PHP Output data by echo and print Statements

PHP:How to output data by echo and print Statements?

Introduction:
Learn the ins and outs of PHP’s powerful echo and print statements in this comprehensive guide. Discover how to output text, variables, and HTML content with ease, and gain a solid understanding of the differences between these two essential PHP features. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, this lesson will enhance your PHP skills and help you create dynamic and engaging web applications.

In PHP, both echo and print are used to output data, but they have some differences.

PHP echo:

echo is a language construct, not a function, and therefore doesn’t require parentheses (though they can still be used).
It can take multiple parameters, separated by commas, and will output each parameter.
echo doesn’t return a value, so it cannot be used in expressions.

Example of using echo:

$name = "Omar";
echo "Hello, " , $name , "!"; // Output: Hello, Omar!

PHP print:

print is a function and requires parentheses, though they are optional in PHP.
It can only take one argument, and it always returns 1, so it can be used in expressions.

Example of using print:

$name = "Gogo";
print("Hello, " . $name . "!"); // Output: Hello, Gogo!

In practice, echo is more commonly used for outputting multiple values or HTML, while print is often used for simple output statements.

Examples using parentheses with echo and without parentheses with print:

echo("Hello, Omar!"); // Output: Hello, Omar!
print "Hello, Gogo!"; // Output: Hello, Gogo!

complete example embedded in html with explanation

Below is a simple example of using both echo and print within an HTML document, along with explanations:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>PHP Echo and Print Example</title>
</head>
<body>

<?php
// PHP code embedded in HTML

// Using echo with multiple parameters
$name = "Omar";
$age = 20;

echo "<h1>Hello, $name!</h1>";
echo "<p>You are $age years old.</p>";

// Using print
$greeting = "Welcome to our website!";
print "<p>$greeting</p>";
?>

</body>
</html>

Explanation:

<?php … ?>: This is the PHP tag used to enclose PHP code within an HTML document.
$name and $age: These are PHP variables storing the values “John” and 25, respectively.
echo “<h1>Hello, $name!</h1>”;: This line uses echo to output an HTML heading (<h1>) containing the value of the $name variable.
echo “You are $age years old.”;: Here, echo is used to output a paragraph () containing the value of the $age variable.
$greeting = “Welcome to our website!”;: Another PHP variable is declared with a string value.
print “$greeting”;: This line uses print to output a paragraph containing the value of the $greeting variable.

When you run this PHP script within a server environment, the HTML output will include the dynamically generated content from the PHP code. The output will look like a regular HTML page with personalized greetings and information.

Display Variables:how to output text and variables with the echo statement?

To output text and variables using the echo statement in PHP, you can concatenate (combine) strings and variables within the echo statement. Here’s an example:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>PHP Echo Variables Example</title>
</head>
<body>

<?php
// PHP code embedded in HTML

// Define variables
$name = "John";
$age = 25;

// Output text and variables using echo
echo "<p>Hello, " . $name . "!</p>"; // Concatenating strings and variables
echo "<p>You are " . $age . " years old.</p>"; // Concatenating strings and variables
?>

</body>
</html>

In this example:

$name and $age: These are PHP variables storing the values “John” and 25, respectively.
echo “Hello, ” . $name . “!”;: This line uses echo to output a paragraph () containing the concatenated string “Hello, “, the value of the $name variable, and the string “!”.
echo “You are ” . $age . ” years old.”;: Here, echo is used to output a paragraph containing the concatenated string “You are “, the value of the $age variable, and the string ” years old.”

Using the dot (.) is the concatenation operator in PHP, and it is used to join strings and variables together within the echo statement.

Alternatively, you can also use double quotes to include variables directly within the string, like this:

echo "<p>Hello, $name!</p>";
echo "<p>You are $age years old.</p>";

This method is called variable interpolation, and PHP will automatically replace the variable names with their values when the string is enclosed in double quotes.

Display Variables:how to output text and variables with the print statement?

To output text and variables using the print statement in PHP, you can concatenate strings and variables similar to the echo statement.

Here’s an example:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>PHP Print Variables Example</title>
</head>
<body>

<?php
// PHP code embedded in HTML

// Define variables
$name = "Omar";
$age = 20;

// Output text and variables using print
print "<p>Hello, " . $name . "!</p>"; // Concatenating strings and variables
print "<p>You are " . $age . " years old.</p>"; // Concatenating strings and variables
?>

</body>
</html>

In this example:

$name and $age: These are PHP variables storing the values “Omar” and 20, respectively.
print “Hello, ” . $name . “!”;: This line uses print to output a paragraph () containing the concatenated string “Hello, “, the value of the $name variable, and the string “!”.
print “You are ” . $age . ” years old.”;: Here, print is used to output a paragraph containing the concatenated string “You are “, the value of the $age variable, and the string ” years old.”

Just like with echo, the dot (.) is used as the concatenation operator in PHP when combining strings and variables within the print statement.

