Double quotes within php script echo

Question

I have a line of php code that looks like this:

echo "<script>$('#edit_errors').html('<h3><em>Please Correct Errors Before Proceeding</em></h3>')</script>";

I would like to know how to add a font color to the text correctly. If I do this:

echo "<script>$('#edit_errors').html('<h3><em><font color="red">Please Correct Errors Before Proceeding</font></em></h3>')</script>";

The word "red" is in black text and the compiler throws an error.

If I use single quotes around red, then the text does not show up at all.

Any help would be great. Thanks

Zbigniew · Accepted Answer · 2012-06-19T16:47:39.490

64

You need to escape ", so it won't be interpreted as end of string. Use \ to escape it:

echo "<script>$('#edit_errors').html('<h3><em><font color=\"red\">Please Correct Errors Before Proceeding</font></em></h3>')</script>";

edited Jun 19 '12 at 16:47

answered Jun 14 '12 at 15:30

Zbigniew

score 13 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 14 '12 at 15:33

13

use a HEREDOC, which eliminates any need to swap quote types and/or escape them:

echo <<<EOL
<script>$('#edit_errors').html('<h3><em><font color="red">Please Correct Errors Before Proceeding</font></em></h3>')</script>
EOL;

answered Jun 14 '12 at 15:33

Marc B

score 4 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 14 '12 at 15:30

4

Just escape your quotes:

echo "<script>$('#edit_errors').html('<h3><em><font color=\"red\">Please Correct Errors Before Proceeding</font></em></h3>')</script>";

answered Jun 14 '12 at 15:30

John Conde

score 3 · Answer 4 · answered Jun 14 '12 at 15:31

3

You need to escape the quotes in the string by adding a backslash \ before ".

Like:

"<font color=\"red\">"

answered Jun 14 '12 at 15:31

Ryan

how to write < or > characters. Since writing them changes to < and > respectively :( – Aada Apr 23 '14 at 03:14

score 2 · Answer 5 · answered Feb 23 '14 at 03:16

2

if you need to access your variables for an echo statement within your quotes put your variable inside curly brackets

echo "i need to open my lock with its: {$array['key']}";

answered Feb 23 '14 at 03:16

mark

score 1 · Answer 6 · answered Mar 19 '19 at 19:11

You can just forgo the quotes for alphanumeric attributes:

echo "<font color=red> XHTML is not a thing anymore. </font>";
echo "<div class=editorial-note> There, I said it. </div>";

Is perfectly valid in HTML, and though still shunned, absolutely en vogue since HTML5.

CAVEATS

It's only valid for mostly alphanumeric and dash combinations.
Never ever do this with user input appended to attributes (those need quoting and htmlspecialchars or some whitelisting).
See also: When the attribute value can remain unquoted in HTML5
In other news: <font> specifically is somewhat outdated however.

6 Answers6