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Specifying with array()

An array can be created by the array() language-construct. It takes a certain number of comma-separated key => value pairs.

array( [key =>] value , ... ) // key is either string or nonnegative integer // value can be anything

array("foo" => "bar", 12 => true);

A key is either an integer or a string. If a key is the standard representation of an integer, it will be interpreted as such (i.e. "8" will be interpreted as 8, while "08" will be interpreted as "08"). There are no different indexed and associative array types in PHP, there is only one array type, which can both contain integer and string indices.

A value can be of any PHP type.

array("somearray" => array(6 => 5, 13 => 9, "a" => 43));

If you omit a key, the maximum of the integer-indices is taken, and the new key will be that maximum + 1. As integers can be negative, this is also true for negative indices. Having e.g. the highest index being -6 will result in being -5 the new key. If no integer-indices exist yet, the key will be 0 (zero). If you specify a key that already has a value assigned to it, that value will be overwritten.

// This array is the same as ...
array(5 => 43, 32, 56, "b" => 12);

// ...this array
array(5 => 43, 6 => 32, 7 => 56, "b" => 12);

Using TRUE as a key will evalute to integer 1 as key. Using FALSE as a key will evalute to integer 0 as key. Using NULL as a key will evaluate to an empty string. Using an emptry string as key will create (or overwrite) a key with an empty string and its value, it is not the same as using empty brackets.

You cannot use arrays or objects as keys. Doing so will result in a warning: Illegal offset type.

Creating/modifying with square-bracket syntax

You can also modify an existing array, by explicitly setting values in it.

This is done by assigning values to the array while specifying the key in brackets. You can also omit the key, add an empty pair of brackets ("[]") to the variable-name in that case.

$arr[key] = value; $arr[] = value; // key is either string or nonnegative integer // value can be anything

If $arr doesn't exist yet, it will be created. So this is also an alternative way to specify an array. To change a certain value, just assign a new value to an element specified with its key. If you want to remove a key/value pair, you need to unset() it.

$arr = array(5 => 1, 12 => 2);

$arr[] = 56;    // This is the same as $arr[13] = 56;
                // at this point of the script

$arr["x"] = 42; // This adds a new element to
                // the array with key "x"
                
unset($arr[5]); // This removes the element from the array

unset($arr);    // This deletes the whole array

Why is $foo[bar] wrong?

You should always use quotes around an associative array index. For example, use $foo['bar'] and not $foo[bar]. But why is $foo[bar] wrong? You might have seen the following syntax in old scripts:

$foo[bar] = 'enemy';
echo $foo[bar];
// etc

As stated in the syntax section, there must be an expression between the square brackets ('[' and ']'). That means that you can write things like this:

echo $arr[foo(true)];

$error_descriptions[E_ERROR]   = "A fatal error has occured";
$error_descriptions[E_WARNING] = "PHP issued a warning";
$error_descriptions[E_NOTICE]  = "This is just an informal notice";

$error_descriptions[1] = "A fatal error has occured";
$error_descriptions[2] = "PHP issued a warning";
$error_descriptions[8] = "This is just an informal notice";

Then, how is it possible that $foo[bar] works? It works, because bar is due to its syntax expected to be a constant expression. However, in this case no constant with the name bar exists. PHP now assumes that you meant bar literally, as the string "bar", but that you forgot to write the quotes.