PHP Operators – Master Arithmetic, Logic, and Advanced Operations

Introduction – Why Learn PHP Operators?

Operators in PHP are essential for performing calculations, comparisons, assignments, logic checks, and more. Whether you’re building a calculator, validating conditions, or merging arrays, operators are the building blocks of dynamic logic.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to:

• Use arithmetic, logical, and comparison operators
• Work with strings, arrays, and ternary conditions
• Master PHP-specific operators like null coalescing and spaceship

Topics Covered

PHP Arithmetic Operators

PHP Comparison Operators

PHP Logical Operators

PHP Assignment Operators

PHP String Operators

$a = "Hello ";
$b = "World";
echo $a . $b; // Hello World

$a .= $b;
echo $a; // Hello World

Use . for concatenation and .= to append strings.

PHP Array Operators

❔ PHP Conditional (Ternary) Operator

$result = ($age >= 18) ? "Adult" : "Minor";

Shorthand for if...else statements.

PHP Spread Operator (PHP 7.4+)

$fruits = ['apple', ...['banana', 'orange']];

Expands arrays into argument lists or merges arrays cleanly.

PHP Null Coalescing Operator

$username = $_GET['user'] ?? 'Guest';

Returns the first defined value (non-null).

PHP Spaceship Operator

echo 5 <=> 10; // -1
echo 10 <=> 10; // 0
echo 15 <=> 10; // 1

Returns -1, 0, or 1 for sorting purposes.

PHP Integer Division

echo intdiv(10, 3); // 3

Use intdiv() for clean integer-only division.

Best Practices for Using PHP Operators

Summary – Recap & Next Steps

Operators are the core logic tools in PHP, enabling developers to build expressions, perform calculations, make decisions, and manipulate strings/arrays.

Key Takeaways:

• Arithmetic, comparison, and logical operators are foundational
• Use modern PHP operators like ??, <=>, and intdiv()
• Understand the difference between == and ===
• Combine operators with good syntax practices

Real-World Relevance:
Used in conditional logic, form handling, APIs, backend processing, data manipulation, and more.

Next Up: Dive into PHP Control Structures – if, switch, loops, and flow logic.

FAQs – PHP Operators

What is the difference between == and === in PHP?
== checks for value equality, === checks for both value and data type.

When should I use the null coalescing operator ???
Use ?? to provide fallback/default values when a variable might be undefined or null.

What does the spaceship operator <=> do?
It performs a three-way comparison and is commonly used in sorting functions.

How does PHP handle type juggling with operators?
PHP automatically converts types in expressions—this is known as type juggling. Use strict typing (===) to avoid unexpected behavior.

Can I spread an associative array using ...?
No. The spread operator works with indexed arrays only.