04. Conditional Statements And Loops

04. Conditional Statements And Loops

In PHP, conditional statements are used to make decisions in your code based on certain conditions. They allow you to execute different blocks of code depending on whether a given condition evaluates to true or false.

PHP provides several conditional statements, including:

  1. if statement: The if statement is used to execute a block of code if a specified condition is true. It has the following syntax:
if (condition) {
    // Code to be executed if the condition is true
}

Example:

$age = 25;

if ($age >= 18) {
    echo "You are an adult.";
}
  1. if...else statement: The if...else statement allows you to execute one block of code if a condition is true and another block of code if it's false. It has the following syntax:
if (condition) {
    // Code to be executed if the condition is true
} else {
    // Code to be executed if the condition is false
}

Example:

$age = 15;

if ($age >= 18) {
    echo "You are an adult.";
} else {
    echo "You are not an adult.";
}
  1. if...elseif...else statement: The if...elseif...else the statement allows you to check multiple conditions and execute different blocks of code accordingly. It has the following syntax:
if (condition1) {
    // Code to be executed if condition1 is true
} elseif (condition2) {
    // Code to be executed if condition2 is true
} else {
    // Code to be executed if all conditions are false
}

Example:

$score = 85;

if ($score >= 90) {
    echo "Excellent!";
} elseif ($score >= 80) {
    echo "Good!";
} else {
    echo "Keep improving!";
}
  1. switch statement: The switch statement is used to select one of many code blocks to be executed based on a specified value. It has the following syntax:
switch (expression) {
    case value1:
        // Code to be executed if expression matches value1
        break;
    case value2:
        // Code to be executed if expression matches value2
        break;
    // ...
    default:
        // Code to be executed if none of the values match expression
        break;
}

Example:

$day = "Monday";

switch ($day) {
    case "Monday":
        echo "It's the beginning of the week.";
        break;
    case "Friday":
        echo "It's almost the weekend.";
        break;
    default:
        echo "It's an ordinary day.";
        break;
}

These conditional statements are powerful tools that allow you to control the flow of your PHP code based on different conditions. They provide flexibility and enable you to create dynamic and responsive applications.

Loops

In PHP, loops are used to repeatedly execute a block of code until a certain condition is met. They provide a way to automate repetitive tasks and iterate over collections of data. PHP offers several loop structures to suit different scenarios. Let's explore the three main types of loops in PHP:

  1. for loop: The for loop is commonly used when you know the number of iterations in advance. It consists of three parts: initialization, condition, and increment/decrement. The code block inside the loop is executed repeatedly as long as the condition evaluates to true.

Syntax:

for (initialization; condition; increment/decrement) {
    // Code to be executed in each iteration
}

Example:

for ($i = 1; $i <= 5; $i++) {
    echo $i . " ";
}

Output: 1 2 3 4 5

In this example, the loop initializes the variable $i with a value of 1, executes the code block, increments $i by 1, and repeats the process until $i is no longer less than or equal to 5.

  1. while loop: The while loop executes a block of code repeatedly as long as a given condition is true. Unlike the for loop, it does not have an explicit initialization or increment/decrement step. The condition is checked before each iteration, and if it evaluates to true, the code block is executed.

Syntax:

while (condition) {
    // Code to be executed in each iteration
}

Example:

$i = 1;

while ($i <= 5) {
    echo $i . " ";
    $i++;
}

Output: 1 2 3 4 5

In this example, the loop starts with $i equal to 1. The code block is executed as long as $i is less than or equal to 5. After each iteration, $i is incremented by 1.

  1. do-while loop: The do-while loop is similar to the while loop, but it executes the code block at least once before checking the condition. This guarantees that the code block is executed at least once, regardless of the condition's initial value.

Syntax:

do {
    // Code to be executed in each iteration
} while (condition);

Example:

$i = 1;

do {
    echo $i . " ";
    $i++;
} while ($i <= 5);

Output: 1 2 3 4 5

  1. foreach loop: The foreach loop is used to iterate over arrays or other iterable objects, such as collections. It automatically traverses each element in the array and executes the code block for each iteration. This loop is particularly useful for working with arrays and accessing individual elements.

Syntax:

phpCopy codeforeach ($array as $value) {
    // Code to be executed in each iteration
}

Example:

phpCopy code$colors = ['red', 'green', 'blue'];

foreach ($colors as $color) {
    echo $color . " ";
}

Output: red green blue

In this example, the loop iterates over each element in the $colors array and assigns the current element to the variable $color. The code block inside the loop is executed for each element.

In this example, the code block is executed first, printing the value of $i, and then the condition is checked. If the condition evaluates to true, the loop continues to execute. Otherwise, the loop terminates.

These loop structures in PHP provide flexibility and control over repetitive tasks and allow you to iterate over data, perform calculations, or execute specific actions based on certain conditions. Choose the appropriate loop structure based on your requirements and the nature of the task at hand.

Break and Continue

In PHP, the break and continue statements are used within loop structures to control the flow of execution.

  1. break statement: The break statement is used to terminate the execution of a loop prematurely. When the break statement is encountered within a loop, the loop is immediately exited, and the program continues with the next statement after the loop.

Example:

for ($i = 1; $i <= 10; $i++) {
    if ($i === 6) {
        break;
    }
    echo $i . " ";
}

Output: 1 2 3 4 5

In this example, the for loop iterates from 1 to 10. However, when $i becomes 6, the break the statement is executed, causing the loop to terminate. As a result, only the numbers 1 to 5 are echoed.

The break statement is often used when a certain condition is met, and you want to exit the loop early, bypassing the remaining iterations.

