Looping though A-Z with Do while loop in PHP

Question

I was trying to loop though a-z with a do while loop.
I know that I also can do that with foreach and forloop.

$char = 'a';
do {
   echo $char;
   $char++;

} while ($char <= 'z');

Why is that giving the output:

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajakalamanaoapaqarasatauavawaxayazbabbbcbdbebfbgbhbibjbkblbmbnbobpbqbrbsbtbubvbwbxbybzcacbcccdcecfcgchcicjckclcmcncocpcqcrcsctcucvcwcxcyczdadbdcdddedfdgdhdidjdkdldmdndodpdqdrdsdtdudvdwdxdydzeaebecedeeefegeheiejekelemeneoepeqereseteuevewexeyezfafbfcfdfefffgfhfifjfkflfmfnfofpfqfrfsftfufvfwfxfyfzgagbgcgdgegfggghgigjgkglgmgngogpgqgrgsgtgugvgwgxgygzhahbhchdhehfhghhhihjhkhlhmhnhohphqhrhshthuhvhwhxhyhziaibicidieifigihiiijikiliminioipiqirisitiuiviwixiyizjajbjcjdjejfjgjhjijjjkjljmjnjojpjqjrjsjtjujvjwjxjyjzkakbkckdkekfkgkhkikjkkklkmknkokpkqkrksktkukvkwkxkykzlalblcldlelflglhliljlklllmlnlolplqlrlsltlulvlwlxlylzmambmcmdmemfmgmhmimjmkmlmmmnmompmqmrmsmtmumvmwmxmymznanbncndnenfngnhninjnknlnmnnnonpnqnrnsntnunvnwnxnynzoaobocodoeofogohoiojokolomonooopoqorosotouovowoxoyozpapbpcpdpepfpgphpipjpkplpmpnpopppqprpsptpupvpwpxpypzqaqbqcqdqeqfqgqhqiqjqkqlqmqnqoqpqqqrqsqtquqvqwqxqyqzrarbrcrdrerfrgrhrirjrkrlrmrnrorprqrrrsrtrurvrwrxryrzsasbscsdsesfsgshsisjskslsmsnsospsqsrssstsusvswsxsysztatbtctdtetftgthtitjtktltmtntotptqtrtstttutvtwtxtytzuaubucudueufuguhuiujukulumunuoupuqurusutuuuvuwuxuyuzvavbvcvdvevfvgvhvivjvkvlvmvnvovpvqvrvsvtvuvvvwvxvyvzwawbwcwdwewfwgwhwiwjwkwlwmwnwowpwqwrwswtwuwvwwwxwywzxaxbxcxdxexfxgxhxixjxkxlxmxnxoxpxqxrxsxtxuxvxwxxxyxzyaybycydyeyfygyhyiyjykylymynyoypyqyrysytyuyvywyxyyyz

instead of just:

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Answer 1

From the documentation:

PHP follows Perl's convention when dealing with arithmetic operations on character variables and not C's. For example, in PHP and Perl $a = 'Z'; $a++; turns $a into 'AA', while in C a = 'Z'; a++; turns a into '[' (ASCII value of 'Z' is 90, ASCII value of '[' is 91). Note that character variables can be incremented but not decremented and even so only plain ASCII alphabets and digits (a-z, A-Z and 0-9) are supported.

Try something like this:

for($i = 0, $char = 'a'; $i < 26; $i++, $char++) {
   echo $char;
}