How do I use namespaces in PHP and why?

In PHP, namespaces are used to encapsulate items such as classes, interfaces, functions, and constants to avoid name conflicts. By organizing your code into namespaces, you can prevent collisions with other libraries that might use the same names.

Namespaces are especially useful in large applications or when integrating various third-party libraries, allowing for better organization and maintainability of code.

To define a namespace in PHP, you use the namespace keyword at the top of your PHP file. Below is an example:

<?php namespace MyProject\Utilities; class Helper { public static function greet($name) { return "Hello, " . $name; } } // Using the namespace use MyProject\Utilities\Helper; echo Helper::greet('World'); // Output: Hello, World ?>

PHP namespaces classes libraries coding standards code organization