What role do comments and documentation play in improving code readability and understanding, especially for beginner PHP programmers?
Comments and documentation play a crucial role in improving code readability and understanding for beginner PHP programmers. Comments provide explanations within the code itself, making it easier for others (or even the original coder) to understand the purpose of specific sections of code. Documentation, such as PHPDoc, outlines the structure of functions, classes, and methods, making it easier to navigate and comprehend the codebase.
<?php
// This function calculates the sum of two numbers
function calculateSum($num1, $num2) {
return $num1 + $num2;
}
// Usage example
$number1 = 5;
$number2 = 10;
$result = calculateSum($number1, $number2);
echo "The sum of $number1 and $number2 is: $result";
?>