PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a server-side scripting language used for web development.
It can be
embedded in HTML to add dynamic content and interact with databases. Let's break down the basic
syntax and semantics:
### 1. **PHP Tags**
PHP code is embedded within HTML using special tags:
```php
<?php
// PHP code goes here
?>
```
### 2. **Variables**
- Variables in PHP start with a dollar sign (`$`).
- They don't require explicit declaration or data type definition.
```php
<?php
$name = "John"; // String
$age = 25; // Integer
$price = 19.99; // Float
?>
```
### 3. **Data Types**
PHP has several primary data types:
- **String**: A sequence of characters (`$text = "Hello";`)
- **Integer**: A non-decimal number (`$num = 10;`)
- **Float**: A decimal number (`$price = 10.5;`)
- **Boolean**: True or False (`$is_valid = true;`)
- **Array**: A collection of values (`$colors = array("Red", "Green", "Blue");`)
- **Object**: Instance of a class (`$car = new Car();`)
### 4. **Echo/Print**
These are used to output data to the browser:
```php
<?php
echo "Hello, World!";
print "PHP is fun!";
?>
```
### 5. **Concatenation**
To join strings together, PHP uses the dot (`.`) operator:
```php
<?php
$greeting = "Hello, " . $name;
echo $greeting;
?>
```
### 6. **Control Structures**
#### **If-Else Statements:**
```php
<?php
if ($age > 18) {
echo "Adult";
} else {
echo "Not an adult";
}
?>
```
#### **Switch Statement:**
```php
<?php
$day = "Monday";
switch ($day) {
case "Monday":
echo "It's Monday!";
break;
case "Tuesday":
echo "It's Tuesday!";
break;
default:
echo "Another day!";
?>
```
#### **Loops:**
- **For loop:**
```php
<?php
for ($i = 0; $i < 5; $i++) {
echo $i;
?>
```
- **While loop:**
```php
<?php
$i = 0;
while ($i < 5) {
echo $i;
$i++;
?>
```
### 7. **Functions**
Functions are reusable blocks of code that perform a specific task:
```php
<?php
function sayHello() {
echo "Hello!";
sayHello();
?>
```
Functions can also accept parameters and return values:
```php
<?php
function add($a, $b) {
return $a + $b;
}
echo add(3, 4); // Outputs 7
?>
```
### 8. **Superglobals**
PHP provides predefined variables accessible from anywhere:
- `$_GET`: Contains data sent via URL parameters.
- `$_POST`: Contains data sent via a form using POST.
- `$_SERVER`: Contains server information like headers and paths.
Example of handling a form submission:
```php
<form method="post" action="submit.php">
Name: <input type="text" name="name">
<input type="submit">
</form>
<?php
// submit.php
$name = $_POST['name'];
echo "Hello, " . $name;
?>
```
### 9. **Arrays**
#### **Indexed Arrays:**
```php
<?php
$fruits = array("Apple", "Banana", "Orange");
echo $fruits[0]; // Outputs "Apple"
?>
```
#### **Associative Arrays:**
```php
<?php
$ages = array("John" => 25, "Jane" => 30);
echo $ages["John"]; // Outputs 25
?>
```
### 10. **Object-Oriented PHP**
PHP supports OOP (Object-Oriented Programming):
```php
<?php
class Car {
public $make;
public $model;
public function __construct($make, $model) {
$this->make = $make;
$this->model = $model;
public function displayInfo() {
echo "Car: " . $this->make . " " . $this->model;
}
$myCar = new Car("Toyota", "Corolla");
$myCar->displayInfo(); // Outputs: Car: Toyota Corolla
?>
```
### 11. **Error Handling**
Basic error handling uses the `try-catch` blocks:
```php
<?php
try {
// Code that may throw an exception
} catch (Exception $e) {
echo "Caught exception: " . $e->getMessage();
?>
```
### 12. **Comments**
PHP supports single-line and multi-line comments:
```php
<?php
// Single-line comment
# Another single-line comment
/*
Multi-line comment
*/
?>
```
### Semantics
- **Interpreted Language:** PHP is executed on the server, and the result is sent to the browser.
- **Loose Typing:** PHP automatically converts data types based on context.
- **Scope:** Variables declared inside a function are local to that function, unless declared global.
