Summary - Superglobals

PHP course · Beginner · Lesson 99/116

Build a page that displays URL parameters using $_GET and $_SERVER.

Summary - Superglobals

In this group you met four core superglobals: $_GET for URL parameters, $_POST for the form body, $_SERVER for server and request info, and $_REQUEST which merges the three. All are reachable from any scope directly.

A request handling script typically checks $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] for the method, reads data with $_GET or $_POST, and gives defaults to missing keys with ??. In CLI, filling $_GET by hand with parse_str() makes testing easy.

Exercise Set up $_GET and $_SERVER and print them

Use parse_str() to fill $_GET with "name=Alex&role=admin". Set $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] = "GET";. Then write, in order, echo $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] . "\n";, echo $_GET['name'] . "\n"; and echo $_GET['role'] . "\n";.

Show example solution

$_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'], $_GET['name'], $_GET['role'], each ending with . "\n".
Example solution:
<?php
// Set up $_GET and $_SERVER and print them
parse_str("name=Alex&role=admin", $_GET);
$_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] = "GET";
echo $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] . "\n";
echo $_GET['name'] . "\n";
echo $_GET['role'] . "\n";

Test yourself

Match the source to its superglobal

URL parameters

$_GET
Form body

$_POST
Server info

$_SERVER
GET+POST+COOKIE

$_REQUEST

Complete the parse_str call

parse_str("name=Alice", ____);
echo $_GET['name'];

Show answer

parse_str("name=Alice", $_GET);
echo $_GET['name'];

How do you access $_SERVER inside a function?
- You must write global $server;
- You must write use $_SERVER;
- You can write $_SERVER directly
- You must first return $_SERVER;
Show answer

You can write $_SERVER directly — Correct. $_SERVER is a superglobal, so inside a function you reach it without the global keyword.

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Summary - Superglobals