3 Ways to Make Comments in PHP: Best Practices for Readable Code

Introduction

Implementing comments in PHP scripts is crucial for code readability and maintenance. This guide will explore various methods to annotate your code effectively in PHP.

Single Line Commenting

Single-line comments are ideal for short explanations or notes about a specific code segment. They are indicated by two forward slashes (//) at the beginning:

• Identify the line that needs a comment.
• Type // followed by your comment text.

Example:

// This is a single line comment in PHP
print "Hello World!";

Single line comments have no performance impact since they are not executed by the PHP parser.

Advantages: Quick and easy way to document the purpose of a line or block of code.

Limitations: Not suitable for lengthy descriptions.

Multi-line Commenting

For extensive explanations that span multiple lines, the multi-line comment syntax is used in PHP. It starts with /* and ends with */. Below are the detailed steps to follow:

1. Identify the start of the block that requires a comment.
2. Begin your comment with /*.
3. Write your comment text.
4. End your comment with */.

Example:

/*
    This is a multi-line comment in PHP
     You can write over several lines.
*/
print "Hello World!";

As with single line comments, multi-line comments are ignored by the PHP parser and do not affect performance.

Advantages: Suitable for longer comments which can explain complex logic or sections of code.

Limitations: Can make the code look cluttered if overused.

Documenting Using PHPDoc

PHPDoc comments provide a standardized way for documenting PHP code structures such as classes, methods, properties, and more. PHPDoc uses an asterisk (*) to signify each line of the comment block.

• Place the PHPDoc block above the code entity you want to document.
• Start the block with /** and end it with */.
• Include descriptive annotations within the block.

Example:

/**
 * Calculates the sum of two numbers.
 *
 * @param int $a The first number.
 * @param int $b The second number.
 * @return int Returns the sum of $a and $b.
 */
function add($a, $b) {
    return $a + $b;
}

PHPDoc comments, like other comment types, do not affect the runtime performance of PHP applications.

Advantages: Enhances code understanding, particularly for OOP, and aids tools like IDEs for auto-completion and documentation generators.

Limitations: Takes additional time to write and maintain compared to simpler comment types.

Conclusion

In summary, commenting in PHP is essential for maintaining readability and understanding intricate codebases. Each method—single line, multi-line, and PHPDoc—has its ideal use cases, and developers are encouraged to use a combination of these to create self-explanatory and maintainable code structures.