Arrays

An array holds many values in a single variable. Instead of $color1, $color2 and $color3, you keep one list.

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<?php
$colors = ["red", "green", "blue"];

echo $colors[0] . "\n";
echo $colors[2];

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red
blue

Positions start at 0, so the first item is [0].

Arrays with names

An associative array uses names (keys) instead of numbers.

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<?php
$user = [
    "name" => "Isha",
    "age" => 31,
    "city" => "Indore",
];

echo $user["name"] . " lives in " . $user["city"];

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Isha lives in Indore

Looking inside an array

Use print_r() for a quick, readable look.

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<?php
$tags = ["php", "web"];
print_r($tags);

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Array
(
    [0] => php
    [1] => web
)

var_dump() shows more detail (types and sizes). Both are for debugging, not for the visitor.

How many items?

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<?php
echo count(["a", "b", "c"]);

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3

Arrays can hold anything

Items can be of different types, and an array can even contain other arrays. Multidimensional Arrays covers that.