PHP Arrays

PHP array is an ordered map (contains value on the basis of the key). It is used to hold multiple values of a similar type in a single variable.

Advantage of PHP Array

• Less Code: We don't need to define multiple variables.
• Easy to traverse: With the help of the single loop, we can traverse all the elements of an array.
• Sorting: We can sort the elements of array.

What are PHP Arrays

Arrays are complex variables that allow us to store more than one value or a group of values under a single variable name. Let's suppose you want to store colors in your PHP script. Storing the colors one by one in a variable could look something like this:

Example :

<?php
$day1= "Sunday";
$day2 = "Monday";
$day3 = "Tuesday";
?>

If you want to store the states or city names of a country in variables and this time this not just three maybe a hundred. It is quite hard, boring, and a bad idea to store each city name in a separate variable. And here array comes into play.

Create an Array in PHP

In PHP, the array() function is used to create an array:

array();

Types of Arrays in PHP

There are three types of arrays that you can create. These are:

• Indexed array — An array with a numeric key.
• Associative array — An array where each key has its own specific value.
• Multidimensional array — An array containing one or more arrays within itself.