Mastering Control Flow in PHP: If, Else, Switch, and Loops

Control flow statements allow you to alter the execution path of your PHP code based on specific conditions. They are essential for creating dynamic and interactive applications.

Conditional Statements

If…Else Statements

The if statement executes a block of code if a condition is true. The else statement provides an alternative block to execute if the condition is false.

$age = 25;
if ($age >= 18) {
    echo "You are an adult.";
} else {
    echo "You are a minor.";
}

Switch Statement

The switch statement provides an alternative way to perform different actions based on different conditions.

$day = "Sunday";
switch ($day) {
    case "Monday":
        echo "It's Monday!";
        break;
    case "Tuesday":
        echo "It's Tuesday!";
        break;
    case "Wednesday":
        echo "It's Wednesday!";
        break;
    default:
        echo "It's weekend!";
}

Loop Statements

For Loop

The for loop is used to execute a block of code a specified number of times.

for ($i = 0; $i < 5; $i++) {
    echo "The number is $i <br>";
}

While Loop

The while loop executes a block of code as long as a specified condition is true.

$x = 1;
while ($x <= 5) {
    echo "The number is $x <br>";
    $x++;
}

Do-While Loop

The do-while loop is similar to the while loop, but the condition is checked after the code is executed at least once.

$x = 1;
do {
    echo "The number is $x <br>";
    $x++;
} while ($x <= 5);

By mastering control flow statements, you can create complex logic and decision-making processes in your PHP applications. In the next article, we’ll delve into PHP functions.