PHP alternative syntax confusion
I dont think mixing html inside PHP the way Tim Penner does in his first example is very readable or maintainable, i'd prefer the way you're trying to do it.

If you're using PHP 5.4+ and do not need the code to be working in earlier php versions i'd recommend you use the short_open_tag &lt;?= to echo out variables easily.

&lt;?php foreach ($userResults as $row) : ?&gt;
&lt;div class="row"&gt;
        &lt;ul class="list-group"&gt;
            &lt;li class="list-group-item"&gt;&lt;?= $row['user_id']; ?&gt;here&lt;/li&gt;
            &lt;li class="list-group-item"&gt;&lt;?= $row['user_name']; ?&gt;here&lt;/li&gt;
            &lt;li class="list-group-item"&gt;&lt;?= $row['user_email']; ?&gt;here&lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;?php endforeach; ?&gt;


This is in my mind more readable and maintainable.