Operators in php
Operators are used to perform operations on variables and values. php divides operators into several groups.
Video Explanation
Arithmetic Operators
Used to perform common mathematical operations:
| Operator | Name | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
+ | Addition | $x + $y | Sum |
- | Subtraction | $x - $y | Difference |
* | Multiplication | $x * $y | Product |
/ | Division | $x / $y | Quotient |
% | Modulus | $x % $y | Remainder |
** | Exponentiation | $x ** $y | Power |
<?php
$x = 10;
$y = 3;
echo $x + $y; // 13
echo $x - $y; // 7
echo $x * $y; // 30
echo $x / $y; // 3.333...
echo $x % $y; // 1
echo $x ** $y; // 1000
?>
Assignment Operators
Used to write values to variables:
<?php
$x = 10;
$x += 5; // $x = $x + 5 → 15
$x -= 3; // $x = $x - 3 → 12
$x *= 2; // $x = $x * 2 → 24
$x /= 4; // $x = $x / 4 → 6
$x %= 4; // $x = $x % 4 → 2
?>
Comparison Operators
Used to compare two values:
| Operator | Name | Example |
|---|---|---|
== | Equal | $x == $y |
=== | Identical | $x === $y |
!= | Not equal | $x != $y |
!== | Not identical | $x !== $y |
> | Greater than | $x > $y |
< | Less than | $x < $y |
>= | Greater than or equal | $x >= $y |
<= | Less than or equal | $x <= $y |
<=> | Spaceship | $x <=> $y |
<?php
$x = 10;
$y = "10";
var_dump($x == $y); // bool(true) - same value
var_dump($x === $y); // bool(false) - different types
var_dump($x <=> 15); // int(-1) — less than
?>
Increment / Decrement Operators
<?php
$x = 5;
echo ++$x; // Pre-increment: 6
echo $x++; // Post-increment: 6 (then $x becomes 7)
echo --$x; // Pre-decrement: 6
echo $x--; // Post-decrement: 6 (then $x becomes 5)
?>
Logical Operators
| Operator | Name | Example |
|---|---|---|
&& | And | $x && $y |
|| | Or | $x || $y |
! | Not | !$x |
and | And (low precedence) | $x and $y |
or | Or (low precedence) | $x or $y |
<?php
$age = 20;
$hasID = true;
if ($age >= 18 && $hasID) {
echo "Access granted";
}
?>
String Operators
<?php
$first = "Hello";
$last = "World";
echo $first . " " . $last; // Concatenation: Hello World
$str = "Hello";
$str .= " World"; // Concatenation assignment
echo $str; // Hello World
?>
Array Operators
| Operator | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
+ | Union | Combines arrays |
== | Equality | Same key/value pairs |
=== | Identity | Same key/value pairs, order, and types |
!= | Inequality | Not equal |
<?php
$a = ["a" => 1, "b" => 2];
$b = ["b" => 3, "c" => 4];
$c = $a + $b;
print_r($c); // ["a" => 1, "b" => 2, "c" => 4]
?>
Ternary Operator
A shorthand for if...else:
<?php
$age = 20;
$status = ($age >= 18) ? "Adult" : "Minor";
echo $status; // Adult
?>
Null Coalescing Operator (??)
Returns the first operand if it exists and is not null, otherwise returns the second operand:
<?php
$username = $_GET['user'] ?? "Guest";
echo $username; // Guest if 'user' is not set
?>
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