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Zero to PHP
Practice and review
Routine (15–30 minutes) Before the recap and quiz, consolidate with a 15–30 minute routine: Write a script that builds an array of items, loops with foreach, and prints a small report with string concatenation. Ad...
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Zero to PHP
Regular expressions (introduction)
Manual: preg_match The entry point for “does this string match?” is preg_match. Keep the official reference handy: preg_match (arguments, return values, and the optional $matches array). PHP compiles PCRE patterns...
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Zero to PHP
$_GET, $_POST, $_REQUEST, $_SERVER
GET and POST $_GET — query string parameters (?name=ada). $_POST — typical body fields for HTTP POST (often forms). REQUEST $_REQUEST — convenience merge (configuration-dependent)—prefer $_GET / $_POST explici...
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Zero to PHP
Arrays: practical operations
Everyday tasks Common tasks you will do constantly: Add: $items[] = 'new'; or $items['key'] = 'value'; Remove: unset($items[1]); (be careful with re-indexing for lists) Count: count($items) Sort: sort, ksort, asort (e...
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Zero to PHP
Arrays: basics
Ordered maps PHP arrays are ordered maps—list-like (0..n) or associative (key => value) or mixed. Example <?php declare(strict_types=1); $nums = [10, 20, 30]; $user = ['name' => 'Ada', 'role' => 'dev']; ...
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Zero to PHP
Functions
Why functions Functions bundle reusable logic. Example <?php declare(strict_types=1); function add(int $a, int $b): int { return $a + $b; } echo add(2, 3), "\n"; Parameters and return Parameters are input...
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Zero to PHP
break and continue
What they do Inside loops (and switch for break): break exits the loop/switch continue skips to the next iteration Example <?php declare(strict_types=1); foreach (range(0, 5) as $n) { if ($n === 2) { continue; } if...
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Zero to PHP
for and foreach
for for is great when you need an index: <?php declare(strict_types=1); for ($i = 0; $i < 3; $i++) { echo $i, "\n"; } foreach foreach is the idiomatic way to walk arrays: <?php declare(strict_types=...
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Zero to PHP
while and do…while
while while checks the condition before each iteration: <?php declare(strict_types=1); $i = 0; while ($i < 3) { echo $i, "\n"; $i++; } do…while do...while checks after—so it runs at least once. Sta...
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Zero to PHP
match
vs switch PHP 8+ match is an expression (it returns a value) and comparisons use strict (===) semantics. Example <?php declare(strict_types=1); $x = 2; echo match ($x) { 1 => 'one', 2 => 'two', default ...
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Zero to PHP
switch
What switch is for switch compares one expression against many discrete values. Example <?php declare(strict_types=1); $cmd = 'greet'; switch ($cmd) { case 'greet': echo "Hello\n"; break; case 'exit': ech...
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Zero to PHP
Combining conditions and shorthand
Logical operators Combine tests with && (and), || (or), and ! (not). Example <?php declare(strict_types=1); $age = 20; $hasTicket = true; if ($age >= 18 && $hasTicket) { echo "enter\n";...
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Zero to PHP
if, elseif, else
Why branching matters Branching lets programs react to data. Example <?php declare(strict_types=1); $score = 85; if ($score >= 90) { echo "A\n"; } elseif ($score >= 80) { echo "B\n"; } els...
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Zero to PHP
Operators
Comparisons and logic You already used arithmetic. Add comparisons and logic: Comparisons: <, >, <=, >=, ==, !=, ===, !== Logic: &&, ||, ! Ternary (light): $x ? 'yes' : 'no' Example <?php declar...
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Zero to PHP
Magic constants
What “magic” means here Magic constants change depending on where PHP is executing: __LINE__ — current line number __FILE__ — full path of the current file __DIR__ — directory of the current file Example &lt...
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Zero to PHP
Constants
What constants are Constants are immutable values. Common styles: <?php declare(strict_types=1); const APP_NAME = 'Demo'; define('LEGACY_MAX', 100); const vs define const is compile-time friendly for simple scalars...
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Zero to PHP
Math helpers
