Problem:
You’re looking for a way to create an array.
Solution:
There are two ways you can create an array in PHP.
Method 1: Using array() function
The syntax for creating an array using array() is-
$array_name = array(“index1”=>”value1”, “index2”=>”value2”…);
- Here, $array_name is the array name. value1, value2 are the values of the array.
- Here, index could be either of string type or integer type.
- Indexes are optional. If you don’t mention it, an integer indexes will automatically be generated which increments by 1.
Example 1-
<?php $week_days = array(“Sunday”, “Monday”, “Tuesday”, “Wednesday”, “Thursday”, “Friday”, “Saturday”); ?>
Here , the array name is $week_days and there are 7 values in it. As we’ve not mentioned the indexes, an auto generating (also auto incrementing by 1) integer indexes have been set. So, index for “Sunday” is 0 and index for “Saturday” is 6.
Example 2-
<?php $employees = array(“Name” => “John Smith”, “Profession”=>”Web Developer”, “Age” => 28); ?>
Here, the $employees array has string type indexes.
Method 2: Using short array syntax
From PHP 5.4, short array syntax has been introduced. Its syntax is as follows-
$array_name = [ key1 => value1, key2 => value2, --- );
Here, key1, key2 are optional. Omitting the indexes will introduce auto generated integer indexes.
Example
$week_days = [ 0 => “Sunday”, 1 => “Monday”, 2 => “Tuesday” ];
Method 3: Using [] identifier
The syntax for creating an array using [] identifier is-
$array_name[key] = value;
Here, key is optional. If you don’t mention it, an auto generating integer indexes will be generated.
Example
<?php $employee[“Name”] = “John Smith”; $employee[“Profession”] = “Web Developer”; $employee[“Age”] = 28; ?>