Control structures

Control structures in PHP are constructs that allow you to control the flow of your PHP code based on conditions or loops. They determine which code blocks are executed and how many times they are executed. PHP provides several control structures, including:

Here's a definition, example, and clarification for some common PHP operators:

Conditional Statements

Conditional statements allow you to execute code based on specified conditions.
Common conditional statements in PHP include:

if : Executes code if a condition is true.
else : Executes code if the if condition is false.
elseif : Allows you to check additional conditions if the initial if condition is false.
switch : Allows you to select one of many code blocks to be executed.


$age = 25;
if ($age < 18) {
    echo "You are a minor.";
} elseif ($age >= 18 && $age < 65) {
    echo "You are an adult.";
} else {
    echo "You are a senior citizen.";
}

Loops

Loops are used to execute a block of code repeatedly as long as a certain condition is met.
Common loop structures in PHP include:

for : Executes a block of code a specific number of times.
while : Executes a block of code as long as a condition is true.
do...while : Executes a block of code at least once and continues as long as a condition is true.
foreach : Iterates over elements in an array or other iterable data structures.


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

Branching Statements

Branching statements allow you to control the flow of your code by breaking out of loops or skipping to the next iteration.
Common branching statements in PHP include:

break : Terminates the current loop.
continue : Skips the rest of the current iteration and continues to the next iteration of a loop.


$numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
foreach ($numbers as $number) {
    if ($number == 3) {
        break; // Stops the loop when $number is 3
    }
    echo $number . "<br>";
}

Function and Method Calls

Control structures can also include function and method calls, where you can encapsulate a block of code in a function or method and call it when needed.
Example :


function greet($name) {
    echo "Hello, $name!"; }
greet("John"); //Call the function to greet John

These control structures are essential for controlling the flow of your PHP programs, making decisions, and iterating through data structures. They allow you to create more dynamic and responsive applications.