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PHP Build a Simple PHP Application Adding a Contact Form Working with Get Variables

Posted by Emy Ng
Emy Ng
8,035 Points

Why use <?php ?> in between the codes so many times, why not used it only one time?

<h1>Contact</h1>

        <?php if (isset($_GET["status"]) AND $_GET[status] == "thanks") { ?>
            <p>Thanks for the email! I&rsquo;ll be in touch shortly</p>
        <?php } else { ?>

            <p>I&rsquo;d love to hear from you! Complete the form to send an email.</p>

            <form method="post">

                <table>
                    <tr>
                        <th>
                            <label for="name">Name</label>
                        </th>
                        <td>
                            <input type="text" name="name" id="name">
                        </td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr>
                        <th>
                            <label for="email">Email</label>
                        </th>
                        <td>
                            <input type="text" name="email" id="email">
                        </td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr>
                        <th>
                            <label for="Message">Message</label>
                        </th>
                        <td>
                            <textarea name="message" id="message"></textarea>
                        </td>
                    </tr>
                </table>
                <input type="submit" value="send">

            </form>

        <?php } ?>
Emy Ng
Emy Ng
8,035 Points

For more info there is a video after this stage that explains it http://teamtreehouse.com/library/build-a-simple-php-application/listing-inventory-items/mingling-php-and-html

3 Answers

Ash Anderson
Ash Anderson
3,184 Points

This allows you to switch back and forth between HTML and PHP easily. If you didn't keep dropping in and out of PHP (<?php ?>) then you'd have to start echoing out all of those pieces of HTML like so:

echo '<table>';
echo '<tr>';
echo '<th>';

Sure, you could group all of that together in one echo to make it easier to write, but for edibility at a later date I'd definitely recommend like you have it above. Drop in and out of PHP as necessary.

Chris Southam
Chris Southam
1,823 Points
Chris Southam
Chris Southam
1,823 Points

Interestingly you've actually asked a very important question. Once you've completely your initial PHP learning and continue, you'll most likely switch across to using a templating language which will strip out all your PHP code from your HTML (known as a 'view') and replace it with something like, depending on the template language, {{$message}}.

James Andrews
James Andrews
7,245 Points
James Andrews
James Andrews
7,245 Points

While Ash Anderson is generally correct let me expand on the answer.

echo "something";

is shorthand for

s short for 

echo("something");

echo is a function and every time you call a function it costs you system resources. Either CPU time or Memory or both. This makes your PHP run very slowly.

<?php if($something): ?>
i want to say something here 
<?php endif; ?>

is less resource intensive than doing this.

<?php if($something): 
echo "i want to say something here"; endif; ?>

It is also valuable because if you don't use a template system like twig or smarty it allows a non php programmer (ie a front end HTML programmer) to go in and change HTML code without having to worry about breaking php syntax.

James Andrews
James Andrews
7,245 Points

ignore me fixed it up there.