array

(PHP 3, PHP 4 )

array --  Create an array

Description

array array ( [mixed ...])

Returns an array of the parameters. The parameters can be given an index with the => operator.

Note: array() is a language construct used to represent literal arrays, and not a regular function.

Syntax "index => values", separated by commas, define index and values. index may be of type string or numeric. When index is omitted, a integer index is automatically generated, starting at 0. If index is an integer, next generated index will be the biggest integer index + 1. Note that when two identical index are defined, the last overwrite the first.

The following example demonstrates how to create a two-dimensional array, how to specify keys for associative arrays, and how to skip-and-continue numeric indices in normal arrays.

Example 1. array() example

$fruits = array (
    "fruits"  => array ("a"=>"orange", "b"=>"banana", "c"=>"apple"),
    "numbers" => array (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6),
    "holes"   => array ("first", 5 => "second", "third")
);

Example 2. Automatic index with array()

$array = array( 1, 1, 1, 1,  1, 8=>1,  4=>1, 19, 3=>13);
print_r($array);

will display :
Array
(
    [0] => 1
    [1] => 1
    [2] => 1
    [3] => 13
    [4] => 1
    [8] => 1
    [9] => 19
)

Note that index '3' is defined twice, and keep its final value of 13. Index 4 is defined after index 8, and next generated index (value 19) is 9, since biggest index was 8.

This example creates a 1-based array.

Example 3. 1-based index with array()

$firstquarter  = array(1 => 'January', 'February', 'March');
print_r($firstquarter);

will display :
Array
(
    [1] => 'January'
    [2] => 'February'
    [3] => 'March'
)

See also array_pad(), list(), and range().