Example 1: Basic Greeting

Learning variables and the echo function in PHP

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🎯 Live Demo

Code output:

¡Bienvenido, Jorge Garcia!

Try it yourself!

📖 Code Explanation

Complete PHP Code

<?php
$nombre = "Jorge Garcia";
echo "¡Bienvenido, $nombre!";
?>

📝 Line 1: Variable declaration

$nombre = "Jorge Garcia";

What does it do? Creates a variable named $nombre and assigns it the value "Jorge Garcia".

Why is it done this way? In PHP, variables always start with $. The = operator is used to assign values.

💡 Concept: Variables

Variables are like containers that store information. They can hold text (strings), numbers, arrays, etc.

📝 Line 2: Display the result

echo "¡Bienvenido, $nombre!";

What does it do? Prints the message on screen "¡Bienvenido, Jorge Garcia!".

Why is it done this way? echo is a PHP construct that displays text. Variables inside double quotes are automatically interpreted.

💡 Concept: Variable interpolation

In double quotes, PHP recognizes variables and replaces their names with their values. In single quotes, it would display literally $nombre.

🎯 Key Concepts Learned

Variables in PHP

  • Always start with $
  • Are case-sensitive ($nombre ≠ $Nombre)
  • Don't need type declaration
  • Can change value

echo Construct

  • Displays one or more strings
  • It's not a function (it's a language construct)
  • Can display HTML
  • Faster than print

Quotes in PHP

  • Double: Interpret variables
  • Single: Show literal text
  • Nowdoc/Heredoc: For long texts

💪 Practical Exercise

Modify the code

Try these changes to practice:

  1. Change the message to "Hola, [nombre] ¿cómo estás?"
  2. Create a second variable $edad and include it in the greeting
  3. Use single quotes and concatenate with the .

Solution 1:

<?php
$nombre = "Jorge";
echo "Hola, $nombre ¿cómo estás?";
?>

Solution 2:

<?php
$nombre = "Jorge";
$edad = 21;
echo "Hola, $nombre. Tienes $edad años.";
?>

Solution 3:

<?php
$nombre = "Jorge";
echo 'Hola, ' . $nombre . ' ¿cómo estás?';
?>