PHP constant is a name or an identifier for a simple value. A constant value cannot be changed during the execution of the script. By default, a constant is case-sensitive. By convention, constant identifiers are always uppercase. The name of a constant begins with a letter or underscore, followed by any number of letters, numbers, or underscores. If you have defined a constant, it can never be changed or undefined.
How to Define a Constant?
PHP Constant() Function
This is useful when you want to retrieve the value of a constant, but you do not know its name, i.e. it is stored in a variable.
Example
<?php define("MINSIZE", 50); echo MINSIZE; echo constant("MINSIZE"); // same thing as the previous line ?>
Difference between Variables & Constants
- There is no need to write a dollar sign ($) before writing a constant, whereas one needs to write a dollar($) sign in a variable.
- Constants can't be defined by simple assignment, they can only be defined by using the define() function.
- Constants may be defined and then accessed anywhere within a program without regarding the variable scoping rules.
- Once a constants have been set, they may not be redefined or undefined.
Valid and Invalid Constant Names
// Valid constant names define("ONE", "first thing"); define("TWO2", "second thing"); define("THREE_3", "third thing"); define("__THREE__", "third value"); // Invalid constant names define("2TWO", "second thing");
PHP Magic Constants
PHP makes available five magic constants that changes depending on where they are used. For example, the value of __LINE__ is dependent on the line it is used on in your script.
This special constants are case-insensitive and are as follows -
Sr.No | Name & Description |
---|---|
1 | __LINE__ The current line number of the file. |
2 | __FILE__ The full path and filename of the file. If used inside an include,the name of the included file is returned. Since PHP 4.0.2, __FILE__ always contains an absolute path whereas in older versions it contained relative path under some circumstances. |
3 | __FUNCTION__ The function name. (Added in PHP 4.3.0) As of PHP 5 this constant returns the function name as it was declared (case-sensitive). In PHP 4 its value is always lowercased. |
4 | __CLASS__ The class name. (Added in PHP 4.3.0) As of PHP 5 this constant returns the class name as it was declared (case-sensitive). In PHP 4 its value is always lowercased. |
5 | __METHOD__ The class method name. (Added in PHP 5.0.0) The method name is returned as it was declared (case-sensitive). |
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