array()

The array() function creates an array. There are three types of array that can be created: indexed, associative, and multidimensional.

Syntax

The array() function requires zero or more parameters to create an array. When no parameters are provided, an empty array is created.

Indexed Array:

array(item1, item2, item3);

Associative Array:

array(key1=>value1, key2=>value2, key3=>value3);

Note: Keys must be either a string or an integer, whereas the values can be of any data type.

Multidimensional Array:

array(
  array(item1, item2, item3),
  array(item4, item5, item6),
  array(item7, item8, item9)
);

Examples

Indexed Array:

The following example shows an array of animals, all accessible by indices.

<?php
$animals = array("cat", "dog", "rabbit");
echo $animals[0];
?>

The above code will produce the following output:

cat

Associative Array:

The following example shows the average temperature in July for London, New York, and Tokyo.

<?php
$averageJulyTemp = array("London"=>19, "New York"=>24.5, "Tokyo"=>25);
echo $averageJulyTemp["Tokyo"];
?>

The above code will produce the following output:

25

Multidimensional Array:

The example below shows an array containing three separate arrays. Each array within $fruitEaten has three parameters. The first parameter refers to the name of a fruit. The second parameter refers to the total number of portions for that fruit. The third parameter is how many portions of that fruit have been eaten.

The dimensions of a multidimensional array refer to the number of indices needed to select an item. In the example below, two indices are needed: the first to select an array within $fruitEaten and the second to select the item within the array.

<?php
$fruitEaten = array(
  array("Apple", 20, 5),
  array("Mango", 14, 10),
  array("Kiwi", 10, 6)
);
echo $fruitEaten[1][2]
?>

The above code will produce the following output:

10