Alternatively, you can also use double quotes for variable interpolation:

print "<p>Hello, $name!</p>";
print "<p>You are $age years old.</p>";

Both approaches will achieve the same result, and you can choose the one that fits your coding style or specific requirements.

The differences between:echo and print

The echo and print statements in PHP are both used for outputting data to the browser, but they have some differences in terms of syntax, usage, and behavior:

Syntax:

echo: echo is a language construct, not a function.

It can be used with or without parentheses.

echo "Hello, World!";
echo("Hello, World!");

print: print is a language construct, but it is also a function, and it requires parentheses.

print "Hello, World!";
print("Hello, World!");

Return Value:

echo: echo doesn’t return a value. It’s used for outputting, and you cannot use its result in expressions.

$result = echo "Hello"; // This is not valid

print: print always returns 1. It can be used in expressions.

$result = print("Hello"); // $result will be 1

Multiple Parameters:

echo: echo can take multiple parameters, separated by commas.

echo "Hello", "World";

print: print can only take one argument. If you attempt to provide more than one argument, you will get a parse error.

print "Hello", "World"; // This is not valid

Usage in HTML:

echo: echo is commonly used for outputting HTML content or multiple values.

echo "<p>Hello, World!</p>";

print: print is less commonly used in HTML, but it can still be used for simple output statements.

print "<p>Hello, World!</p>";

complete example embedded in html with explanation

Here’s a complete example embedded in HTML using both echo and print, along with explanations:

An application by using this lesson

Let’s create a simple PHP application that takes input for their name and age through an HTML form and then displays a personalized greeting using both echo and print.

Here’s a basic example:

index.php:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Personalized Greeting App</title>
</head>
<body>

<?php
// PHP code embedded in HTML

// Check if the form is submitted
if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
// Retrieve input
$name = htmlspecialchars($_POST["name"]);
$age = htmlspecialchars($_POST["age"]);

// Display personalized greeting using echo
echo "<h1>Hello, $name!</h1>";
echo "<p>You are $age years old.</p>";

// Display personalized greeting using print
$greeting = "Welcome to our website!";
print "<p>$greeting</p>";
}
?>

<!-- HTML form to collect input -->
<form method="post" action="<?php echo htmlspecialchars($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]); ?>">
<label for="name">Name:</label>
<input type="text" name="name" required>

<label for="age">Age:</label>
<input type="number" name="age" required>

<button type="submit">Submit</button>
</form>

</body>
</html>

Explanation:

The HTML form collects the ‘s name and age using text and number input fields.
When the form is submitted (method=”post”), the PHP code checks if the form has been submitted ($_SERVER[“REQUEST_METHOD”] == “POST”).
If the form is submitted, it retrieves the input using $_POST, sanitizes the input using htmlspecialchars to prevent potential security issues, and then displays a personalized greeting using both echo and print.
The HTML form includes the action attribute with <?php echo htmlspecialchars($_SERVER[“PHP_SELF”]); ?> to ensure the form submits to the same page.

To test this application:

Save the code above in a file named index.php.
Place it in a directory accessible by your web server.
Access the page through a web browser.
You’ll see a form where you can enter your name and age, and upon submitting the form, you’ll get a personalized greeting displayed on the page using both echo and print.

A quiz about PHP output data

Below is a quiz with 15 questions related to the PHP echo and print statements.

PHP Echo and Print Quiz

1-Which of the following is a correct way to use echo in PHP?

a) echo(“Hello”);
b) echo “Hello”;
c) print(“Hello”);

2-What is the primary purpose of the echo and print statements in PHP?

a) Define variables
b) Output data to the browser
c) Perform arithmetic operations

3-What is the return value of the print statement?

a) 0
b) 1
c) “Success”

4-How is the concatenation operator represented in PHP for joining strings and variables?

a) +
b) .
c) &

5-Which statement does not require parentheses when used in PHP?

a) echo
b) print
c) Both require parentheses

6-Can echo take multiple parameters?

a) Yes
b) No

7-What does the following code output?

$name = “Omar”;
echo “Hello, $name!”;
a) Hello, $name!
b) Hello, Omar!
c) Error

8-Which statement can be used in expressions and has a return value?

a) echo
b) print

9-In PHP, which tag is used to embed PHP code within HTML?

a) <php>…</php>
b) <?php>…</<?php>
c) <?php … ?>

10-What is the purpose of the htmlspecialchars function in the quiz example?

a) Validate form input
b) Prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks
c) Encrypt data

11-Which of the following is a correct way to use print in PHP?

a) print(“Hello”);
b) print “Hello”;
c) echo(“Hello”);

12-Is it possible to use both echo and print in the same PHP script?

a) Yes
b) No

13-What does the REQUEST_METHOD check in the quiz example?

a) Checks if the form is submitted using GET method
b) Checks if the form is submitted using POST method
c) Checks if the form is submitted using both GET and POST methods

14-Which statement is more commonly used in PHP for outputting HTML content?