Core PHP Programming: Using PHP to Build Dynamic Web Sites

Writing to the Browser

Three functions in PHP will send text to the browser: echo, print, and printf. Each does the same thing: They take values and print them to the browser. The printf function allows you to specify the format of the output rather than sending values as-is. I've used print so far in my examples, mostly out of personal preference. I don't usually need the formatting that printf provides. Many older PHP examples you will find on the Web use echo because it existed in PHP2. I avoid it, because it behaves more like an operator than a function. All three functions are discussed in Chapter 8.

It is important to remember everything you write is in the context of a Web browser. Unless you take measures to make it otherwise, your output ...