php.net describes use of backslash perfectly
To specify a literal single quote, escape it with a backslash (\). To specify a literal backslash, double it (\\). All other instances of backslash will be treated as a literal backslash: this means that the other escape sequences you might be used to, such as \r or \n, will be output literally as specified rather than having any special meaning.
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<?php echo 'this is a simple string'; //output : You can also have embedded newlines in strings this way as it is okay to do but it wont add any line breaks. echo 'You can also have embedded newlines in strings this way as it is okay to do but it wont add any line breaks.'; // Outputs: Arnold once said: "I'll be back" echo 'Arnold once said: "I\'ll be back"'; // Outputs: You deleted C:\*.*? echo 'You deleted C:\\*.*?'; // Outputs: You deleted C:\*.*? echo 'You deleted C:\*.*?'; // Outputs: This will not expand: \n a newline echo 'This will not expand: \n a newline'; // Outputs: Variables do not $expand $either echo 'Variables do not $expand $either'; ?>
One more example on where to use \ in php. Actually I love posting quotes on my Websites and at the same time I love to read quotes by famous writers. Napoleon Hill Once Said
“what your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve”
What if i want to echo this in php
<?php //Output : what your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve echo "what your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve"; //Output : "what your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve" echo "\"what your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve\""; ?>