Beyond arithmetic operators Beyond + - * / **, PHP provides math functions—see Math. Example <?php declare(strict_types=1); echo abs(-5), "\n"; echo max(1, 7, 3), "\n"; echo round(1.2345, 2), ...
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Zero to PHP
Casting and type juggling
Explicit casts You can convert with casts: (int), (float), (string), (bool), (array), (object). <?php declare(strict_types=1); $x = (int) '42'; var_dump($x); Equality and juggling PHP also juggles types in some ope...
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Zero to PHP
Numbers
Arithmetic Integers and floats participate in normal arithmetic: <?php declare(strict_types=1); $a = 10; $b = 3; echo $a + $b, "\n"; echo $a / $b, "\n"; // float division echo intdiv($a, $b), &q...
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Zero to PHP
String functions (starter set)
Where to look things up PHP has many string helpers—bookmark String functions. Early hits: strlen($s) — length in bytes (UTF-8 nuance comes later) substr($s, $start, $length) — slice str_contains($haystack, $nee...
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Zero to PHP
Strings: basics
Single vs double quotes Single quotes '...' are mostly literal; double quotes "..." can interpolate variables. Example <?php declare(strict_types=1); $name = 'Ada'; echo 'Hello $name', "\n"; // ...
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Zero to PHP
Data types
Scalars at a glance Common scalar types you will use immediately: Type Examples int 0, -3, 42 float 1.25, 3.0 string 'hi', "count=$count" bool true, false null null Arrays and objects come in later chapters ...
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Zero to PHP
echo and print
echo vs print echo outputs text; it is a language construct and can take multiple comma-separated values. print is also for output; it always returns 1 (so it behaves like an expression). Example <?php declare(stri...
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Zero to PHP
Variable scope (introduction)
The idea Inside a function, variables you assign are usually local to that function unless you bring outer scope in deliberately (later: use closures; for globals, global—avoid leaning on globals while learning). Ex...
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Zero to PHP
Variables
Names and rules Variables start with $ followed by a name: letters, numbers, underscore; cannot start with a digit. Example <?php declare(strict_types=1); $message = 'Hello'; $count = 3; $message = 'Hello again'; A...
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Zero to PHP
Comments
Why comments exist Comments are for humans (including future you). PHP ignores them at runtime. Syntax Single-line: // or # Multi-line: /* ... */ Example <?php declare(strict_types=1); // Next line prints a greetin...
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Zero to PHP
PHP syntax: tags and statements
Opening tag Executable PHP normally starts with <?php. Use the full tag in files you save—short tags depend on configuration. Statements and semicolons Statements are instructions that do something; many end with...
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Zero to PHP
Install PHP and your first run
Check whether PHP is already installed Open a terminal (on Windows, PowerShell or cmd). Run: php -v If you see a line like PHP 8.3.x (cli) …, you are ready—PHP 8.2 or newer is fine for this course. Skip ahead to Y...
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Zero to PHP
About PHP and this course
Who created PHP? PHP began in 1994 as a small set of CGI scripts written by Rasmus Lerdorf to track visitors to his online résumé. The name originally stood for Personal Home Page. Over time it grew into a full prog...
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Zero to PHP
Superglobals (overview)
h2>What “superglobal” means /h2> p>In PHP, a strong>superglobal /strong> is a strong>built-in variable /strong> that is strong>available in every scope /strong>—inside functions, methods, and file scope—without decl
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Browse the library

Topics

Courses

Practice and review

Regular expressions (introduction)

$_GET, $_POST, $_REQUEST, $_SERVER

Arrays: practical operations

Arrays: basics

Functions

break and continue

for and foreach

while and do…while

match

switch

Combining conditions and shorthand

if, elseif, else

Operators

Magic constants

Constants

Math helpers

Casting and type juggling

Numbers

String functions (starter set)

Strings: basics

Data types

echo and print

Variable scope (introduction)

Variables

Comments

PHP syntax: tags and statements

Install PHP and your first run

About PHP and this course

Superglobals (overview)