\n or \n in php echo not print [duplicate]

Question

Possible Duplicate:
Print newline in PHP in single quotes
Difference between single quote and double quote string in php

$unit1 = 'paragrahp1';
$unit2 = 'paragrahp2';
echo '<p>' . $unit1 . '</p>\n';
echo '<p>' . $unit2 . '</p>';

This is displaying (on view source):

<p>paragraph1</p>\n<p>paragraph2</p>

but isnt what I’m expecting, not printing the new line, what can be?

Answer 1

PHP only interprets escaped characters (with the exception of the escaped backslash \\ and the escaped single quote \') when in double quotes (")

This works (results in a newline):

"\n"

This does not result in a newline:

'\n'

Answer 2

Better use PHP_EOL ("End Of Line") instead. It's cross-platform.

E.g.:

$unit1 = 'paragrahp1';
$unit2 = 'paragrahp2';
echo '<p>' . $unit1 . '</p>' . PHP_EOL;
echo '<p>' . $unit2 . '</p>';

Answer 3

Escape sequences (and variables too) work inside double quoted and heredoc strings. So change your code to:

echo '<p>' . $unit1 . "</p>\n";

PS: One clarification, single quotes strings do accept two escape sequences:

• \' when you want to use single quote inside single quoted strings
• \\ when you want to use backslash literally

Answer 4

\n must be in double quotes!

echo "hello\nworld";

Output

hello
world

---

A nice way around this is to use PHP as a more of a templating language

<p>
    Hello <span><?php echo $world ?></span>
</p>

Output

<p>
    Hello <span>Planet Earth</span>
</p>

Notice, all newlines are kept in tact!

Answer 5

\n must be in double quotes!

 echo '<p>' . $unit1 . "</p>\n";