GANPAT UNIVERSITY
U. V. PATEL COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
2CEIT6PE1
WEB TECHNOLOGY
UNIT 3
PHP: Flow control, building blocks, Functions, Array, Objects and
Strings
Prepared by: Prof. Megha Patel (Asst. Prof in C.E Dept. )
What is PHP?
PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor -- It is a widely-used open source
general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web
development and can be embedded into HTML.
PHP files are executed on the web server.
Therefore we cannot save them anywhere and view them, as with
HTML files.
Must save .php files in subdirectory of web server.
For Example: htdocs for XAMPP server
www for WAMP server
Make call to web server by using local host.
PHP Introduction
The PHP code is enclosed in <?php and ?> tag.
<html>
<head>
<title> PHP Introduction </title>
</head>
<body>
This is HTML! <br />
<?php
echo 'This is PHP! <br />'; // prints to screen
/*
Here's a longer
comment
that spans multiple
lines. PHP tags: <?php and ?>
*/ The echo command
?> Single line comment ( // )
</body> Multiple line comment (/* and */)
</html>
PHP Variables
Variables are used for storing values, like text strings, numbers or
arrays.
When a variable is declared, it can be used over and over again in
your script.
All variables in PHP start with a $ sign symbol.
The correct way of declaring a variable in PHP:
PHP Variables
In PHP, a variable does not need to be declared before adding a value to it.
In the example above, you see that you do not have to tell PHP that the
variable is of which datatype.
PHP automatically converts the variable to the correct data type,
depending on its value.
PHP Variables
A variable name must start with a letter or an underscore "_" -- not a
number
A variable name can only contain alpha-numeric characters,
underscores (a-z, A-Z, 0-9, and _ )
A variable name should not contain spaces. If a variable name is
more than one word, it should be separated with an underscore
($my_string) or with capitalization ($myString).
Variable names are case sensitive ($age and $AGE are different
variables)
PHP Concatenation
The concatenation operator (.) is used to put two string values
together.
To concatenate two string variables together, use the concatenation
operator:
PHP Concatenation
The output of the code on the last slide will be:
If we look at the code you see that we used the concatenation
operator two times. This is because we had to insert a third string (a
space character), to separate the two strings.
PHP Data Types
The PHP var_dump() function returns the data type and value.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
$a = 32;
echo var_dump($a) . "<br>";
$b = "Hello world!";
echo var_dump($b) . "<br>";
PHP Data Types
$c = 32.5;
echo var_dump($c) . "<br>";
The output of above program:
$d = array("red", "green", "blue");
int(32)
echo var_dump($d) . "<br>"; string(12) "Hello world!"
float(32.5)
// Dump two variables
echo var_dump($a, $b) . "<br>"; array(3) { [0]=> string(3) "red"
?>
[1]=> string(5) "green" [2]=>
string(4) "blue" }
</body>
</html> int(32) string(12) "Hello world!"
PHP Operators
There are five classifications of operators:
Arithmetic operators
Assignment operators
Comparison operators
Increment/Decrement operators
Logical operators
PHP Operators
PHP Operators
PHP Operators
PHP Operators
Increment / Decrement Operators
Operator Name Description
++$x Pre-increment Increments $x by one, then returns $x
$x++ Post-increment Returns $x, then increments $x by one
--$x Pre-decrement Decrements $x by one, then returns $x
$x-- Post-decrement Returns $x, then decrements $x by one
PHP Operators
PHP Constants
To create s constant, define() function is used.
Syntax:
define(name, value, case-insensitive)
Parameters:
name: Specifies the name of the constant
value: Specifies the value of the constant
case-insensitive: Specifies whether the constant name should be case-
insensitive. Default is false
PHP Conditional Statements
if statement - use this statement to execute some code only if a
specified condition is true
if...else statement - use this statement to execute some code if a
condition is true and another code if the condition is false
if...elseif....else statement - use this statement to select one of several
blocks of code to be executed
switch statement - use this statement to select one of many blocks
of code to be executed
PHP Conditional Statements
The following example will output "Have a nice weekend!" if the
current day is Friday:
PHP Conditional Statements
Use the if....else statement to execute some code if a condition is
true and another code if a condition is false.
