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Functions In PHP

In this article, we will discuss functions in PHP.

Software Requirement

Before you start reading this tutorial you should make sure that: -

XAMPP is installed on your machine
Any text editor like Notepad

Technical Knowledge

To understand this article, you should know how to create a basic program in PHP.

What Are The Functions Of PHP?

A function in PHP (or in any other programming language) is a group of statements that perform a task. The group of statements once written can be reused in many places.

Syntax

function function_name(parameters separated by comma) {
 // Code
}

Example

Consider an example of a function that displays a message.

<?php
function Message()
{
    echo ("Hello");
}

Message();
?>

Once you execute the above code, you could see the string "Hello" on the screen.

Function With Arguments

In the previous example, we created a function without passing a parameter. Now, let us pass a parameter in the function. So, the code will be written as: -

<?php
function Message($name)
{
    echo ("Hello " . $name);
}

Message("Gyan");
?>

Once you run the code, you can see the string "Hello Gyan" on the screen.

Default Argument In PHP

We can also pass the default value to the parameter at the time of creating the function instead of passing the value at the time of the call. So, the above code can be rewritten as: -

<?php
function Message($name = "Gyan")
{
    echo ("Hello " . $name);
}

Message();
?>

This code will also display ‘Hello Gyan’. But in the code above we are passing the default value of the parameter.

Return Values In PHP

In the previous examples we were calling the functions but not returning any value from them. We can also return value from the function by using the "return" keyword.

<?php
function Sum($num1, $num2)
{
    return $num1 + $num2;
}

echo (Sum(1, 2));
?>

In the code above we are passing 2 input parameters in the function and the function is returning the value "3".

Posted By -	Karan Gupta

Posted On -	Saturday, November 1, 2014

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