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Compare define() vs const in PHP
As we know both define() and const are used to declare a constant in PHP script.
Syntax
<?php
const VAR = 'FOO'
define('VAR', 'FOO');
?>Let's discuss the difference between these two.
- The basic difference between these two is that const defines constants at compile time, whereas define() defines them at run time.
- We can't use the const keyword to declare constant in conditional blocks, while with define() we can achieve that.
<?php if(){ const VAR = 'FOO'; // invalid } if(){ define('VAR', 'FOO'); //valid } ?>- const accepts a static scalar(number, string or other constants like true, false, null, __FILE__), whereas define() takes any expression.
consts are always case sensitive, whereas define() allows you to define case insensitive constants by passing true as the third argument.
- const can also be utilized within a class or interface to declare a class constant or interface constant, while define() can't be utilized for this reason
<?php class abc{ const VAR = 2; // valid echo VAR; // valid } // but class xyz{ define('XUV', 2); // invalid echo XUV;// invalid } ?>- The above example shows that we can declare constant inside the class with the const keyword but define() can't be used for declaring constant inside a class.
Updated on: 31-Dec-2019
4K+ Views
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