
$sum += $n;
}
return $sum;
}
echo add(1, 2, 3, 4);
?>
PHP Function Arguments
We can pass the information in PHP function through arguments which is separated
by comma.
PHP supports Call by Value (default), Call by Reference, Default argument
values and Variable-length argument list.
Call by Value (default),
File: functionarg2.php
<?php
function sayHello($name,$age){
echo "Hello $name, you are $age years old<br/>";
}
sayHello("Sonoo",27);
sayHello("Vimal",29);
sayHello("John",23);
?>
Output:
Hello Sonoo, you are 27 years old
Hello Vimal, you are 29 years old
Hello John, you are 23 years old
PHP Call By Reference
Value passed to the function doesn't modify the actual value by default (call by
value). But we can do so by passing value as a reference.
By default, value passed to the function is call by value. To pass value as a reference,
you need to use ampersand (&) symbol before the argument name.
Let's see a simple example of call by reference in PHP.
File: functionref.php
<?php
function adder(&$str2)
{
$str2 .= 'Call By Reference';
}
$str = 'Hello ';
adder($str);
echo $str;
?>
Output:
Hello Call By Reference
PHP Function: Default Argument Value
We can specify a default argument value in function. While calling PHP function if
you don't specify any argument, it will take the default argument. Let's see a simple
example of using default argument value in PHP function.
File: functiondefaultarg.php
<?php
function sayHello($name="Sonoo"){
echo "Hello $name<br/>";
}
sayHello("Rajesh");
sayHello();//passing no value
sayHello("John");
?>
Output:
Hello Rajesh
Hello Sonoo
Hello John
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PHP Function: Returning Value
Let's see an example of PHP function that returns value.
File: functiondefaultarg.php
<?php
function cube($n){
return $n*$n*$n;
}
echo "Cube of 3 is: ".cube(3);
?>
Output:
Cube of 3 is: 27
PHP Recursive Function
PHP also supports recursive function call like C/C++. In such case, we call current function
within function. It is also known as recursion.
It is recommended to avoid recursive function call over 200 recursion level because it may
smash the stack and may cause the termination of script.
Example 1: Printing number
<?php
function display($number) {
if($number<=5){
echo "$number <br/>";
display($number+1);
}
}
display(1);
?>
Output:
1
2
3
4
5
Example 2 : Factorial Number
<?php
function factorial($n)
{
if ($n < 0)
return -1; /*Wrong value*/
if ($n == 0)
return 1; /*Terminating condition*/
return ($n * factorial ($n -1));
}
echo factorial(5);
?>
Output:
