3 | Learn About PHP Syntax for Beginners | 2023 | Learn PHP Full Course for Beginners

Summary

This video script offers a beginner's guide to PHP syntax, emphasizing the importance of opening and closing tags for embedding PHP within HTML documents. It explains the use of semicolons to terminate statements and the automatic semicolon implication by closing tags. The script also advises against using closing PHP tags in pure PHP files to avoid potential errors. Advanced embedding techniques and the significance of comments for code clarity and maintenance are discussed, providing a foundational understanding of PHP syntax for newcomers.

Takeaways

• 📝 Learning PHP syntax is crucial for writing error-free code.
• 🔍 PHP code is embedded within HTML using opening and closing PHP tags, which are essential to memorize.
• 🌐 It's possible to directly include PHP code within HTML tags, such as within the body tag.
• ✅ Each PHP statement should end with a semicolon, which signifies the end of a statement, although the closing PHP tag implies a semicolon.
• 🔑 For files containing only PHP, the opening tag is mandatory at the top, but the closing tag is omitted to avoid potential issues with whitespace.
• 📖 Echo is used to output text or strings in PHP, which can be wrapped in double quotes and terminated with a semicolon.
• 💡 Embedding HTML within PHP using echo allows for dynamic web page content, but it's not the most optimal method for writing HTML.
• 🎨 Splitting PHP code with opening and closing tags around HTML can enable syntax highlighting and checking in code editors.
• 🗣️ Writing comments in PHP is highly recommended for clarity and future reference, using either single-line or multi-line comment syntax.
• 🚀 This video serves as a foundational guide to PHP syntax, preparing viewers to avoid basic errors when writing PHP code.

Q & A

What is the importance of PHP opening and closing tags in a document?

PHP opening and closing tags are crucial as they allow the PHP parser to recognize and process the PHP code embedded within an HTML document. They enable the integration of PHP scripting directly into HTML.

Why is it recommended to end each PHP statement with a semicolon?

Semicolons in PHP are used to indicate the end of a statement, signaling to the PHP parser that the instruction is complete. This is a standard practice to avoid errors and ensure the code is correctly interpreted.

What is the role of the 'echo' statement in PHP?

The 'echo' statement in PHP is used to output data to the browser. It is a way to display text or variables within the HTML content on a webpage.

Why does the closing PHP tag imply a semicolon?

The closing PHP tag implies a semicolon to prevent errors that might occur if the tag is followed by unintended whitespace or an empty line. It ensures that the last statement in the PHP block is properly terminated.

What is the recommended practice for PHP files that contain only PHP code?

For files that contain only PHP code, it is recommended to use an opening PHP tag at the top of the file and omit the closing tag. This avoids potential issues with whitespace or formatting after the closing tag.

How can you embed PHP conditions within HTML?

PHP conditions can be embedded within HTML by using opening and closing PHP tags around the condition. The code block within the condition can then include HTML tags, allowing for dynamic content generation based on the condition's outcome.

What is the benefit of splitting PHP and HTML code using separate PHP tags?

Splitting PHP and HTML code using separate PHP tags allows the HTML to be recognized and syntax-checked by the editor as actual HTML, rather than a string within PHP. This enhances readability and maintainability of the code.

Why is it important to write comments in PHP code?

Writing comments in PHP code is important for documentation purposes, helping developers understand the code's functionality at a later time. It aids in code maintenance and clarity, especially when revisiting or debugging.

How do you create a single-line comment in PHP?

A single-line comment in PHP is created using two forward slashes (//). Anything following these slashes on the same line will be treated as a comment and not executed as code.

How do you create a multi-line comment in PHP?

A multi-line comment in PHP is created using a forward slash followed by an asterisk (/*) to start the comment and an asterisk followed by a forward slash (*/) to end it. This allows comments to span multiple lines.

Outlines

00:00

💻 PHP Syntax Basics

This paragraph introduces the fundamental syntax of PHP coding, emphasizing the importance of opening and closing tags for embedding PHP within HTML documents. It explains how PHP parses pages to find these tags and execute the enclosed code. The paragraph also highlights the necessity of ending PHP statements with a semicolon, which signifies the completion of a statement. An 'echo' statement is introduced as a means to output text within a browser, and the automatic implication of a semicolon by the closing PHP tag is discussed. The recommendation is made to always use semicolons to avoid errors and to foster good coding habits. The paragraph concludes with advice on handling pure PHP files, suggesting the omission of a closing tag to prevent potential issues caused by whitespace or formatting errors.

05:02

📝 Advanced PHP Embedding and Commenting

The second paragraph delves into more advanced techniques for embedding PHP within HTML, focusing on the proper use of PHP tags to allow for HTML syntax highlighting and error checking within code editors. It demonstrates how to structure PHP conditions and echo statements to output HTML content, while maintaining the benefits of HTML syntax checking. The paragraph also touches on the best practices for writing comments in PHP, explaining the use of single-line comments with two forward slashes and multi-line comments with a forward slash and an asterisk. The importance of commenting is stressed for future reference and clarity, ensuring that the code remains understandable and maintainable.

