meet it

Lines run in order, one after another.

A program can have lots of lines. PHP runs them in order, top to bottom, like ticking off a shopping list. Everything your program shows on the screen is called its .

echo does not start a new line by itself. Leave out the \n and the next echo carries on from the same spot, so your words squash together.

A string with only \n inside, like echo "\n";, makes a blank line. It is handy for spacing things out.

<?php
echo "Ready\n";
echo "Steady\n";
echo "\n";
echo "Go!\n";

End every string you echo with \n and your output stays tidy.

guess first

One line has no `\n`. How will it look?

Guess before you run it. Wrong guesses are how you learn, and nothing is marked.

<?php
echo "Fish\n";
echo "and";
echo "chips\n";

your turn

Your turn. Write a knock knock joke.

Type who is at the door in the blanks on lines 4 and 5, the same both times. Put your punchline on line 6, then press run and enjoy your output.

Your code

press run to see what happens

fix it

The poem is all squashed. Can you fix it?

Broken code to fix

press run to see what happens

Run it and look at the output. Why does blue end up on the same line as red?
echo only moves to a new line when it meets \n. Which string is missing one?
Add \n after red, inside the quotes on line 2, then press run.

nailed it

you made the computer tell a joke. :D

Lines run in order, from top to bottom.
echo only starts a new line when you add \n.
echo "\n"; on its own makes a blank line.

new words in your collection

output

This lesson isn’t saved. A free account remembers every lesson you finish.

Lines run in order, one after another.

One line has no \n. How will it look?

Your turn. Write a knock knock joke.

The poem is all squashed. Can you fix it?

you made the computer tell a joke. :D

One line has no `\n`. How will it look?