Separation of formatting and content also makes it feasible to present the same markup page in different styles for different rendering methods, such as on screen, in print, by voice (via speech based browser or screen reader), and on Braille based tactile devices. CSS also has rules for alternate formatting if the content is accessed on a mobile device.

Various web template systems, web content management systems, and web frameworks exist which can be employed to orchestrate or facilitate the generation of that response. Additionally, PHP can be used for many programming tasks outside the web context, such as standalone graphical applications and robotic drone control.

Instead of building your own system for creating web pages, storing images, and other functions, the content management system handles all that basic infrastructure stuff for you so that you can focus on more forward facing parts of your website.

The PHP language evolved without a written formal specification or standard until 2014, with the original implementation acting as the de facto standard which other implementations aimed to follow. Since 2014, work has gone on to create a formal PHP specification.