PHP Arrays

1. Indexed Arrays

Indexed arrays use numeric keys. They’re useful when you need to store a list of values that are related, like a list of fruits.

// Creating an indexed array
$fruits = array("Apple", "Banana", "Cherry");

// Accessing elements
echo $fruits[1]; // Output: Banana

// Adding elements
$fruits[] = "Orange";
print_r($fruits); // Output: Array ( [0] => Apple [1] => Banana [2] => Cherry [3] => Orange )

2. Associative Arrays

Associative arrays use named keys. They’re great for data that has a meaningful label, like a person's details.

// Creating an associative array
$person = array(
    "name" => "John",
    "age" => 25,
    "city" => "New York"
);

echo $person["name"]; // Output: John

3. Multidimensional Arrays

Multidimensional arrays contain arrays within arrays. They’re useful for complex data, like a list of users with their details.

// Creating a multidimensional array
$users = array(
    array("name" => "Alice", "age" => 30),
    array("name" => "Bob", "age" => 25)
);

echo $users[0]["name"]; // Output: Alice

4. Array Functions

PHP offers many built-in functions to work with arrays. Here are some useful ones:

// Counting elements
$numbers = array(1, 2, 3, 4);
echo count($numbers); // Output: 4

// Merging arrays
$array1 = array("a" => "red");
$array2 = array("b" => "blue");
$result = array_merge($array1, $array2);
print_r($result); // Output: Array ( [a] => red [b] => blue )

// Searching in arrays
echo in_array("Banana", $fruits) ? "Found" : "Not Found"; // Output: Found

5. Looping Through Arrays

To process each element in an array, you can use loops like foreach, which is optimized for arrays.

$colors = array("Red", "Green", "Blue");

foreach ($colors as $color) {
    echo $color . " ";
}
// Output: Red Green Blue

Conclusion

Arrays are a fundamental structure in PHP that allows you to manage lists and collections of data efficiently. Understanding different types of arrays and how to manipulate them is essential for effective PHP programming.