PHP: goto - Manual

goto

(PHP 5 >= 5.3.0)

Image courtesy of » xkcd

The goto operator can be used to jump to another section in the program. The target point is specified by a label followed by a colon, and the instruction is given as goto followed by the desired target label. This is not a full unrestricted goto. The target label must be within the same file and context, meaning that you cannot jump out of a function or method, nor can you jump into one. You also cannot jump into any sort of loop or switch structure. You may jump out of these, and a common use is to use a goto in place of a multi-level break.

Example #1 goto example


<?php
goto a;
echo 'Foo';
 
a:
echo 'Bar';
?>

The above example will output:

Bar

Example #2 goto loop example


<?php
for($i=0,$j=50; $i<100; $i++) {
  while($j--) {
    if($j==17) goto end; 
  }  
}
echo "i = $i";
end:
echo 'j hit 17';
?>

The above example will output:

j hit 17

Example #3 This will not work


<?php
goto loop;
for($i=0,$j=50; $i<100; $i++) {
  while($j--) {
    loop:
  }
}
echo "$i = $i";
?>

The above example will output:

Fatal error: 'goto' into loop or switch statement is disallowed in
script on line 2

Note:
The goto operator is available as of PHP 5.3.

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User Contributed Notes 8 notes

down

chrisstocktonaz at gmail dot com ¶

6 years ago


Remember if you are not a fan of wild labels hanging around you are free to use braces in this construct creating a slightly cleaner look. Labels also are always executed and do not need to be called to have their associated code block ran. A purposeless example is below.



<?php



$headers = Array('subject', 'bcc', 'to', 'cc', 'date', 'sender');

$position = 0;



hIterator: {



    $c = 0;

    echo $headers[$position] . PHP_EOL;



    cIterator: {

        echo ' ' . $headers[$position][$c] . PHP_EOL;



        if(!isset($headers[$position][++$c])) {

            goto cIteratorExit;

        }

        goto cIterator;

    }



    cIteratorExit: {

        if(isset($headers[++$position])) {

            goto hIterator;

        }

    }

}

?>

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Ray dot Paseur at Gmail dot com ¶

3 years ago


You cannot implement a Fortran-style "computed GOTO" in PHP because the label cannot be a variable. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Considered_harmful



<?php // RAY_goto.php

error_reporting(E_ALL);



// DEMONSTRATE THAT THE GOTO LABEL IS CASE-SENSITIVE



goto a;

echo 'Foo';

a: echo 'Bar';



goto A;

echo 'Foo';

A: echo 'Baz';



// CAN THE GOTO LABEL BE A VARIABLE?



$a = 'abc';

goto $a; // NOPE: PARSE ERROR

echo 'Foo';

abc: echo 'Boom';

?>

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sixoclockish at gmail dot com ¶

3 years ago


You are also allowed to jump backwards with a goto statement. To run a block of goto as one block is as follows:
example has a prefix of iw_ to keep label groups structured and an extra underscore to do a backwards goto.

Note the `iw_end_gt` to get out of the labels area

<?php
    $link = true;

    if ( $link ) goto iw_link_begin; 
    if(false) iw__link_begin:
    
    if ( $link ) goto iw_link_text;
    if(false) iw__link_text:
    
    if ( $link ) goto iw_link_end;
    if(false) iw__link_end:
    
    goto iw_end_gt;
    
    
    if (false) iw_link_begin:
        echo '<a href="#">';
    goto iw__link_begin;
    
    if (false) iw_link_text:
        echo 'Sample Text';
    goto iw__link_text;
    
    if (false) iw_link_end:
        echo '</a>';
    goto iw__link_end;
    
    iw_end_gt:
?>

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f at francislacroix dot info ¶

3 years ago


The goto operator CAN be evaluated with eval, provided the label is in the eval'd code:

<?php
a: eval("goto a;"); // undefined label 'a'
eval("a: goto a;"); // works
?>

It's because PHP does not consider the eval'd code, containing the label, to be in the same "file" as the goto statement.

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ivan dot tc at gmail dot com ¶

2 days ago


This works good:

<?php
goto start;

five:
echo $i;
goto end;

start:
echo 'I have ';

for ($i=0; $i < 10; $i++) { 
  if ($i == 5) {
    goto five;
  }
}

end:
echo ' apples';
?>

Output: I have 5 apples.

This don't work:

<?php
goto start;

five:
echo $i;
goto end;

start:
echo 'I have ';
$count();

end:
echo ' apples';

$count = function () {
  for ($i=0; $i < 10; $i++) { 
    if ($i == 5) {
      goto five; // line 18
    }
  }
}
?>

PHP Fatal error:  'goto' to undefined label 'five' on line 18

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-1

ivan dot sammartino at gmail dot com ¶

12 days ago


I found it useful for switch statements:

<?php
$action = $_GET['action'];
switch ($action){
    case('a'):
        mylabel: {
            doStuff();
            break;
        }
    case('b'):
        if (true){
            doAnotherStuff();
        } else {
            goto mylabel;
        }
        break;
}
?>

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-6

ryan DOT jentzsch AT NOSPAM [G]mail com ¶

6 months ago


Like the eval() function; if GOTO is the answer then you are definitely asking the wrong question.
GOTO is the daredevil of all programming languages. Like Evil Knievel the GOTO can jump from one place in your code to a completely different place with no return. 
Knievel broke nearly every bone in his body making his jumps. GOTO will absolutely break your apps bones.
Google "Spaghetti code" for how GOTO is used. Like the eval() function; if GOTO is the answer then you are definitely asking the wrong question.
GOTO is the daredevil of all programming languages. Like Evil Knievel the GOTO can jump from one place in your code to a completely different place with no return. 
Knievel broke nearly every bone in his body making his jumps. GOTO will absolutely break your apps bones.
Google "Spaghetti code" for how GOTO is used.

down

-41

fff at hotmail dot com ¶

7 months ago


goto is actually really sweet once you learn to use it correctly, it will give you a smaller object in the end, and less ascii code. Those who dont know what instruction the goto statement will be parsed into should probably stay away :P

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