How does the choice between single quotes and double quotes impact the readability and maintainability of PHP code?

Using single quotes or double quotes in PHP impacts the readability and maintainability of code because they have different behavior when it comes to interpreting variables and special characters. Single quotes treat everything as a literal string, while double quotes allow for variable interpolation and interpretation of special characters. It is generally recommended to use single quotes for simple strings that do not need variable interpolation, as they are slightly faster and less prone to errors. 

$name = 'John';

// Using single quotes for simple strings
echo 'Hello, ' . $name . '!';

// Using double quotes for strings that require variable interpolation
echo "Hello, $name!";

Keywords

single quotes double quotes readability maintainability PHP code

Related Questions