PHP Conditional Statements
If more than
one line should
be executed if a
condition is
true/false, the
lines should be
enclosed within
curly braces { }
PHP Conditional Statements
The following
example will output
"Have a nice
weekend!" if the
current day is Friday,
and "Have a nice
Sunday!" if the
current day is
Sunday. Otherwise it
will output "Have a
nice day!":
PHP Conditional Statements
Use the switch statement to select one of many blocks of code to be
executed.
PHP Conditional Statements
For switches, first we have a single expression n (most often a
variable), that is evaluated once.
The value of the expression is then compared with the values for
each case in the structure. If there is a match, the block of code
associated with that case is executed.
Use break to prevent the code from running into the next case
automatically. The default statement is used if no match is found.
PHP Conditional Statements
PHP Loops
Often when you write code, you want the same block of code to run
over and over again in a row. Instead of adding several almost equal
lines in a script we can use loops to perform a task like this.
In PHP, we have the following looping statements:
while - loops through a block of code while a specified condition is
true
do...while - loops through a block of code once, and then repeats the
loop as long as a specified condition is true
for - loops through a block of code a specified number of times
PHP Loops - While
The while loop
executes a block of
code while a condition
is true. The example
below defines a loop
that starts with i=1.
The loop will continue
to run as long as i is
less than, or equal to 5.
i will increase by 1
each time the loop
runs:
PHP Loops - While
PHP Loops – Do ... While
The do...while statement will always execute the block of code once, it
will then check the condition, and repeat the loop while the condition
is true.
The next example defines a loop that starts with i=1. It will then
increment i with 1, and write some output. Then the condition is
checked, and the loop will continue to run as long as i is less than, or
equal to 5:
PHP Loops – Do ... While
PHP Loops - For
PHP Loops - For
Parameters:
init: Mostly used to set a counter (but can be any code to be executed
once at the beginning of the loop)
condition: Evaluated for each loop iteration. If it evaluates to TRUE,
the loop continues. If it evaluates to FALSE, the loop ends.
increment: Mostly used to increment a counter (but can be any code
to be executed at the end of the loop)
PHP Loops - For
The example below defines a loop that starts with i=1. The loop will
continue to run as long as i is less than, or equal to 5. i will increase
by 1 each time the loop runs:
PHP Loops - Foreach
The foreach loop works only on arrays, and is used to loop through
each key/value pair in an array.
For every loop iteration, the value of the current array element is
assigned to $value and the array pointer is moved by one, until it
reaches the last array element.
PHP Loops - Foreach
The following example demonstrates a loop that will print the values
of the given array:
PHP Functions
PHP has over 1000 built-in functions that can be called directly,
from within a script, to perform a specific task.
Besides the built-in PHP functions, it is possible to create your own
functions which are called as User Defined Functions.
A function is a block of statements that can be used repeatedly in a
program.
A function will not execute automatically when a page loads.
A function will be executed by a call to the function.
User Defined Function in PHP
Syntax
Give the function a name that reflects what the function does.
The function name can start with a letter or underscore (not a
number).
User Defined Function in PHP
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
function writeMsg() { Output:
echo "Hello world!";
} Hello world!
writeMsg();
?>
</body>
</html>
PHP Function Arguments
Information can be passed to functions through arguments. An
argument is just like a variable.
Arguments are specified after the function name, inside the
parentheses. You can add as many arguments as you want, just
separate them with a comma.
PHP Variables Scope
In PHP, variables can be declared anywhere in the script.
The scope of a variable is the part of the script where the variable
can be referenced/used.
PHP has three different variable scopes:
local
global
static
Global Scope
A variable declared outside a function has a GLOBAL SCOPE and can only be
accessed outside a function:
<!DOCTYPE html> myTest();
<html> echo "<p>Variable x outside
<body> function is: $x</p>";
<?php ?>
$x = 5; // global scope </body>
</html>
function myTest() {
// using x inside this
function will generate an
error
echo "<p>Variable x inside Output:
function is: $x</p>"; Variable x inside function is:
} Variable x outside function is: 5
Local Scope
A variable declared within a function has a LOCAL SCOPE and can only be
accessed within that function:
<!DOCTYPE html> // using x outside the function will
<html> generate an error
<body>
<?php echo "<p>Variable x outside function
is: $x</p>";
function myTest() { ?>
$x = 5; // local scope
echo "<p>Variable x inside function </body>
is: $x</p>"; </html>
}
myTest(); Output:
Variable x inside function is: 5
Variable x outside function is:
PHP The global Keyword
The global keyword is used to access a global variable from within a function.
