Chapter 2. Variables

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In the last chapter you used PHP to send simple text and HTML code to a Web browser ”in other words, something for which you don't need PHP at all! Don't worry, though, as this book will teach you how to use the print() statement in conjunction with other PHP features to do truly useful things with your Web site.

In order to make the leap from creating simple, static pages to dynamic Web applications and interactive Web sites, you need to be able to handle data, for starters. What you will use to accomplish this are variables. Variables are an important concept and an essential tool for PHP, as well as JavaScript, Java, Perl, or any other programming language.

Variables allow you to temporarily store and manipulate data. They give any programming language its true power. Understanding what a variable is, the types of variables that a language supports, and how to use variables is critical to your work. This chapter will discuss the fundamentals of variables used by PHP, while Chapters 4 through 6 will cover what you can specifically do with the different types of variables.

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