How PHP executes on the server - Interactive Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to start a PHP script.

PHP

<?php ?>

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Astart

Becho

Cphp

Dscript

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'echo' or 'start' instead of the PHP opening tag.

Forgetting to open the PHP tag.

PHP scripts start with the

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to output text to the browser.

PHP

<?php echo [1]; ?>

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A'Hello World'

B"Hello World"

CHello World

DHello

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Not using quotes around the text.

Using incomplete quotes.

Text output in PHP must be inside quotes to be treated as a string.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the PHP code to correctly end the statement.

PHP

<?php echo 'Hello'[1] ?>

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A.

B;

C:

D,

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using a period or colon instead of a semicolon.

Forgetting to end the statement.

Each PHP statement must end with a semicolon ; to separate it from the next.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a PHP variable and assign a value.

PHP

<?php [1] = [2]; ?>

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A$name

B'John'

CJohn

Dname

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Not using $ before variable name.

Assigning string without quotes.

Variables in PHP start with $ and strings need quotes.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create an associative array and access a value.

PHP

<?php $person = array([1] => [2]); echo $person[[3]]; ?>

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A'name'

B'John'

D'age'

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Not using quotes around keys or values.

Using wrong key to access array.

Associative arrays use key => value pairs and keys are accessed with quotes.

Practice

1. What happens when a PHP file is requested by a browser?

easy

A. The PHP code is downloaded as a file to the browser

B. The browser runs the PHP code directly

C. The server runs the PHP code and sends the output to the browser

D. The server sends the PHP code as plain text to the browser

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand PHP execution location

   PHP code runs on the server, not in the browser.

2. Step 2: Identify what the browser receives

   The server sends only the output (usually HTML) to the browser, not the PHP code itself.

3. Final Answer:

   The server runs the PHP code and sends the output to the browser -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   PHP runs on server = A [OK]

Hint: Remember: PHP runs on server, browser gets output only [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking browser executes PHP code
• Expecting PHP code to be visible in browser source
• Confusing PHP with client-side languages like JavaScript

2. Which of the following is the correct way to start a PHP block in a file?

easy

A.

B.

C.

D.

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall PHP opening tags

   The standard and recommended way to start PHP code is with

2. Step 2: Check each option

   uses which is correct. Others are invalid or incomplete tags.

3. Final Answer:

   -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Standard PHP tag = B [OK]

Hint: PHP code always starts with php [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using short tags like which may be disabled
• Confusing PHP tags with HTML or script tags
• Missing the 'php' keyword after

3. What will be the output of this PHP code when accessed via a browser?

<?php
echo "Hello, " . "world!";
?>

medium

A. Syntax Error

B. echo "Hello, " . "world!";

C. Hello, . world!

D. Hello, world!

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand echo statement

   The echo command outputs the combined string "Hello, world!" to the browser.

2. Step 2: Confirm string concatenation

   The dot operator joins "Hello, " and "world!" correctly without errors.

3. Final Answer:

   Hello, world! -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   echo concatenates strings = D [OK]

Hint: echo prints combined strings directly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting PHP code to show in browser
• Confusing concatenation operator
• Thinking dot prints as text

4. Identify the error in this PHP code snippet:

<?php
echo "Welcome to PHP!"
?>

medium

A. Missing quotes around string

B. Missing semicolon after echo statement

C. Incorrect PHP opening tag

D. Using echo instead of print

Solution

1. Step 1: Check syntax of echo statement

   PHP statements must end with a semicolon ; to separate commands.

2. Step 2: Locate missing semicolon

   The echo line lacks a semicolon at the end, causing a syntax error.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing semicolon after echo statement -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Statements need ; = C [OK]

Hint: Always end PHP statements with a semicolon ; [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting semicolon at line end
• Confusing PHP tags with HTML tags
• Assuming echo doesn't need semicolon

5. You want to create a PHP page that shows the current year dynamically. Which code snippet correctly does this?

<?php
// Options:
// A: echo date("Y");
// B: echo "date(Y)";
// C: echo date(Y, Y);
// D: echo "Y";
?>

hard

A. echo date("Y");

B. echo "date(Y)";

C. echo date(Y, Y);

D. echo "Y";

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand PHP date function usage

   The date function requires the format string in quotes to return the current year.

2. Step 2: Evaluate each option

   echo date("Y"); correctly calls date("Y") to output the year. echo "date(Y)"; prints the string literally. echo date(Y, Y); misses quotes causing undefined constants and wrong output (1970). echo "Y"; prints letter Y only.

3. Final Answer:

   echo date("Y"); -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Correct date format string = A [OK]

Hint: Use quotes around format in date() function [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting quotes around format string
• Printing function call as string
• Confusing output with literal text