Operators: Unveiling the "=" and "&" in PHP

When it comes to programming, operators serve as essential tools for manipulating and combining values. In PHP, the "=" and "&" operators play crucial roles, introducing two distinct functionalities.

The Assignment Operator: "="

In PHP, you can assign a value to a variable using the "=" operator, also known as the assignment operator. It evaluates the expression on the right-hand side and stores the result in the variable on the left-hand side. For instance, the statement $x = 10 assigns the value 10 to the variable $x.

Compound Assignment Operators with "&"

PHP further extends the assignment operator with compound assignment operators that combine assignment and an operation in a single line. One such operator is "=&," which is short for $a = $a & $b. It performs a bitwise logical AND operation on the operands $a and $b, assigning the result back to $a.

On the flip side, "&=" acts as a reference assignment operator. With $a =& $b, PHP establishes a reference between the variables $a and $b. Any change made to $a will directly affect $b, and vice versa.

Further Resources

For deeper insights into these operators and other programming concepts in PHP, refer to the following resources:

• [PHP Assignment Operators](https://www.php.net/manual/en/language.operators.assignment.php)
• [PHP Bitwise Operators](https://www.php.net/manual/en/language.operators.bitwise.php)
• [PHP References](https://www.php.net/manual/en/language.references.php)