PHP Operators
Performing operations on variables and values
🔧 What are PHP Operators?
Operators are symbols that perform operations on variables and values. PHP supports various operator types including arithmetic, comparison, logical, and assignment operators for manipulating data.
<?php
$a = 10;
$b = 5;
$sum = $a + $b; // Addition operator
echo $sum; // Outputs: 15
?>
Output:
15
Types of Operators
Arithmetic
Perform mathematical calculations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and modulus operations on numeric values.
<?php
$x = 10 + 5; // 15
$y = 10 - 5; // 5
$z = 10 * 5; // 50
?>Comparison
Compare two values and return true or false. Used in conditional statements to make decisions.
<?php
$a = 10;
$b = 5;
var_dump($a > $b); // true
?>Logical
Combine conditional statements using AND, OR, NOT operators to create complex logical expressions.
<?php
$x = true;
$y = false;
var_dump($x && $y); // false
?>Assignment
Assign values to variables using equals sign and combined assignment operators for shorthand operations.
<?php
$x = 10;
$x += 5; // Same as $x = $x + 5
echo $x; // 15
?>🔹 Arithmetic Operators
Perform basic mathematical operations:
<?php
$a = 10;
$b = 3;
echo "Addition: " . ($a + $b); // 13
echo "<br>";
echo "Subtraction: " . ($a - $b); // 7
echo "<br>";
echo "Multiplication: " . ($a * $b); // 30
echo "<br>";
echo "Division: " . ($a / $b); // 3.333...
echo "<br>";
echo "Modulus: " . ($a % $b); // 1
echo "<br>";
echo "Exponentiation: " . ($a ** 2); // 100
?>Output:
Addition: 13
Subtraction: 7
Multiplication: 30
Division: 3.3333333333333
Modulus: 1
Exponentiation: 100
🔹 Comparison Operators
Compare values and return boolean results:
<?php
$x = 10;
$y = 5;
var_dump($x == $y); // Equal: false
echo "<br>";
var_dump($x != $y); // Not equal: true
echo "<br>";
var_dump($x > $y); // Greater than: true
echo "<br>";
var_dump($x < $y); // Less than: false
echo "<br>";
var_dump($x >= 10); // Greater or equal: true
echo "<br>";
var_dump($x <= 5); // Less or equal: false
echo "<br>";
// Identical (same value and type)
var_dump(10 === "10"); // false
echo "<br>";
var_dump(10 === 10); // true
?>Output:
bool(false)
bool(true)
bool(true)
bool(false)
bool(true)
bool(false)
bool(false)
bool(true)
🔹 Logical Operators
Combine multiple conditions:
<?php
$age = 25;
$hasLicense = true;
// AND operator (&&)
if ($age >= 18 && $hasLicense) {
echo "Can drive!";
}
echo "<br>";
// OR operator (||)
$isWeekend = false;
$isHoliday = true;
if ($isWeekend || $isHoliday) {
echo "No work today!";
}
echo "<br>";
// NOT operator (!)
$isRaining = false;
if (!$isRaining) {
echo "Go outside!";
}
?>Output:
Can drive!
No work today!
Go outside!
🔹 Assignment Operators
Assign and modify variable values:
<?php
$x = 10;
echo "Initial: $x";
echo "<br>";
$x += 5; // Same as: $x = $x + 5
echo "After += 5: $x";
echo "<br>";
$x -= 3; // Same as: $x = $x - 3
echo "After -= 3: $x";
echo "<br>";
$x *= 2; // Same as: $x = $x * 2
echo "After *= 2: $x";
echo "<br>";
$x /= 4; // Same as: $x = $x / 4
echo "After /= 4: $x";
echo "<br>";
$text = "Hello";
$text .= " World"; // String concatenation
echo $text;
?>Output:
Initial: 10
After += 5: 15
After -= 3: 12
After *= 2: 24
After /= 4: 6
Hello World
🔹 Increment/Decrement Operators
Increase or decrease values by one:
<?php
$count = 5;
// Post-increment (use then increase)
echo "Post-increment: " . $count++; // Shows 5
echo "<br>";
echo "After: $count"; // Now 6
echo "<br>";
// Pre-increment (increase then use)
echo "Pre-increment: " . ++$count; // Shows 7
echo "<br>";
// Post-decrement
echo "Post-decrement: " . $count--; // Shows 7
echo "<br>";
echo "After: $count"; // Now 6
echo "<br>";
// Pre-decrement
echo "Pre-decrement: " . --$count; // Shows 5
?>Output:
Post-increment: 5
After: 6
Pre-increment: 7
Post-decrement: 7
After: 6
Pre-decrement: 5
🔹 String Operators
Concatenate strings together:
<?php
$firstName = "John";
$lastName = "Doe";
// Concatenation operator (.)
$fullName = $firstName . " " . $lastName;
echo $fullName;
echo "<br>";
// Concatenation assignment (.=)
$message = "Hello";
$message .= " World";
$message .= "!";
echo $message;
echo "<br>";
// Combining with variables
$age = 25;
echo $firstName . " is " . $age . " years old.";
?>Output:
John Doe
Hello World!
John is 25 years old.