To do this, use the global keyword before the variables (inside the function):
<!DOCTYPE html> myTest();
<html> echo $y;
<body> ?>
<?php </body>
$x = 5; </html>
$y = 10;
function myTest() {
global $x, $y; Output: 15
$y = $x + $y;
}
PHP The static Keyword
Normally, when a function is completed/executed, all of its variables are deleted.
However, sometimes we want a local variable NOT to be deleted. We need it for a
further job.
To do this, use the static keyword when you first declare the variable:
<!DOCTYPE html> myTest();
<html> echo "<br>"; Output:
<body> myTest(); 0
echo "<br>"; 1
<?php myTest(); 2
function myTest() { ?>
static $x = 0; </body>
echo $x; </html>
$x++;
}
PHP Arrays
An array variable is a storage area holding a number or text. The
problem is, a variable will hold only one value.
An array is a special variable, which can store multiple values in one
single variable.
PHP Arrays
If you have a list of items (a list of car names, for example), storing the
cars in single variables could look like this:
PHP Arrays
However, what if you want to loop through the cars and find a specific
one? And what if you had not 3 cars, but 300?
The best solution here is to use an array.
An array can hold all your variable values under a single name. And you
can access the values by referring to the array name.
Each element in the array has its own index so that it can be easily
accessed.
PHP Arrays
In PHP, there are three kind of arrays:
Numeric array - An array with a numeric index
Associative array - An array where each ID key is associated with a
value
Multidimensional array - An array containing one or more arrays
PHP Numeric Arrays
A numeric array stores each array element with a numeric index.
There are two methods to create a numeric array.
In the following example the index is automatically assigned (the index
starts at 0):
In the following example we assign the index manually:
PHP Numeric Arrays
In the following example you access the variable values by referring to
the array name and index:
The code above will output:
PHP Associative Arrays
With an associative array, each ID key is associated with a value.
When storing data about specific named values, a numerical array is not
always the best way to do it.
With associative arrays we can use the values as keys and assign values
to them.
PHP Associative Arrays
In this example we use an array to assign ages to the different persons:
This example is the same as the one above, but shows a different way of
creating the array:
PHP Associative Arrays
PHP Multidimensional Arrays
In a multidimensional array, each element in the main array can also be
an array.
And each element in the sub-array can be an array, and so on.
PHP Multidimensional Arrays
PHP Multidimensional Arrays
PHP Multidimensional Arrays
PHP Array Functions
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
$cars=array("Volvo","BMW","Toyota");
echo "I like " . $cars[0] . ", " . $cars[1] . " and " . $cars[2] . ".";
?>
</body>
</html>
OUTPUT
I like Volvo, BMW and Toyota.
String & in-built functions
Single quote
Double quote
heredoc syntax: <<<
Functions: strlen, strcmp, strrev, strtolower, strtoupper,
trim, explode, implode, join, split, crypt, htmlentities, echo,
print……
heredoc syntax: <<<
The heredoc syntax is a way to declare a string variable.
It use special character <<< at the beginning.
Syntax
＄nameOfVariable = <<< identifier
// string
// string
// string
identifier;
DOs and DON’Ts of heredoc syntax usage
The variable should start with <<< and identifier in the first line. After
the last line, there must be the same identifier again.
You can have HTML tags as part of the string.
Don’t attempt to add a function or condition in the strings; this is an
erroneous operation and it won’t execute the condition or function.
Use curly brackets {} to contain any other variable that you want to
display the contents of as part of the strings.
User defined function
Syntax:
function functionname()
{
//code to be executed
}
PHP supports Call by Value (default), Call by Reference,
Default argument values and Variable-length argument list.
User defined function
Types of functions:
Call by Value (default)
Call by Reference
Default argument values
Variable-length argument list
Recursion
PHP Global Variables - Superglobals
Superglobals: Predefined variables in PHP
Always accessible in all scopes.
It can be accessed from any function, class or file.
