PHP Basics: Understanding Echo

What is echo in PHP?:

echo is a command in PHP that outputs text to the screen. It’s one of the most common and easiest ways to display something—like a sentence, number, or HTML—on a web page. Think of it like saying, “Hey PHP, show this!”

Basic Syntax:

<?php
echo "Hello, world!";
?>

Output: Hello, world!

• The text inside the quotes is what you’ll see on the page.
• Every PHP statement ends with a semicolon (;).

Double vs. Single Quotes:

You can use either:

<?php echo "This works!";?>
<?php echo 'So does this!';?>

Tip: If you want to include variables (like someone’s name), double quotes are better. Example:

<?php
$name = "Alex";
echo "Hello, $name!"; // Outputs: Hello, Alex!
?>

Printing HTML:

You can also output HTML tags:

<?php echo "<h1>Welcome to my site</h1>";?>

That shows up as a big headline in your browser.

Multiple echos or Combined Text:

<?php
echo "Hello, ";
echo "world!";
?>

or combine:

<?php
echo "Hello, " . "world!";
?>

The . is the concatenation operator (it joins pieces of text together).

Common Mistakes:

Forgetting the semicolon:

<?php echo "Hi"?>

Real-World Example:

<?php
$flavor = "dark chocolate";
echo "<p>I love $flavor!</p>";
?>

Output in browser:

<p>I love dark chocolate!</p>