Keywords

💡PHP Syntax

PHP Syntax refers to the set of rules that dictate how PHP code should be structured. In the video, it's emphasized as crucial for writing PHP code without errors. The script discusses the importance of using opening and closing PHP tags to embed PHP within HTML documents, which is a fundamental aspect of PHP syntax.

💡Opening and Closing Tags

These are the markers that define the beginning and end of a PHP block. The video script mentions that these tags are essential for parsing PHP code within an HTML document. For instance, the script uses '< ?php' as the opening tag and '? >' as the closing tag to embed PHP code in an 'index.php' file.

💡Semicolon

A semicolon in PHP is used to terminate statements. The video script points out that each statement in PHP should end with a semicolon to signal the end of the command. It's a basic syntax rule that helps in avoiding errors, as forgetting a semicolon can lead to a script not executing as intended.

💡Echo

Echo is a PHP language construct used to output data. The video script uses 'echo' to demonstrate how to display text or a string in a browser. For example, 'echo' is used with double quotes to output a string, followed by a semicolon, which is a standard way to output data in PHP.

💡PHP Tags

PHP tags are the markers that tell the PHP parser where PHP code begins and ends. The video script explains that while opening tags are necessary for all PHP code, closing tags can be implied, especially when the PHP code is at the end of a file, thus avoiding potential errors from extra whitespace or lines.

💡HTML Embedding

The video script discusses embedding PHP within HTML, which is a common practice in web development. It shows how PHP code can be placed directly within HTML body tags to dynamically generate web page content. This is a key concept in creating dynamic web pages with PHP.

💡Conditions

Conditions in PHP are used to perform different actions based on whether a certain condition is true or false. The video script touches on the concept of conditions with an 'if' statement, which is used to execute a block of code only if a specified condition is met. This is a fundamental concept in programming for creating interactive and responsive web applications.

💡Curly Brackets

Curly brackets are used in PHP to define blocks of code, such as those associated with control structures like 'if' statements. The video script mentions using curly brackets to enclose the code that should be executed when a condition is true, which is a standard practice in PHP and many other programming languages.

💡Syntax Highlighting

Syntax highlighting is a feature of code editors that colors code differently based on its function, making it easier to read and understand. The video script discusses the lack of syntax highlighting when writing HTML within PHP strings, which can lead to confusion and errors. It suggests writing HTML separately for better readability and error checking.

💡Comments

Comments in PHP are pieces of code that are not executed but are used to explain or annotate the code. The video script highlights the importance of writing comments for future reference and clarity. It explains how to create both single-line comments using '//' and multi-line comments using '/*' and '*/', which are essential for maintaining and understanding code.

Highlights

The importance of PHP syntax for writing error-free code.

Usage of opening and closing PHP tags to embed PHP code within an HTML document.

The ability to place PHP code directly inside HTML body tags.

The necessity of using semicolons to terminate PHP statements.

The automatic implication of a semicolon by the closing PHP tag.

Recommendation to always use semicolons for consistency and error prevention.

The requirement of an opening PHP tag at the top of a PHP-only file.

Omitting the closing PHP tag in pure PHP files to avoid potential errors.

Embedding PHP conditions within HTML to control the output of content.

Using the 'echo' statement to output text or strings in a browser.

Including HTML tags within PHP strings to create web page content.

The downsides of writing HTML inside PHP strings, such as lack of syntax highlighting.

The practice of splitting PHP conditions to allow for cleaner HTML syntax within.

The benefits of writing HTML as separate blocks for better readability and syntax checking.

The significance of writing comments in PHP for documentation and future reference.

How to create single-line comments in PHP using two forward slashes.

Creating multi-line comments in PHP using forward slash and asterisk tags.

The basics of PHP syntax for writing clean and error-free code.

