What is this php code doing ?

[pwired]

Hi,

I found this code inside a template of a webshop.

what is this php code doing ?

<?php }?>

There is no echo and no print so what is this } character doing there.

I´m sure there is a good reason but my php skills lack to know the right answer.

[apeisa]

It's ugly stuff that probably ends some if { from earlier.

[thetuningspoon]

This is common when going in and out of php while coding. When doing this you can avoid having to use echo/print. For example:

<?php
if($foo = $bar) {
?>
  <p>Show this text and this <?= $variable ?>.</p>
<?php
}
else {
?>
  <p>Show this text instead with this <?= $otherVariable ?>.</p>
<?php
}
?>

I like to keep my open and close php tags on separate lines to keep them out of the way so they don't mess with my indentation. But you'll see here that the same <?php } ?> tag appears at the bottom to close out the if/else statement.

I prefer to code this way because it puts the markup (html) first rather than the php. And you can avoid having to put all of your html in quotes and using escape characters or single quotes where you have conflicting quotes in your html. Plus indentation is easier, and is preserved when you view source later on. I use the shortened <? tag instead of <?php to make it even cleaner (although I've heard some servers don't like that-- I haven't run into any issues yet).

[apeisa]

I think most of us do that, at least sometimes. But there are no things in coding I hate more than trying to figure out where does lonely } starts. Well, there is. Add few more ifs inside each others, and the soup is ready.

When you have huge chunks of html, maybe few intended ifs and then some lonely <?php } ?> or <?php endif; ?>, you are far from readable and easily manageable code.

So my preference is actually: you should have so little logic on your markup generation, that echoing the parts that go inside ifs is good (usually oneliners). When having bigger chunks, then you should have other means: using functions, includes, some object or moving more logic to controller (or using actual controller).

// with little html, echoing is much cleaner (imo)
if($foo == $bar) {
  echo "<p>Show this text and this $variable</p>";
} else {
  echo "<p>Show this text instead with this $otherVariable</p>";
}

// functions
if($foo == $bar) {
  echo renderStuff1();
} else {
  echo renderStuff2();
}

// includes
if($foo == $bar) {
  include(./markup/stuff1.inc);
} else {
  include(./markup/stuff2.inc);
}

// object
$markup = new Markup();
if($foo == $bar) {
  echo $markup->stuff1();
} else {
  echo $markup->stuff2();
}

[pwired]

Thanks for the replies, I learned a next step into php.

[bwakad]

This is probably why I go over my (same) code every day. Just to make the same with less code as possible.

In some parts of my code I prefer switch(). More easy to read then IF and no need to use {} to much.

But depends on what I want of course.