PHP `print` 🖨️

Like PHP echo, PHP print is a language construct. You don’t need to use parentheses with it, though you can use them if you prefer.

Syntax of PHP print:

int print(string $arg)

The print statement can be used to print strings, multi-line strings, escape characters, variables, arrays, etc. Here are some important points to know:

• print is a statement, often used as an alternative to echo for displaying output.
• print can be used with or without parentheses: print and print().
• print always returns an integer value, specifically 1.
• With print, you cannot pass multiple arguments (unlike echo).
• print is slower than echo. 🐢

PHP print: Printing a String 📝

File: print1.php

<?php  
print "Hello by PHP print ";  
print ("Hello by PHP print()");  
?>  

Output:

Hello by PHP print Hello by PHP print()

Both print and print() can be used without any difference in behavior. ✅

PHP print: Printing a Multi-line String 📃

File: print2.php

<?php  
print "Hello by PHP print  
this is multi line  
text printed by   
PHP print statement  
";  
?>  

Output:

Hello by PHP print this is multi line text printed by PHP print statement

Just like echo, print ignores newlines in the code, printing everything on a single line. 😆

PHP print: Printing Escape Characters 🧳

File: print3.php

<?php  
print "Hello escape \"sequence\" characters by PHP print";  
?>  

Output:

Hello escape "sequence" characters by PHP print

The escape character \" lets you print the double quotes " inside the string. 🎯

PHP print: Printing Variable Values 🏷️

File: print4.php

<?php  
$msg = "Hello print() in PHP";  
print "Message is: $msg";    
?>  

Output:

Message is: Hello print() in PHP

This shows how print can be used to display the value of a variable, just like echo. 🎉

Key Differences Between echo and print 🥇

• Multiple Arguments: echo allows multiple arguments, while print can only handle one argument.
• Return Value: print always returns 1, while echo does not return any value.
• Performance: echo is faster than print, making it a better choice for larger outputs.