pHTML

pHTML stands for "PHP HTML" and refers to code that embeds PHP script directly within HTML. This approach allows for dynamic content generation on web pages. PHP code, enclosed within specific delimiters such as <?php ... ?> or <?= ... ?>, is processed by a PHP interpreter on the server before the HTML is sent to the user's browser. This means that the browser only ever receives standard HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and never sees the underlying PHP code.

The primary function of pHTML is to create web pages that can change their content based on various factors. These factors can include user input, data retrieved from a database, the current date and time, or information stored in session variables. By embedding PHP, developers can perform actions like looping through data to display lists, conditionally showing or hiding sections of a page, or processing form submissions.

While pHTML is a common and straightforward method for integrating server-side logic with web presentation, it's important to note that modern web development often favors more structured approaches. Frameworks like Laravel, Symfony, or CodeIgniter provide more robust and organized ways to build web applications, often separating logic from presentation through templating engines and Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural patterns. However, understanding pHTML remains fundamental for comprehending how dynamic web pages are constructed and for working with many existing web projects.