The if
and else
statements in PHP are control structures that allow you to execute different blocks of code based on conditions. They are fundamental for decision-making in your PHP scripts.
if
StatementThe if
statement checks a condition, and if it's true
, it executes the block of code inside:
<?php
$number = 10;
if ($number > 5) {
echo "The number is greater than 5.";
}
?>
Output:
The number is greater than 5.
else
for Alternate ConditionsThe else
statement runs a block of code when the if
condition is false
:
<?php
$number = 3;
if ($number > 5) {
echo "The number is greater than 5.";
} else {
echo "The number is not greater than 5.";
}
?>
Output:
The number is not greater than 5.
elseif
for Multiple ConditionsYou can use elseif
(short for "else if") to check additional conditions:
<?php
$number = 8;
if ($number > 10) {
echo "The number is greater than 10.";
} elseif ($number > 5) {
echo "The number is greater than 5 but not greater than 10.";
} else {
echo "The number is 5 or less.";
}
?>
Output:
The number is greater than 5 but not greater than 10.
if
StatementsYou can nest if
statements to check complex conditions:
<?php
$x = 7;
$y = 15;
if ($x > 5) {
if ($y > 10) {
echo "x is greater than 5 and y is greater than 10.";
}
}
?>
Output:
x is greater than 5 and y is greater than 10.
Combine conditions with logical operators like and
, or
, and !
:
<?php
$age = 20;
if ($age >= 18 && $age <= 25) {
echo "You are eligible for this program.";
}
?>
Output:
You are eligible for this program.
Practice creating decision-making structures in PHP. Understanding if
, else
, and elseif
will help you build dynamic and interactive web applications. Now you can learn about loops!