Question

What’s the difference between the following two pieces of code? Version B seems harder to read, with excessive use of open and closing tags, but I find a lot of tutorials and examples using this format. Is there a preferred approach, meaning a procedural reason for one over the other, or is this personal preference?

Version A (enclosed in php)

<?php 
    $test = array('a','b','c'); 

    if (isset($test))
        { 
        echo    '<div id="testmessage">
                <h2>
                    Test Message Below
                </h2>
                <ul>';

        foreach ($test as $t) 
            { 
            echo '<li>'.$t.'</li>';
            }

        echo '</ul>';
        echo '</div>';

        } 
?>

Version B (Multiple open and closing tags)

<?php   $test = array('a','b','c'); 
        if (isset($test)){ 
?>

    <div id="testmessage">
        <h2>
            Test Message Below
        </h2>
        <ul>

    <?php 
        foreach ($test as $t) 
        { 
    ?>

    <li><?php echo $t; ?></li>

    <?php 
        } 
    ?>

        </ul>
    </div>

<?php 
} 
?>

Answer 1

No real difference, but it is just not encouraged.

And I give you version C which might read a little better than B:

<?php   
    $test = array('a','b','c'); 
    if (isset($test)): ?>

    <div id="testmessage">
        <h2>
            Test Message Below
        </h2>
        <ul>

    <?php foreach ($test as $t): ?>

    <li><?php echo $t; ?></li>

    <?php endforeach;    ?>

        </ul>
    </div>

<?php endif; ?>