The PHP superglobal variables are:
$GLOBALS $_FILES
$_SERVER $_ENV
$_REQUEST $_COOKIE
$_POST $_SESSION
$_GET
PHP Global Variables - Superglobals
PHP $GLOBALS
$GLOBALS is a PHP super global variable which is used to access global variables from anywhere in
the PHP script (also from within functions or methods).
PHP stores all global variables in an array called $GLOBALS[index]. The index holds the name of the
variable.
Example:
<?php
$x = 10;
$y = 20;
function addition() {
$GLOBALS['z'] = $GLOBALS['x'] + $GLOBALS['y'];
}
addition();
echo $z;
?>
PHP Global Variables - Superglobals
PHP $_SERVER
• $_SERVER is a PHP super global variable which holds information about headers, paths, and script
locations.
• Example:
<?php
echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; //Returns the filename of the currently executing script
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME']; //Returns the name of the host server
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']; //Returns the Host header from the current request
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER[''REQUEST_METHOD'']; //Returns the request method used to access the page (post)
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT']; //Browser compatibility information
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME']; //Returns the path of the current script
?>
PHP Global Variables - Superglobals
PHP $_GET
PHP $_GET is a PHP super global variable which is used to collect form data after submitting
an HTML form with method="get".
$_GET can collect data sent via URL.
Example: Assume we have an HTML page that contains a hyperlink with parameters:
index.html Test.php
<html>
<html> <body>
<body> <?php
echo "Study " .
<a href="test.php?subject=WT&technology=PHP">Test $GET</a> $_GET['subject'] . " at " .
</body> $_GET[‘technology'];
?>
</html> </body>
</html>
PHP Global Variables - Superglobals
PHP $_POST
PHP $_POST is a PHP super global variable which is used to collect form data after submitting an HTML form with
method="post".
$_POST is also widely used to pass variables.
Example:
<form method="post" action="<?php echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'];?>">
Name: <input type="text" name="fname">
<input type="submit">
</form>
<?php
if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
$name = $_POST['fname'];
if (empty($name)) {
echo "Name is empty";
} else {
echo $name; } }
?>
PHP Global Variables - Superglobals
PHP $_REQUEST
PHP $_REQUEST is a PHP super global variable which is used to
collect data after submitting an HTML form.
The $_REQUEST function is used to get the form information sent
with POST method or GET method.
PHP Global Variables - Superglobals
PHP $_ENV:
$_ENV is another superglobal associative array in PHP.
It stores environment variables available to current script now been
deprecated.
Environment variables are imported into global namespace. Most of these
variables are provided by the shell under which PHP parser is running.
Hence, list of environment variables may be different on different platforms.
This array also includes CGI variables in case whether PHP is running as a
server module or CGI processor.
PHP library has getenv()function to retrieve list of all environment variables
or value of a specific environment variable
PHP Global Variables - Superglobals
PHP $_ENV:
Getenv() function: To retrieve list of all environment variables or value of a
specific environment variable
Example:
<?php
$arr=getenv();
foreach ($arr as $key=>$val)
echo "$key=>$val";
?>
PHP String Operators
Operator Name Example Result
. Concatenation $txt1 . $txt2 Concatenation of
$txt1 and $txt2
.= Concatenation $txt1 .= $txt2 Appends $txt2 to
assignment $txt1
PHP Array Operators
Operator Name Example Result
+ Union $x + $y Union of $x and $y
== Equality $x == $y Returns true if $x and $y have the
same key/value pairs
=== Identity $x === $y Returns true if $x and $y have the
same key/value pairs in the same
order and of the same types
!= Inequality $x != $y Returns true if $x is not equal to $y
<> Inequality $x <> $y Returns true if $x is not equal to $y
!== Non-identity $x !== $y Returns true if $x is not identical to
$y
Execution Operators
There is one Execution operator defined in PHP. A string inside back-ticks (``) is
treated as a DOS command (a shell command in UNIX/Linux) and its output is
returned.
Following code executes DIR command and returns result as string.
Example
<?php
$list=`dir *.php`;
echo "$list";
?>
Error Control Operators
In PHP @ symbol is defined as Error Control Operator. When it is prefixed to
any expression, any error encountered by PHP parser while executing it will be
suppressed and the expression will be ignored.
Following code tries to open a non-existing file for read operation, but PHP
parser reports warning
Example
<?php
$fp=fopen("nosuchfile.txt","r");
echo "Hello World
"; ?>
