If you have a PHP file that starts off with XML code, you might see an error about Unexpected T_STRING. This is typically because PHP short tags are enabled. To correct this you need to disable them.
In your php.ini change the following:
From:
short_open_tag = On
TO:
short_open_tag = Off
Once you do this, you’ll need to make sure that your PHP code starts with <?PHP rather then just <?