Getting Started with PHP: A Beginner’s Guide

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is one of the most popular server-side scripting languages used to build dynamic and interactive web applications. Over the years, PHP has gained massive popularity because of its simplicity, flexibility, and powerful features.

PHP is easy to learn, works across multiple operating systems, and supports a wide range of servers. These qualities make PHP an excellent choice for beginners as well as experienced developers who want to build scalable web applications.

In this guide, we will walk through the fundamentals of PHP, including syntax, variables, data types, operators, and conditionals. By the end of this blog, you will have a solid foundation to start building simple PHP programs and understand how PHP works behind the scenes.

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What You Will Learn in This Chapter

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

• Write simple PHP programs using basic syntax
• Declare and use variables with different data types
• Perform operations using PHP operators
• Control program flow using conditional statements

Let’s begin our PHP journey 🚀

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The Basics of PHP

Understanding PHP Syntax

In PHP, syntax is extremely important. To tell the server where PHP code starts and ends, PHP uses opening and closing tags:

<?php
?>

Any code written between these tags is interpreted as PHP. One of the powerful features of PHP is that you can embed it directly inside HTML files. However, to ensure the server processes the file correctly, the file must have a .php extension.

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Your First PHP Program: Hello World

Let’s write our first PHP program to display a simple message.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Open your code editor.
2. Create a new file named syntax.php.
3. Add the following code and save the file:

<?php
echo "Hello World";
?>

4. Open your working directory in the terminal.
5. Run the file using this command:

php syntax.php

Output

Hello World

Congratulations 🎉 You’ve just executed your first PHP program!

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Variables and Data Types in PHP

Variables are the core building blocks of any program. They allow us to store data temporarily and reuse it throughout the application.

Declaring Variables in PHP

In PHP, variables always start with the $ symbol:

$variableName = "value";

Important rules for variable names:

• Must start with $
• Cannot begin with numbers
• Cannot contain special characters (except _)

One of PHP’s strengths is that it does not require explicit data type declarations.

Common PHP Data Types

Type	Example
String	"Hello World"
Integer	123
Float	1.095
Boolean	true / false

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Working with Variables: A Real-World Example

Let’s create a simple program that stores and displays user information.

Example Code

Create a new file named variables.php:

<?php
$name = "John Doe";
$age = 25;
$hourlyRate = 10.50;
$hours = 40;

echo $name . " is " . $age . " years old.\n";
echo $name . " makes $" . $hourlyRate . " an hour.\n";
echo $name . " worked " . $hours . " hours this week.\n";
?>

Variable Interpolation Tip

Another way to insert variables into strings is:

<?php
echo "My name is $name.";
?>

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PHP Operators

Operators allow you to manipulate variables and values. PHP supports several types of operators.

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Comparison Operators

Used to compare two values.

Operator	Description
==	Equal
===	Identical (value and type)
!=	Not equal
!==	Not identical
<	Less than
>	Greater than
<=	Less than or equal
>=	Greater than or equal

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Logical Operators

Used to evaluate multiple conditions.

Operator	Description
!$a	NOT
$a && $b	AND
`$a

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Mathematical Operators

Used for calculations.

Operator	Description
+	Addition
-	Subtraction
*	Multiplication
/	Division
%	Modulus

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Combining Variables and Operators

Let’s calculate an annual salary using variables and operators.

Example Code (operators.php)

<?php
$name = "John Doe";
$hourlyRate = 10.50;
$hours = 40;
$weeks = 52;

$weeklyPay = $hourlyRate * $hours;
$salary = $weeks * $weeklyPay;

echo $name . " will make $" . $salary . " this year.\n";
?>

Run the file using:

php operators.php

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Conditionals in PHP

Conditionals allow you to control the flow of your program using decision-making logic.

Basic if Statement

if (condition) {
    // code to execute
}

if...else Statement

if (condition) {
    // code if true
} else {
    // code if false
}

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Working with Conditionals: Animal Sounds Example

Let’s create a program that prints animal sounds based on the animal name.

Example Code (conditionals.php)

<?php
$animal = "lion";

if ($animal == "cat") {
    echo "meow\n";
} else if ($animal == "dog") {
    echo "woof\n";
} else if ($animal == "lion") {
    echo "roar\n";
} else {
    echo "What does the fox say?\n";
}
?>

Output

roar

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Conclusion

In this blog, we covered the foundations of PHP programming, including:

• PHP syntax and execution
• Variables and data types
• Operators and expressions
• Conditional statements

These concepts form the building blocks of every PHP application. Once you’re comfortable with these basics, you’ll be ready to explore advanced topics like loops, functions, arrays, databases, and full-stack PHP frameworks.

Happy coding