Beginning Perspective on PHP Arrays
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Arrays are one of the most important PHP data types. An array is composed of 1 or more key/value pairs and can store any type (E.g., strings, integers, decimal numbers, etc…). Array values (or elements) are accessed via a key (index), which is either numerical-based or string-based. Arrays composed of string-based indexes are known as associative arrays. Keep reading for an introductory-level coverage of PHP arrays, as I understand them…
OS, Software, and DB used:
- OpenSuse Leap 15.1
- PHP 7.2.5
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Numerical-based keys
Creating an array in PHP is super easy. One way is using the array() construct:
$activities = array(‘walking’, ‘fishing’, ‘reading’, ‘programming’);We can see the $activities array individual elements using var_dump():
echo ‘<pre>’;
var_dump($activities);
echo ‘</pre>’;array(4) {
[0]=>
string(7) “walking”
[1]=>
string(7) “fishing”
[2]=>
string(7) “reading”
[3]=>
string(11) “programming”
}
Notice each numerical-based index for the individual elements. The zero-eth index (the 1st element) denoted by [0], is the key for the “walking” value. Likewise, [1] (the 2nd element) is the index for the “fishing” value. PHP arrays are 0 (zero) indexed meaning you count the elements starting at 0 (zero).
Arrays can also be created without using the array() construct. Simply place all the elements within square brackets, separating them by a comma:
$activities = [‘walking’, ‘fishing’, ‘reading’, ‘programming’, 101];echo ‘<pre>’;
var_dump($activities);
echo ‘</pre>’;array(5) {
[0]=>
string(7) “walking”
[1]=>
string(7) “fishing”
[2]=>
string(7) “reading”
[3]=>
string(11) “programming”
[4]=>
int(101)
}
(Note: I will use this form of creating arrays for the duration of the post but the array()…
