3.6     Variable scope

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Each variable has an area in which it exists, known as its scope . It is technically possible for a PHP script to have several variables called $a in existence at one point in time, however there's only one active $a at any one time.

Any variables not set inside a function or an object are considered global - that is, they are accessible from anywhere else in the script that is not inside another function or an object. We'll be looking at function and object scope later on - for now, it is just necessary to understand that it is possible to have multiple variables of the same name.