Difference between <?php ?> and <script language="php"></script>
I think, in terms of semantics there is no advantages or disadvantages. According to PHP manual:
There are four different pairs of opening and closing tags which can be used in PHP. Two of those,
<?php ?>
and<script language="php"></script>
, are always available.
Also, note that:
If you are embedding PHP within XML or XHTML you will need to use the
<?php ?>
tags to remain compliant with standards.
Anyway, the <?php ?>
is the most commonly used and recommended to use it.
NOTE: Script tags <script language="php"></script>
and ASP tags <% %>
are removed from PHP 7.
They both work (much to my surprise).
However, <?php ?>
is by far the most common construction. You're much more likely to confuse fellow coders if you use the very rare deprecated <script>
method.
As a result, you should use <?php ?>
merely to avoid confusion or potential compatibility problems across implementations.