Transcripts

now before we get started we need to

talk a bit about the syntax of writing

PHP code since syntax is what is going

to allow for you to write PHP code

without having to create too many errors

so in the last episode we talked a bit

about opening and closing tags when it

came to writing PHP inside a document

like for example your index.psp file and

the important thing to know about here

is that whenever you create these

opening and closing tags your PHP is

going to be parsing this page and search

for these opening and closing tags until

it finds one and then it's going to see

that PHP code inside those tags we can

now very easily just take our PHP code

and embed it directly inside our HTML

like I did on screen here so you can

just have the body tags you can have for

example a paragraph tag and then right

underneath you can just include some PHP

code so it is very important that

anytime you want to create PHP code you

need to have these tags you need to

memorize these tags since we have to use

them constantly whenever we want to

create any sort of PHP code so when it

comes to writing PHP code we do also

need to talk about ending off each

statement with a semicolon since

semicolons is what is going to tell our

code that this is a finished statement

so as you can see inside my code here I

have a very basic pair of PHP tags and a

echo which we haven't talked about yet

but essentially a echo is something we

used in order to Output things inside

our browsers so if I want to Output some

text or a string as we call it then I

can Echo a string which is wrapped in

double quotes and then ended off with a

semicolon to tell it that okay so this

is the end of the statement go ahead and

Echo this out inside our browser but

something you may not know is that the

closing PHP tag actually automatically

implies a semicolon which means that if

I were to take an example like this one

where we have two Echoes that Echoes out

some code then the last statement

doesn't actually have a semicolon

because that is actually implied by the

closing PHP tag at the very bottom and I

just want to point something out here

because even though technically we don't

need to have a semicolon inside the last

statement it is something that I do

recommend that you do every single time

it is also something most people do and

it's just for the simple reason that it

doesn't hurt anything to put that last

semicolon and it also teaches you that

every single time you create a statement

you have to put a semicolon because a

lot of times one of the errors that

people they type in my comments is when

they forgot to put a semicolon or they

forgot to close off apprentices or a

curly bracket or something so teaching

you the mindset of putting semicolons

after each statement is something I

highly recommend you do because you have

to get into that mindset but now let's

talk about when we have a file that only

has PHP inside of it because up until

now we talked about this page for

example the index.php file but in some

cases we do also have files that are

purely PHP the way we do it when we have

this pure PHP file is you want to make

sure you have the opening tag at the

very top of the page every single time

because otherwise your PHP is not going

to be working but when it comes to the

closing tag we actually want to omit it

we don't want to have a closing tag at

the end this is actually the recommended

thing to do so just like with the

example you see here we have this file

that only has a PHP tag at the very top

but there's no closing tag at the bottom

it is for the simple reason that in some

cases if you were to close off the PSP

tag at the very bottom but then

accidentally leave a empty line or a

space or something then things can go a

little bit wrong having talked about

that let's talk about a more advanced

example of embedding PHP inside HTML in

this example you can see that I have a

pair of body tags so we have some HTML

and inside these body tags I have a PHP

statement this is called a condition and

conditions is something we'll talk more

about in the future so you don't really

need to know what a condition is right

now but essentially I have a condition

here where if something is true then run

the block of code inside the curly

brackets and in between these curly

brackets I did just like before I Echo

out or output some text inside the

browser or a string as we call it and as

you can see I actually included some

HTML tags inside that string so we have

some html text but with a paragraph tag

wrapped around it and this is something

you can do whenever you want to create

HTML inside a web page you can actually

Echo it out using PHP so you can write

HTML and content using PHP in this sort

of way but this is not really the most

optimal way to do things because you may

notice a couple of things here first of

all the text is completely orange and

that's the typical color when it comes

to writing a string inside PSP and

because of that we run into some issues

with the HTML not actually having any

sort of syntax checking we don't have

any coloring of the age smell just like

the body tags up and below so writing it

smell like this inside a string is

something that is going to get quite

messy and it's going to get confusing

and you don't really have any automated

syntax checking because it's not seen as

HTML by editor is seen as a PHP string

so what you can do instead is you can

split up your condition using the

opening and closing PHP tags around the

beginning of the statement and the

closing of the statement so on the next

slide here you're going to notice that

the if statement is going to get moved

up next to the opening PHP tag and then

I'm going to close it right after that

line and then the curly bracket at the

bottom there is going to have a opening

and a closing PHP tag as well because by

doing that we now allow for eight smelt

to be written in between those curly

brackets but we can actually write it as

HTML and the editor is also going to see

it as HTML and actually check it for

syntax and that kind of thing and color

it so it looks really pretty so doing it

that way is really the optimal way to do

it I think when it comes to writing HTML

the last thing I want to talk a bit

about here is writing comments inside

your PHP you have seen some of it

already but I just want to just sort of

like go through it since there's a

little bit more to it whenever you

create PHP code write comments because

at some point you're going to forget

what the code does and you have to

return to it and you have to go through

the code and see what it does when you

could just have created a comment early

on to tell future you what exactly the

code does so creating comments is a very

important thing a comment is not going

to get outputted inside the browser it

is just there for you as the developer

to see so we have talked about creating

a single line comment here using two

forward slashes and because this is a

one line comment we can't go down to the

next line and continue writing then it's

going to see it as not a comment but we

can create multiple line comments but

instead of using two forward slashes we

can use a forward slash and a

multiplication symbol and then close it

off again using multiplication forward

slash because in this sort of way we can

now create multiple lines in between

these two opening and closing tags when

it comes to writing a comment and just

like that you now know the basics of

syntax when it comes to writing PHP

there is of course you know more

advanced things we could go into but I

think this is a good beginning to

understanding how to write PHP and not

get any sort of basic errors inside your

browser whenever you try to create any

sort of basic PHP code so with that said

I hope you enjoyed this little video and

I'll see you in the next one

foreign

[Music]

[Music]