Feed: How to Write Your Very First PHP Program - AggScore: 18.1

How to Write Your Very First PHP Program

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pAdvanced programmers know a secret. The secret that they know relates to how a PHP program is constructed.ppHere is the secretppComplex programs are built up from simple programs. If you can learn how to create a simple program, you can learn how to build a complex program, no matter how complicated.ppA program can be constructed of only a few lines. They always start the same way. Start with the PHP start tag, followed by your programming code, and last by the PHP end tag.pppblockquotexmpExample 1Line 1 php line your program goes herephpxmpblockquotepThe PHP program shown above has only 3 lines. Line 1 amp 3 are the start and end tags, line 2 is your functional code. In this case however, line 2 is a comment and will not perform any specific action other than to remind you of something. Comments are not processed by the interpreter. Once a comment is encountered, it is basically ignored.pppblockquotexmpExample 2Line 1 php line this is one comment another the lastphpxmpblockquotepThe code in example 1 behaves exactly as the code in example 2. Even though example 2 has 2 more lines. If you noticed, the additional lines in example 2 are only comments. Once again they are ignored by the PHP interpreter PHP Engine.ppIf there is one comment or multiple comments, the interpreter will act the same way. It will ignore any comments that it finds.pppblockquotexmpExample 3Line 1 php line below this is a real php programming command echo first programphpxmpblockquotepIn example 3 you will see your first functioning PHP program. The echo command was added to this program, located on line 3. An echo statement is a built in PHP command that will output whatever follows it to the screen. Anytime you want to output something using PHP to the screen, web browser, or visual display. Use the simple echo command.ppAs you can see, the words My First Real Program follows the echo command. It is very important to enclose the words that you want echoed on the screen inside single or double quotes. This way the echo command knows from what character to start with, andbrwhat character to end with, as it generates the output to the screen.ppWhen the echo command is called, it takes the contents inside the quotes, and sends it out to the screen minus the quotes. So the output would bepppblockquoteMy First Real ProgramblockquoteppblockquotexmpExample 4Line 1 php line the next is first echo command are second how to last in phpphpxmpblockquotepThe output to this program would bepppblockquoteYou are learning how to program in PHP.blockquotepWhen you start programming, there is no limit to how many comments and commands you can enter in your program. Go ahead, try it yourself. As you get better you wont need so many comments to remind you of what you are doing in your program.ppComplex programs are made up of simple programs. Learning how to mix simple commands together, along with PHP start and end tags makes a fully functioning PHP program. As you are learning, a good suggestion is to add as many comments as you need to help remember what you are doing. Comments are like taking notes that you can refer back to. As you get better at programming, you will naturally enter less comments. The PHP echo command outputs characters to the screen. Enclose all characters after an echo command with single or double quotes.ppCongratulations, you just wrote your first PHP program.ppbPaul Markovich is a Lead Technical Trainer.bppHe has been designing and building custom web sites for entrepreneurs since 1997. Hell help you get the answers to your burning open source programming questions!ppbLooking For More PHP Programming TipsbppDiscover Proven Programming Strategies.ppLearn to Program faster, while saving time, energy, and money!ppa targetnew hrefhttpcenteroftech.comhttpcenteroftech.comap

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