PHP: Detecting Different Browsers

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As we all know that JavaScript is usually what involves in detecting different browsers and their varying capabilities. PHP has the very function that parses the HTTP request headers sent by client web browsers so as to determine the identify of the requesting browser as well as its capabilities.

To get client browser information and detect browsers in PHP:

$browser = get_browser(); // $browser is an array containing all information about the requesting browser
if ($browser->frames) {
    // print out a frame-based layout
} elseif ($browser->tables) {
    // print out a table-based layout
} else {
    // print out a boring layout
}

Yep, get_browser() is just the function we need. Also, there’s a lot more fields than those just shown here, the table below refers them all.