Understanding Multi-line Comments in PHP

When writing complex programming software, it is critical to use comments for clear documentation and communication. Among the most common forms of commentary are single and multi-line comments. So, how exactly do we initiate a multi-line comment in PHP?

The correct syntax to start a multi-line comment in PHP is /* ----------- */. This form begins with a slash and an asterisk (/*) and ends with an asterisk and a slash (*/). The text in the middle is the content of the comment.

PHP interprets everything between /* and */ as a comment, making it an ideal tool for commenting out multiple lines of code or leaving detailed notes about your programming logic. Here is a practical example:

/*
This is a multi-line comment.
It can span multiple lines.
PHP will ignore everything contained within these markings.
*/

When going through your PHP code, you will often find these types of comments when there is a need to explain more complex sections of the code, as it allows for greater detail than a single line comment. This is an example of a best practice when it comes to coding - communicating your thought process clearly can be invaluable to others who might be using your code, or even to your future self!

In addition, multi-line commenting is often used when developers are debugging their code. Programmers can 'mute' certain sections of their code to pinpoint problematic parts without deleting any lines.

It's necessary to mention that the other options provided for the multi-line comment styling, including # -------------- #, \/ -------------- \/ and {# --------- #}, are incorrect in the case of PHP. This is primarily due to the fact that PHP doesn't parse these syntaxes as comments, but instead, treats them as common text or syntax errors.

Remember, effective commenting contributes to clean, understandable code - it is always better to over-comment than to leave your code under-commented and difficult to follow.