Echo vs. Print: Which Should You Choose in PHP?

Echo vs. Print in PHP

PHP offers two similar functions, echo and print, for outputting data. While they both serve the same basic purpose, there are some subtle differences between them.

Performance:

Echo is slightly faster than print because it doesn't set a return value. However, this difference is negligible in most practical applications.

Expression Support:

Print can be used as part of a more complex expression, as it behaves like a function and returns a value. This allows it to be used in scenarios such as:

$ret = print "Hello World"; // $ret now contains 1

Parameter Handling:

Echo can take multiple parameters without parentheses, which are concatenated before being displayed:

echo "Hello", "World", "!"; // Outputs "HelloWorld!"

Print, on the other hand, can only accept a single parameter:

print "Hello" . "World" . "!"; // Outputs "HelloWorld!"

Precedence:

Print is part of the precedence table in PHP, while echo is not. This means that when print is used within a complex expression, its order of execution is more predictable.

Conclusion:

While both echo and print can effectively output data in PHP, echo is generally preferred due to its slightly faster speed and improved syntax for multiple parameters. Print remains useful in situations where expression support is required.

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