Constants

Constants are similar to variables only in the sense that are used to store values, but otherwise, constants and variables differ in many ways.
To create a constant, it is used the define() function instead of the assignment operator (=):

define("CONSTANT_NAME", 'value', [case-insensitive]);

<?php
define("BROTHERS", 'Victor, Alex');
define("COUSIN", "Vasile", true);                // defined case-insensitive

echo 'My brothers: '. BROTHERS. '<br />';        // My brothers: Victor, Alex

// Try to redefine the BROTHERS constant
define("BROTHERS", 'Relu');                      // Notice: Constant BROTHERS already defined in ...

echo 'My cousin: '. COUSIN. '<br />';            // My cousin: Vasile

// assign the constant's value (the one case-insensitive) to a variable
$cname = Cousin;
echo 'My cousin: '. $cname;                     // My cousin: Vasile
?>

The scope of a defined constant is global, meaning it can be used in any defined function or class that is also part of that code file, including any other included files or functions.

<?php
define("BROTHERS", 'Victor, Alex');
echo defined("BROTHERS");           // 1
?>