Structuring of PHP and HTML code [closed] - php

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I'm fairly new to PHP and have a few questions.
What I'm not sure of is how I should structure or implement PHP code into the HTML.
So far, I have structured the coding in two different ways, either echoing out the HTML or keep the PHP as minimal as possible.
What of the two following examples would you prefer? I guess most would answer code number one, but why? Is it because of the abillity to read the HTML syntax highlights?
As you can see in code number one I have to type the PHP start and end tags for just ending the foreach function, which is a bit annoying when the code starts to get really big. Looks like the code is full of start and end PHP tags for the smallest operation.
How do you structure your code?
Code example 1:
<table border="5">
<?php
foreach ($a3 as $nokkel => $verdi){
?>
<tr>
<td><?php echo $nokkel; ?></td>
<td><?php echo $verdi['selskap']; ?></td>
<td><?php echo $verdi['siste']; ?></td>
</tr>
<?php } ?>
</table>
Code example 2:
<table border="5">
<?php
foreach ($a3 as $nokkel => $verdi){
echo "<tr>";
echo "<td>$nokkel</td>";
echo "<td>$verdi['selskap']</td>";
echo "<td>$verdi['siste']</td>";
echo "</tr>";
}
?>
</table>

Answer 1

Both examples are good. But i usually prefer example 2.
But in minimal coding like this ( No need to echo again and again ):
<table border="5">
<?php
foreach ($a3 as $nokkel => $verdi){
echo '<tr>
<td>'.$nokkel.'</td>
<td>'.$verdi['selskap'].'</td>
<td>'.$verdi['siste'].'</td>
</tr>';
}
?>
</table>

Answer 2

It depends on how much HTML content and PHP variables, you have on the page.
Considering your example, it's a simple table, with just values to be displayed. <%= $some_value %> vs echo "$some_value" isn't much of a difference.
But incase of complex HTML pages, where there's a lot of content, I believe the Example 1, is going to come in handy. Embedding PHP here and there instead of echoing the content, is more convenient, readable and future editable.

Answer 3

This question and the answers will be highly opinionated, since you're asking what people prefer.
However, I'd like to point out that php does support a different syntax than the one you're using, namely foreach:/endforeach if/endif, etc. This way, your example
<table border="5">
<?php
foreach ($a3 as $nokkel => $verdi){
?>
<tr>
<td><?php echo $nokkel; ?></td>
<td><?php echo $verdi['selskap']; ?></td>
<td><?php echo $verdi['siste']; ?></td>
</tr>
<?php } ?>
</table>
could be better written like this:
<table border="5">
<?php foreach ($a3 as $nokkel => $verdi): ?>
<tr>
<td><?php echo $nokkel; ?></td>
<td><?php echo $verdi['selskap']; ?></td>
<td><?php echo $verdi['siste']; ?></td>
</tr>
<?php endforeach; ?>
</table>
This has several added benefits:
it's more compact (wastes fewer lines)
it's easier to follow several block levels (think if's inside if's inside foreach's)
it's easier to read
you keep indentation in your code. This is important, since with your echo suggestion, you quickly lose a good overview of which html indentation level you are on.
Syntax highlighting will still be applied in all your examples if you have a decent IDE, so that shouldn't be a major concern.
Edit: Added a link to the php manual for the alternate control syntax.
Edit 2: Since we're into the topic of alternate syntaxes, you can also utilize the "short echo" syntax to further reduce the verbosity of your code, by changing your <?php echo to <?=. Short echo is always available if you're using php version 5.4 or later (which you should most definitely do if you're starting to learn or use php now).
Using this, your code could be further refactored into this:
<table border="5">
<?php foreach ($a3 as $nokkel => $verdi): ?>
<tr>
<td><?= $nokkel; ?></td>
<td><?= $verdi['selskap']; ?></td>
<td><?= $verdi['siste']; ?></td>
</tr>
<?php endforeach; ?>
</table>

Answer 4

The two examples are okay and it really depends on the developer which one he/she thinks has better readability. But whatever you choose, there are always trade offs like for example:
for example 1, you still have to type lots of php starting and ending tags. While for example 2, you still have to write php tags once though with every html tags must be inside an echo. But for me, Option 1 has more readability for me than the second one so I choose option 1.

Answer 5

Generally when following the Model-View-Controller pattern, which is often done in web applications now-a-days, developers try to keep as much logic as possible outside the HTML generation.
That's why most web development frameworks use a template engine, which lead to code much closer to your first example. Aside from the advantages you and the others mentioned such as clearer syntax, one big advantage is that these engines make sure that the output is cleanly escaped. In pure PHP you have to remember to use htmlspecialchars making the code even longer - and if you forget it can result in dangerous security holes.
So my advice is: Don't use either syntax. Instead look for a template engine to use instead.