Print statement in PHP - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Print statement

Start

↓

Execute print statement

↓

Output text to screen

↓

End

The program starts, executes the print statement which sends text to the screen, then ends.

Execution Sample

PHP

<?php
print "Hello, world!";
?>

This code prints the text Hello, world! to the screen.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Evaluation	Output
1	Execute print statement	print "Hello, world!";	Hello, world!
2	End of script	No more code

💡 Script ends after printing the text.

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After print	Final
No variables	-	-	-

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why does the print statement show text on the screen?

Because print sends the given string to the output immediately, as shown in execution_table step 1.

What happens if we remove the semicolon at the end?

PHP requires a semicolon to end statements; missing it causes an error and stops execution before output.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what is printed at step 1?

A No output

B Hello, world!

C print "Hello, world!"

D Error message

💡 Hint

Check the Output column in execution_table row 1.

At which step does the script finish running?

A Before step 1

B Step 1

C Step 2

D Never ends

💡 Hint

Look at the Action column in execution_table for the end of script.

If we change the text inside print to "Hi!", what changes in the output?

A Output changes to Hi!

B Output stays Hello, world!

C No output at all

D Script errors out

💡 Hint

Output depends on the string inside print, see execution_table step 1.

Concept Snapshot

PHP print statement syntax:
print "text";
Print sends text to the screen immediately.
Each statement ends with a semicolon.
Used to show messages or results.
Simple and direct output command.

Full Transcript

This example shows how PHP uses the print statement to display text on the screen. The program starts, executes the print command which outputs the string Hello, world!, then ends. The print statement requires a semicolon at the end to work correctly. Changing the text inside print changes what appears on the screen. This is the simplest way to show messages in PHP.

Practice

1. What does the print statement do in PHP?

easy

A. It shows text or values on the screen.

B. It saves data to a file.

C. It creates a new variable.

D. It deletes a file.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of print

   The print statement is used to display output on the screen in PHP.

2. Step 2: Compare options with print's function

   Only It shows text or values on the screen. correctly describes this behavior; others describe unrelated actions.

3. Final Answer:

   It shows text or values on the screen. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Print = Show output [OK]

Hint: Print always outputs text or values to the screen [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking print saves or deletes files
• Confusing print with variable creation
• Assuming print modifies data silently

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to print the text Hello World in PHP?

easy

A. print(Hello World);

B. print "Hello World";

C. print "Hello World"

D. print 'Hello World'

Solution

1. Step 1: Check for quotes around text

   Text must be inside quotes to be printed correctly in PHP.

2. Step 2: Check for semicolon at the end

   PHP statements must end with a semicolon; only print "Hello World"; has both quotes and semicolon.

3. Final Answer:

   print "Hello World"; -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Quotes + semicolon = correct print syntax [OK]

Hint: Text must be in quotes and end with semicolon [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting quotes around text
• Missing semicolon at the end
• Using parentheses without quotes

3. What will be the output of the following PHP code?

print 123;
print " apples";

medium

A. 123apples

B. 123" apples"

C. 123 apples

D. Error: missing semicolon

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze first print statement

   print 123; prints the number 123 without quotes.

2. Step 2: Analyze second print statement

   print " apples"; prints the text ' apples' with a space before apples.

3. Step 3: Combine outputs

   Both prints run one after another, so output is '123 apples'.

4. Final Answer:

   123 apples -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   Number + text prints together = 123 apples [OK]

Hint: Print numbers without quotes, text with quotes, outputs join [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting quotes to print literally
• Missing space between number and text
• Thinking missing semicolon causes error here

4. Identify the error in this PHP code:

print "Hello World"

medium

A. Missing semicolon at the end

B. Quotes should be single quotes

C. print should be uppercase

D. Missing parentheses around text

Solution

1. Step 1: Check statement ending

   PHP statements must end with a semicolon; this code misses it.

2. Step 2: Verify other syntax parts

   Quotes can be single or double, print is case-insensitive, parentheses optional.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing semicolon at the end -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Semicolon missing = syntax error [OK]

Hint: Always end print statements with a semicolon [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting semicolon at line end
• Thinking print must be uppercase
• Adding unnecessary parentheses

5. How can you print the phrase PHP version: 8.1 using a single print statement with a variable $version = 8.1;?

hard

A. print "PHP version: $version";

B. print 'PHP version: $version';

C. print PHP version: $version;

D. print ("PHP version: " . $version);

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand variable interpolation in quotes

   Double quotes allow variables inside text to be replaced; single quotes do not.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   print "PHP version: $version"; would work but misses semicolon; print 'PHP version: $version'; prints variable name literally; print PHP version: $version; is syntax error; print ("PHP version: " . $version); concatenates string and variable correctly with semicolon.

3. Final Answer:

   print ("PHP version: " . $version); -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Concatenate string and variable with dot and semicolon [OK]

Hint: Use dot (.) to join strings and variables in print [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using single quotes with variables expecting interpolation
• Omitting semicolon
• Not concatenating strings and variables properly