title: Using <?= instead of echo in PHP (Laravel 5)?
body: <p>I am a programmer with about 5 years of experience in PHP but very new to Laravel (or MVCs) and I just started learning Laravel 5 thorough the <a href="https://laracasts.com/" rel="nofollow">Laracasts</a>.</p>
  
  <p>While going through the video <a href="https://laracasts.com/series/laravel-5-fundamentals/episodes/4" rel="nofollow">Passing Data Into Views</a>, I came across the code <code>&lt;?= $name; ?&gt;</code> which performed the same task as <code>&lt;?php echo $name; ?&gt;</code> would do. Have I missed this usage all this time in PHP or is it something new? Or is it specific to Laravel?</p>
  
  <p>Also, is it considered a good practice to use this syntax to print rather than using <code>echo</code>?</p>
  
  <p>EDIT: I know what it does, I tested it. I was curious as to its usage and/or practice. Thanks for all the answers!</p>