PHP for loops execute a block of code a specified number of times.
The PHP for Loop
The for loop is used when you know in advance how many times the script should run.
Syntax
for (init counter; test counter; increment counter) {
code to be executed;
}
Parameters:
- init counter: Initialize the loop counter value
- test counter: Evaluated for each loop iteration. If it evaluates to TRUE, the loop continues. If it evaluates to FALSE, the loop ends.
- increment counter: Increases the loop counter value
The example below displays the numbers from 0 to 10:
Example
<?php
for ($x = 0; $x <= 10; $x++) {
echo "The number is: $x <br>";
}
?>
The PHP foreach Loop
The foreach loop works only on arrays, and is used to loop through each key/value pair in an array.
Syntax
foreach ($array as $value) {
code to be executed;
}
For every loop iteration, the value of the current array element is assigned to $value and the array pointer is moved by one, until it reaches the last array element.
The following example demonstrates a loop that will output the values of the given array ($colors):
Example
<?php
$colors = array("red", "green", "blue", "yellow");
foreach ($colors as $value) {
echo "$value <br>";
}
?>
You will learn more about arrays in a later chapter.
