Syntax error Difference Between For and Foreach in PHP

Difference Between For and Foreach in PHP



In this post, we will understand the differences between 'for' and 'foreach' loops in PHP −

The 'for' loop

It is an iterative loop that repeats a set of code till a specified condition is reached. It is used to execute a set of code for a specific number of times. Here, the number of times is the iterator variable.

Syntax:

for( initialization; condition; increment/decrement ) {
   // code to iterate and execute
}
  • Initialization: It is used to initialize the iterator variables. It also helps execute them one at a time without running the conditional statement at the beginning of the loop's condition.
  • Condition: This statement is executed and if the condition returns a True value, the loop continues and the statements within it are executed. If the condition gives a False value, the execution comes out of the loop.
  • Increment: It increments/increases the counter in the loop. It is executed at the end of every iteration without a break.
  • It doesn't hide the iteration.
  • It is complex in comparison to 'foreach' loop.
  • It takes more time to execute in comparison to 'foreach' loop.

Let us see an example −

<?php
for($i = 1; $i <= 2; $i++) {
   echo $i . " Hi 
"; } ?>

The 'foreach' loop

  • It iterates over the elements of the array data structure.
  • It hides the iteration.
  • It is simple.
  • It performs better in comparison to 'for' loop.
  • It takes less time for the iteration.

Syntax:

foreach( $array as $element ) {
   // PHP Code to execute
}
foreach( $array as $key => $element) {
   // PHP Code to execute
}

Example

<?php
$peop = array( "Will", "Jane", "Harold" );
foreach( $ peop as $element ) {
   echo $element . "<br>";
}
?>

Output

Will
Jane
Harold

Conclusion

In this post, we understood about the significant differences between the 'for' and 'foreach' loop in PHP.

Updated on: 2021-03-02T05:08:19+05:30

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