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List of Parser Tokens

Various parts of the PHP language are represented internally by tokens. A code snippet that contains an invalid sequence of tokens may lead to errors like Parse error: syntax error, unexpected token "==", expecting "(" in script.php on line 10." where token == is internally represented by T_IS_EQUAL.

The following table lists all tokens. They are also available as PHP constants.

Note: Usage of T_* constants

T_* constants values are automatically generated based on PHP's underlying parser infrastructure. This means that the concrete value of a token may change between two PHP versions. This means that your code should never rely directly on the original T_* values taken from PHP version X.Y.Z, to provide some compatibility across multiple PHP versions.

To make use of T_* constants across multiple PHP versions, undefined constants may be defined by the user (using big numbers like 10000) with an appropriate strategy that will work with both PHP versions and T_* values.

<?php // Prior to PHP 7.4.0, T_FN is not defined. defined('T_FN') || define('T_FN', 10001);

**Tokens**
Token	Syntax	Reference
`T_ABSTRACT`	abstract	Class Abstraction
`T_AMPERSAND_FOLLOWED_BY_VAR_OR_VARARG`	&	Type declarations (available as of PHP 8.1.0)
`T_AMPERSAND_NOT_FOLLOWED_BY_VAR_OR_VARARG`	&	Type declarations (available as of PHP 8.1.0)
`T_AND_EQUAL`	&=	assignment operators
`T_ARRAY`	array()	array(), array syntax
`T_ARRAY_CAST`	(array)	type-casting
`T_AS`	as	foreach
`T_ATTRIBUTE`	#[	attributes (available as of PHP 8.0.0)
`T_BAD_CHARACTER`		anything below ASCII 32 except \t (0x09), \n (0x0a) and \r (0x0d) (available as of PHP 7.4.0)
`T_BOOLEAN_AND`	&&	logical operators
`T_BOOLEAN_OR`	\|\|	logical operators
`T_BOOL_CAST`	(bool) or (boolean)	type-casting
`T_BREAK`	break	break
`T_CALLABLE`	callable	callable
`T_CASE`	case	switch
`T_CATCH`	catch	Exceptions
`T_CLASS`	class	classes and objects
`T_CLASS_C`	__CLASS__	magic constants
`T_CLONE`	clone	classes and objects
`T_CLOSE_TAG`	?> or %>	escaping from HTML
`T_COALESCE`	??	comparison operators
`T_COALESCE_EQUAL`	??=	assignment operators (available as of PHP 7.4.0)
`T_COMMENT`	// or #, and /* */	comments
`T_CONCAT_EQUAL`	.=	assignment operators
`T_CONST`	const	class constants
`T_CONSTANT_ENCAPSED_STRING`	"foo" or 'bar'	string syntax
`T_CONTINUE`	continue	continue
`T_CURLY_OPEN`	{$	complex variable parsed syntax
`T_DEC`	--	incrementing/decrementing operators
`T_DECLARE`	declare	declare
`T_DEFAULT`	default	switch
`T_DIR`	__DIR__	magic constants
`T_DIV_EQUAL`	/=	assignment operators
`T_DNUMBER`	0.12, etc.	floating point numbers
`T_DO`	do	do..while
`T_DOC_COMMENT`	/** */	PHPDoc style comments
`T_DOLLAR_OPEN_CURLY_BRACES`	${	complex variable parsed syntax
`T_DOUBLE_ARROW`	=>	array syntax
`T_DOUBLE_CAST`	(real), (double) or (float)	type-casting
`T_DOUBLE_COLON`	::	see `T_PAAMAYIM_NEKUDOTAYIM` below
`T_ECHO`	echo	echo
`T_ELLIPSIS`	...	function arguments
`T_ELSE`	else	else
`T_ELSEIF`	elseif	elseif
`T_EMPTY`	empty	empty()
`T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE`	" $a"	constant part of string with variables
`T_ENDDECLARE`	enddeclare	declare, alternative syntax
`T_ENDFOR`	endfor	for, alternative syntax
`T_ENDFOREACH`	endforeach	foreach, alternative syntax
`T_ENDIF`	endif	if, alternative syntax
`T_ENDSWITCH`	endswitch	switch, alternative syntax
`T_ENDWHILE`	endwhile	while, alternative syntax
`T_ENUM`	enum	Enumerations (available as of PHP 8.1.0)
`T_END_HEREDOC`		heredoc syntax
`T_EVAL`	eval()	eval()
`T_EXIT`	exit or die	exit(), die()
