Accessing PHP with the Command Line on Windows: Troubleshooting a Common Error

When attempting to access PHP scripts via the command line on Windows, you may encounter an error as depicted in the provided screenshot. This failure stems from an omission in the Windows path variable. To rectify the situation, follow these steps:

Method 1: Adding PHP to the Path Variable

1. Right-click on the "My Computer" icon.
2. Select "Properties".
3. Click "Advanced system settings".
4. Go to the "Advanced" tab.
5. Press the "Environment Variables" button.
6. Under "System Variables", locate "Path" and click "Edit".
7. Append a semi-colon (;) at the end of the value.
8. Add the full path to your PHP installation (e.g., C:\Program Files\PHP).
9. Save all changes and restart your command prompt.

Method 2: Alternative Approaches

If the above method proves unsuccessful, you can also:

• Use the "cd" command to navigate to the PHP installation directory before running your script.
• Call your script using the full path to the PHP executable and the path to the script (e.g., "C:\Program Files\PHP\php.exe C:\path\to\script.php").