What is PHP 7? List some features of PHP7 ?

Why PHP7

PHP7 is the latest version of popular PHP programming language that is considered to be the most sought-after versions till date. Released in December 2015, it is breakthrough in the world of programing language as it offers interesting features, fast performance, less deprecated functions, etc. More than 80% web developers rely on PHP language for their websites which reflects the fact that it is the most popular programing language. The advent of the latest version has been extremely crucial for web developers as it offers several benefits to them-

• Reduced memory consumption- As compared with the previous PHP version, PHP7 consumes lesser resources and works 50% better than PHP5.
• Supports error handling- Handling errors have always been a tedious task for PHP coders. But with the latest update in PHP7, engine exceptions will allow coders to handle and replace these errors with exceptions. However, PHP will continue to send errors like PHP5 if the exceptions are not caught.

Here are some of the best features of PHP7:

1. Scalar type hints

PHP7 has added scalar type hints such as int, strings, Boolean, etc in its long list of features. Earlier type hints were not available in previous versions, classes, arrays. This new addition to PHP has allowed coders to write correct and better PHP programs and ensures input consistency of the function. Coercive mode restricts PHP from giving a type error when the conversion is possible but types don’t match. Strict mode displays type error when signatures don’t match.

2. Return type declarations

To stimulate this function, we put a colon before opening curly brace. It ensures output consistency and works same as type hints.

3. Anonymous class

Anonymous classes can now be defined by new class and is used in place of full-class definition.

4. The closure::call() method

Closure are anonymous functions that act as callbacks for later executions. Call methods in PHP7 have aided the process for coders.

Thus, PHP7 is one of the most preferred languages for developers in 2018.