`T_EXTENDS`	extends	extends, classes and objects
`T_FILE`	__FILE__	magic constants
`T_FINAL`	final	Final Keyword
`T_FINALLY`	finally	Exceptions
`T_FN`	fn	arrow functions (available as of PHP 7.4.0)
`T_FOR`	for	for
`T_FOREACH`	foreach	foreach
`T_FUNCTION`	function	functions
`T_FUNC_C`	__FUNCTION__	magic constants
`T_GLOBAL`	global	variable scope
`T_GOTO`	goto	goto
`T_HALT_COMPILER`	__halt_compiler()	__halt_compiler
`T_IF`	if	if
`T_IMPLEMENTS`	implements	Object Interfaces
`T_INC`	++	incrementing/decrementing operators
`T_INCLUDE`	include	include
`T_INCLUDE_ONCE`	include_once	include_once
`T_INLINE_HTML`		text outside PHP
`T_INSTANCEOF`	instanceof	type operators
`T_INSTEADOF`	insteadof	Traits
`T_INTERFACE`	interface	Object Interfaces
`T_INT_CAST`	(int) or (integer)	type-casting
`T_ISSET`	isset()	isset()
`T_IS_EQUAL`	==	comparison operators
`T_IS_GREATER_OR_EQUAL`	>=	comparison operators
`T_IS_IDENTICAL`	===	comparison operators
`T_IS_NOT_EQUAL`	!= or <>	comparison operators
`T_IS_NOT_IDENTICAL`	!==	comparison operators
`T_IS_SMALLER_OR_EQUAL`	<=	comparison operators
`T_LINE`	__LINE__	magic constants
`T_LIST`	list()	list()
`T_LNUMBER`	123, 012, 0x1ac, etc.	integers
`T_LOGICAL_AND`	and	logical operators
`T_LOGICAL_OR`	or	logical operators
`T_LOGICAL_XOR`	xor	logical operators
`T_MATCH`	match	match (available as of PHP 8.0.0)
`T_METHOD_C`	__METHOD__	magic constants
`T_MINUS_EQUAL`	-=	assignment operators
`T_MOD_EQUAL`	%=	assignment operators
`T_MUL_EQUAL`	*=	assignment operators
`T_NAMESPACE`	namespace	namespaces
`T_NAME_FULLY_QUALIFIED`	\App\Namespace	namespaces (available as of PHP 8.0.0)
`T_NAME_QUALIFIED`	App\Namespace	namespaces (available as of PHP 8.0.0)
`T_NAME_RELATIVE`	namespace\Namespace	namespaces (available as of PHP 8.0.0)
`T_NEW`	new	classes and objects
`T_NS_C`	__NAMESPACE__	namespaces
`T_NS_SEPARATOR`	\	namespaces
`T_NUM_STRING`	"$a[0]"	numeric array index inside string
`T_OBJECT_CAST`	(object)	type-casting
`T_OBJECT_OPERATOR`	->	classes and objects
`T_NULLSAFE_OBJECT_OPERATOR`	?->	classes and objects
`T_OPEN_TAG`	<?php, <? or <%	escaping from HTML
`T_OPEN_TAG_WITH_ECHO`	<?= or <%=	escaping from HTML
`T_OR_EQUAL`	\|=	assignment operators
`T_PAAMAYIM_NEKUDOTAYIM`	::	::. Also defined as `T_DOUBLE_COLON`.
`T_PLUS_EQUAL`	+=	assignment operators
`T_POW`	**	arithmetic operators
`T_POW_EQUAL`	**=	assignment operators
`T_PRINT`	print	print
`T_PRIVATE`	private	classes and objects
`T_PROTECTED`	protected	classes and objects
`T_PUBLIC`	public	classes and objects
`T_READONLY`	readonly	classes and objects (available as of PHP 8.1.0)
`T_REQUIRE`	require	require
`T_REQUIRE_ONCE`	require_once	require_once
`T_RETURN`	return	returning values
`T_SL`	<<	bitwise operators
`T_SL_EQUAL`	<<=	assignment operators
`T_SPACESHIP`	<=>	comparison operators
`T_SR`	>>	bitwise operators
`T_SR_EQUAL`	>>=	assignment operators
`T_START_HEREDOC`	<<<	heredoc syntax
`T_STATIC`	static	variable scope
`T_STRING`	parent, self, etc.	identifiers, e.g. keywords like `parent` and `self`, function names, class names and more are matched. See also `T_CONSTANT_ENCAPSED_STRING`.
`T_STRING_CAST`	(string)	type-casting
`T_STRING_VARNAME`	"${a	complex variable parsed syntax
`T_SWITCH`	switch	switch
`T_THROW`	throw	Exceptions
`T_TRAIT`	trait	Traits
`T_TRAIT_C`	__TRAIT__	__TRAIT__
`T_TRY`	try	Exceptions
`T_UNSET`	unset()	unset()
`T_UNSET_CAST`	(unset)	type-casting
`T_USE`	use	namespaces
`T_VAR`	var	classes and objects
`T_VARIABLE`	$foo	variables
`T_WHILE`	while	while, do..while
`T_WHITESPACE`	\t \r\n
`T_XOR_EQUAL`	^=	assignment operators
`T_YIELD`	yield	generators
`T_YIELD_FROM`	yield from	generators

