Comments in PHP with Examples

In PHP, comments are used to insert notes into the code that can be read by humans but are disregarded by the PHP interpreter. For the benefit of other programmers, comments can help clarify the intent and functionality of the code, making it simpler to understand and maintain.

PHP scripts can be described using comments. Comments also aid in later debugging of the PHP script.

Types of Comments in PHP

Following are the two types of comments provided by the PHP language.

• Single-line comments
• Multi-line comments

Single-line comments in PHP

Single-line comments are one line long. They begin with two forward slashes (//) and go on until the end of the line. For instance:

// It's a single-line comment in PHP.
// This is another single-line comment in PHP.

Multi-line comments in PHP

Multi-line comments begin with /* and end with */. Between these two symbols, everything is regarded as a comment. For instance:

/* It's
a multi-line comment
in PHP.
*/

/*
This is another 
multi-line comment 
in PHP.
*/

PHP comment examples

The following example uses the comments to describe the PHP codes.

<?php 
   /* The following line of PHP code
      prints the text "Hello there 1"
   */
   echo "Hello there 1";

   // The following line of code breaks the line
   echo "<BR>";

   /*
   The following line of code
   does the same job of printing
   the text "Hello there 2"
   on the output
   */
   print "Hello there 2";
?>

Hello there
Hello there

Advantages of comments in PHP

• PHP comments can aid other programmers in understanding the code and its function. It is simpler to maintain and update code that is self-explanatory, and adding comments can make the code more approachable to others.
• Debugging: When debugging code, comments can be helpful. Programmers can more quickly find and fix problematic code by commenting out the lines that are causing problems.
• Comments can aid in team collaboration when writing code. Multiple programmers can collaborate on the same codebase without causing conflicts or misunderstandings by leaving notes and explanations in the comments.

Disadvantages of comments in PHP

• Code Clutter: Comments, especially when used excessively, can add clutter to code. Too many comments can make the code difficult to read and comprehend.
• Outdated Comments: If comments are not updated in tandem with the code, they will become obsolete. This is especially true if the comments are inaccurate or misleading.
• Writing comments is time-consuming and can slow down the coding process. To save time, programmers may be tempted to skip adding comments, but this can lead to problems later on.

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