  1. continue statement: The continue statement is used to skip the current iteration of a loop and move to the next iteration. When the continue statement is encountered, the loop jumps to the next iteration without executing any further statements within the loop for the current iteration.

Example:

for ($i = 1; $i <= 5; $i++) {
    if ($i === 3) {
        continue;
    }
    echo $i . " ";
}

Output: 1 2 4 5

In this example, the for the loop iterates from 1 to 5. However, when $i equals 3, the continue the statement is executed, causing the loop to skip the remaining statements for that iteration. As a result, the number 3 is skipped, and the loop continues with the next iteration.

The continue statement is useful when you want to skip certain iterations based on a specific condition and continue with the loop's execution.

Both break and continue statements are essential to control flow mechanisms within loops that allow you to fine-tune the behavior of your code based on specific conditions. They provide flexibility and enable you to control the flow of execution within loop structures.

Try Catch

In PHP, the try and catch blocks are used for error handling and exception handling. They provide a way to gracefully handle and manage errors or exceptions that occur during the execution of a block of code.

The try block contains the code that might throw an exception. If an exception is thrown within the try block, it is caught and handled by the corresponding catch block.

Here's the basic syntax of a try and catch block in PHP:

try {
    // Code that might throw an exception
} catch (ExceptionType $exception) {
    // Code to handle the exception
}

The try block encloses the code that is expected to potentially throw an exception. If an exception occurs within the try block, PHP stops executing the remaining code in that block and searches for a matching catch block to handle the exception.

The catch the block is where you define the code to handle the specific exception. You specify the type of exception to catch after the catch keyword. If the thrown exception matches the specified type, the corresponding catch block is executed. You can have multiple catch blocks to handle different types of exceptions.

Example:

try {
    // Code that might throw an exception
    $result = 10 / 0; // Division by zero, which throws an exception
} catch (DivisionByZeroError $e) {
    // Code to handle the DivisionByZeroError exception
    echo "Division by zero error occurred.";
} catch (Exception $e) {
    // Code to handle other exceptions
    echo "An exception occurred.";
}

In this example, the code within the try block attempts to perform a division by zero, which throws an DivisionByZeroError exception. The first catch block specifically handles this exception and outputs a message indicating the division by zero error. If any other exception occurs that is not caught by the first catch block, the second catch block with the Exception the type will handle it and output a general exception message.

One another example of how to use the try and catch blocks in PHP to handle exceptions:

try {
    $numerator = 10;
    $denominator = 0;

    if ($denominator === 0) {
        throw new Exception("Division by zero error.");
    }

    $result = $numerator / $denominator;
    echo "Result: " . $result;
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "Exception caught: " . $e->getMessage();
}

In this example, we're attempting to perform a division operation. However, before performing the division, we check if the denominator is zero. If it is, we intentionally throw a new Exception with the message "Division by zero error."

Inside the try block, the division operation is performed. If the denominator is zero and the exception is thrown, the execution of the try block is immediately stopped, and PHP jumps to the corresponding catch block.

In the catch block, we catch the Exception type and access the caught exception using the variable $e. We then retrieve the error message using $e->getMessage() and output it to the screen.

If the denominator is not zero, the division is performed successfully, and the result is echoed without triggering the catch block.

The output of this example, when the denominator is zero, will be:

Exception caught: Division by zero error.

This demonstrates how the try and catch blocks allow you to handle exceptions and perform specific actions when errors occur during the execution of your code.

Using the try and catch blocks allow you to gracefully handle exceptions and perform appropriate actions when errors occur. It helps prevent the abrupt termination of the program and allows for customized error handling based on the specific type of exception thrown.

Functions

In PHP, functions are a fundamental part of the language and provide a way to encapsulate reusable code and perform specific tasks. Functions allow you to modularize your code and improve its readability and maintainability. Here's an overview of how to define and use functions in PHP:

  1. Function Definition: To define a function in PHP, you use the function keyword followed by the function name and parentheses, which may contain parameters. The function body is enclosed within curly braces {}. Here's the syntax:
function functionName(parameter1, parameter2, ...) {
    // Function body
    // Code to be executed
    // Return statement (optional)
}
  1. Function Parameters: Functions can accept zero or more parameters, which act as placeholders for the values passed when the function is called. Parameters are specified within the parentheses after the function name. You can define default values for parameters to make them optional.

Example:

function greet($name) {
    echo "Hello, " . $name . "!";
}

greet("John");

Output: Hello, John!

In this example, the greet() function accepts a single parameter $name. When the function is called with the argument "John", it echoes the greeting message with the provided name.

  1. Function Return Values: Functions in PHP can optionally return a value using the return statement. The return statement is used to specify the value to be returned from the function. When a return statement is encountered, the function execution terminates, and the specified value is passed back to the calling code.

Example:

function add($a, $b) {
    return $a + $b;
}

$result = add(3, 5);
echo $result;

Output: 8

In this example, the add() function takes two parameters, $a and $b, and returns their sum using the return statement. The returned value is then assigned to the variable $result and echoed.

  1. Function Invocation: To call or invoke a function in PHP, you simply use the function name followed by parentheses. If the function has parameters, you pass the required arguments within the parentheses.

Example:

function square($num) {
    return $num * $num;
}

$result = square(4);
echo $result;

Output: 16

In this example, the square() function is called with the argument 4, and the returned value is assigned to the variable $result and echoed.

PHP also provides various built-in functions, such as strlen(), array_push(), date(), and many more, which you can use directly in your code without defining them.

Functions are an essential part of PHP programming, enabling code reuse, abstraction, and organization. They allow you to encapsulate logic, pass data in and out of functions, and return values to the calling code. By using functions effectively, you can write modular and maintainable PHP code.