User Contributed Notes 2 notes

down

nathan at unfinitydesign dot com ¶

16 years ago


T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE is whitespace which intersects a group of tokens. For example, an "unexpected T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE" error is produced by the following code:



<?php

$main_output_world = 'snakes!';

echo('There are' 10 $main_output_world);

?>



Note the missing concatenation operator between the two strings leads to the whitespace error that is so named above. The concatenation operator instructs PHP to ignore the whitespace between the two code tokens (the so named "encapsed" data"), rather than parse it as a token itself.



The correct code would be:



<?php

$main_output_world = 'snakes!';

echo('There are' . 10 . $main_output_world);

?>



Note the addition of the concatenation operator between each token.

down

-2

fgm at osinet dot fr ¶

16 years ago


T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACED is returned when parsing strings with evaluated content, like "some $value" or this example from the Strings reference page:

<?php
echo <<<EOT
My name is "$name". I am printing some $foo->foo.
Now, I am printing some {$foo->bar[1]}.
This should print a capital 'A': \x41
EOT;
?>

This last example is tokenized as:
T_ECHO 
  echo
T_WHITESPACE 
  %20 (a space character)
T_START_HEREDOC 
  << 
T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE 
  My name is "
T_VARIABLE
  $name
T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE    
  ". I am printing some 
T_VARIABLE    
  $foo
T_OBJECT_OPERATOR    
  ->
T_STRING    
  foo
T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE    
  . Now, I am printing some 
T_CURLY_OPEN    
  {
T_VARIABLE    
  $foo
T_OBJECT_OPERATOR    
  ->
T_STRING    
  bar
(terminal)
  [
T_LNUMBER    
  1
(terminal)
  ]
(terminal)
  }
T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE    
  . This should print a capital 'A': \x41
T_END_HEREDOC
  EOT
(terminal)
  ;

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