Programming Syntax
Syntax is the way a command can be written and a description of what is allowed and what is not allowed.
Here I will use the standard syntax layout unless I have a good reason to do otherwise with italics indicating something that the user customizes and square bracket indicating something that is optional. For instance the PHP if command syntax:
if (test) {
[statements;]
}
indicates that you start by typing if (. Then you type whatever condition you want to be evaluated. Then you type ) { then it is optional to place one or more statements here. Then you finish the if statement with a }.
Here is a table of common PHP commands:
| addition | $x+$y |
| subtraction | $x-$y |
| multiplication | $x*$y |
| division | $x/$y |
| modulus | $x%$y |
| exponentiation | pow($x,$y) |
| absolute value | abs($x) |
| round up | ceil($x) |
| round down | floor($x) |
| round to digits | round($x[, $digits] |
| cosine | cos($x) |
| sine | sin($x) |
| tangent | tan($x) |
| logarithm | log($x[, $base]) |
| minimum | min($x[,$y,...]) |
| maximum | max($x[,$y,...]) |
| random number | rand([$min,$max]) |
| square root | sqrt($x) |
| if statement | if (test) {statements;} [else[if (test)] {statements;}] |
| print statement | print string; |
| variables | $x=number,string,array, or other type of variable |
| arrays (brackets are literal) | $i[position] |
| strings | "string" or 'string' |
There are many more PHP commands. Many books have been written about PHP and the on-line documentation is very good and includes all the commands.