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# Chapter 5. Basic syntax

# Escaping from HTML

There are four ways of escaping from HTML and entering "PHP code mode":

Example 5-1. Ways of escaping from HTML

      1
      2 1.  <? echo ("this is the simplest, an SGML processing instruction\n"); ?>
      3
      4 2.  <?php echo("if you want to serve XML documents, do like this\n"); ?>
      5
      6 3.  <script language="php">
      7         echo ("some editors (like FrontPage) don't
      8               like processing instructions");
      9     </script>
     10
     11 4.  <% echo ("You may optionally use ASP-style tags"); %>
     12     <%= $variable; # This is a shortcut for "<%echo .." %>
     13

The first way is only available if short tags have been enabled. This can be done via the short_tags() function, by enabling the short_open_tag configuration setting in the PHP config file, or by compiling PHP with the --enable-short-tags option to configure.

The fourth way is only available if ASP-style tags have been enabled using the asp_tags configuration setting.

> Note: Support for ASP-style tags was added in 3.0.4.

The closing tag for the block will include the immediately trailing newline if one is present.

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