Variables Types
PHP Variables
A variable can have a short name (like x and y) or a more descriptive name (age, carname, total_volume).
Rules for PHP variables:
- A variable starts with the
$ sign, followed by the name of the variable
- A variable name must start with a letter or the underscore character
- A variable name cannot start with a number
- A variable name can only contain alpha-numeric characters and underscores (A-z, 0-9, and _ )
- Variable names are case-sensitive (
$age and $AGE are two different variables)
PHP has a total of eight data types which we use to construct our variables −
-
Integers − are whole numbers, without a decimal point, like 4195.
-
Doubles − are floating-point numbers, like 3.14159 or 49.1.
-
Booleans − have only two possible values either true or false.
-
NULL − is a special type that only has one value: NULL.
-
Strings − are sequences of characters, like 'PHP supports string operations.'
-
Arrays − are named and indexed collections of other values.
-
Objects − are instances of programmer-defined classes, which can package up both other kinds of values and functions that are specific to the class.
-
Resources − are special variables that hold references to resources external to PHP (such as database connections).
The first five are simple types, and the next two (arrays and objects) are compound - the compound types can package up other arbitrary values of arbitrary type, whereas the simple types cannot.
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:
Global and Local Scope
A variable declared outside a function has a GLOBAL SCOPE and can only be accessed outside a function:
<?php
$x = 5; // global scope
function adzetech() {
// using x inside this function will generate an error
echo "<p>Variable x inside function is: $x</p>";
}
adzetech();
echo "<p>Variable x outside function is: $x</p>";
?>
A variable declared within a function has a LOCAL SCOPE and can only be accessed within that function:
<?php
function adzetech() {
$x = 5; // local scope
echo "<p>Variable x inside function is: $x</p>";
}
adzetech();
// using x outside the function will generate an error
echo "<p>Variable x outside function is: $x</p>";
?>
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:
<?php
function adzetech(){
static $x = 0;
echo $x;
$x++;
}
adzetech();
adzetech();
adzetech();
?>
