What's the differents ?

MichaelHe

I have been wondering what the differents are between these two ways.

IF ($something=='1'){echo "this is a test";}
IF ($something=='1'){?>this is a test<?;}

I find that in most casses it is easier to break out of php coding than to use the echo function, and the line is shorter that way.
Also if you have a long text with one promt, you can do like this.

IF ($something=='1'){echo "this is a little test ".$string." and here will be some more";}
IF ($something=='1'){?>this is a little test <?echo $string;?> and here will be some more<?;}

Here it is longer, but is it a longer text it seems easier to read in ex. 2.

But is they any differents. I always se ex. 1 written on the internet, and I wondered why no one uses ex. 2.

best
Michael

wilku

I use the first method because you can do this:

IF ($something=='1'){echo "this is a little test $string and here will be some more";}

It works only with double quotes though and you have to escape double qoute charakter with backslash. For longer parts (with varibles) I use:

echo <<<END
some text $var in "double quotes" and whatever $array[no_single_quote_here]
and so on
END;

But discussions about which method is better take place on this forum once in a while.

MichaelHe

I also use echo lots of time like but in some cases like this from my discography:

<a href="Discography/<?echo $CDid;?>.jpg"><img src="Discography/<?echo $CDid;?>s.jpg" width="200" border="1"></a>

It is a lot easier to just put in a echo when it's needed.
It links to a site with the ID number, and puts in an image with the same ID num.

Here I write the whole site in HTML, and when I need a variable I just put in <?echo $something;?>.
When you are used to programming in HTML this is the easiest way.

So there are no different in the output ?
I mean if one way is faster than the other when outputted to the browser, or some other difference ?

madwormer2

In my more recently developed apps, I have a templating system, so everything is put into variables and replaced as neccessary (meaning that I can't use the breaking out for it.)

But I tend to mix them about depending on how I feel at the time 😛