PHP, a very useful web development language, has much use for functions that are able to tell whether a number is even or odd. In fact, one will see many web designers implementing such PHP functions into their designs such as commenting systems or lyrics scripts; and everything in between.



The PHP language has made many functions available within the core engine- we call these functions language constructs since they are a part of the language as a whole. But one thing that hasn't apparently made the grade yet is a function to determine if a number is odd or even- leaving web developers to make their own functions and statements to get the results themselves. Thankfully, the process is easier than most would think.

Even if readers aren't web developers, they have likely seen the effects an odd number function has had on PHP web development in general. Most websites that have to organize a lot of data will alternate table row styles to make data much easier to read. This can also be seen in commenting systems, lyrics websites, and forum systems. It's just another last-touch that really puts a spin on a finished application.

When conferencing with a database, odd and even number functions may be used to select only specific rows in a database. This is especially handy when putting database information into an array to output to a table. One can also modify a query to select odd and even columns as well, and essentially create a 3D array by conjoining the data.

Odd or even number functions are also used in arrays to organize data. This may only work for certain occasions, but it can help cut down on the number of arrays declared. By making odd numbers a certain value and even numbers another, you can essentially "stuff" another array inside an original array to save space.

Date functions are also heavily used in PHP. Dates are used to timestamp data, give the current time, or even to calculate age restrictions (and everything in between). A date function may be paired with an odd number function in order to display information at certain times of the day, for instance. It can also be more creatively used by limiting connections to a certain website service to reduce load, hacking attempts, or several other things in addition. As can be seen, PHP developers can get quite creative in how they use such functions.

Final Thoughts

All web designers should take note on the different ways odd and even number functions can make their life easier. From web design to arrays and complex algorithms, such functions have a very real place in every web developer's cookbook of necessary functions.