PHP Syntax

This might be helpful:

http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.basic-syntax.phptags.php

Thank you for that reply, but I'm wondering more about the {?> part. Why the curly brackets and why does the code continue like <?php } ?> or something like that.

I see what you're saying -

when the php conditionalsi are split between different php tags on different lines?

<?php  if (true) {  ?>
Do This
<?php } else { ?>
Do this
<?php  } ?>

Yes, that part. But you can have echo statements that don't say "if, true or else".

<?php foreach($products as $product) { //here

            echo "<li>";

            echo '<a href="#">';

            echo '<img src="' . $product["img"] . '" alt="' . $product["name"] . '">';

            echo "<p>View Details</p>";

            echo "</a>";

            echo "</li>";

        } //here
        ?>

Such as in some coding for the track, "Build a simple PHP application".

I'm with you!

Both are absolutely valid methods, but there is always a 'better way'. Considering DRY (don't repeat yourself) Is it more or less work to write echo for every line ;)

I've not been going a long time with PHP but they way I figure it - whatever works best for you!

If your html outweighs your php, then it's probably simpler to put a closing php tag when you open the initial statement, write the html with intermittent php. Then close the loop in php tags at the end.

<?php foreach ($products as $product) { ?>
Loads of html
<?php echo "php splash" ?>
loads of html
<?php } ?>

If you have a lot of php going on, you may be better off echoing out statements of html - i.e. if this is simpler than writing lots of opening and closing php tags.

<?php foreach ($products as $product) {
//php;
//more php;
//wow there's a lot of php;
echo "a piece of html";
 }

Both ways would achieve the same result :)

The php will only stop running at an 'end' ('die' etc...) statement . not when it hits the end of a php closing tag, which is why you can split the curly braces between different php tags. Handy eh!