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Insert values in a PHP array

How to Insert values in a PHP array?

Here are the various ways to insert values in a PHP array.

1. PHP array_push() function

The PHP array_push() function is used to insert elements at the end of an array. This function takes two or more parameters –

  • array – The first parameter is an array.
  • $values – and after the array, you can pass multiple values as parameters to insert into the array.
<?php
array_push(array, $value1, $value2, $value3, ...);
<?php
$fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Watermelon"];

array_push($fruits, "Strawberry", "Pineapple");

print_r($fruits);
Array
(
    [0] => Apple
    [1] => Banana
    [2] => Watermelon
    [3] => Strawberry
    [4] => Pineapple
)

2. Insert values at the start of a PHP array

The PHP array_unshift() function is similar to the array_push() function, but it inserts values at the start of an array.

<?php
$fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Watermelon"];

array_unshift($fruits, "Strawberry", "Pineapple");

print_r($fruits);
Array
(
    [0] => Strawberry
    [1] => Pineapple
    [2] => Apple
    [3] => Banana
    [4] => Watermelon
)

3. PHP array insert values with keys

Use the following method to insert values into a PHP array with keys.

<?php
$user = ["name" => "John", "age" => 22];

$user["email"] = "[email protected]";

print_r($user);
Array
(
    [name] => John
    [age] => 22
    [email] => [email protected]
)

4. PHP array push if not exists

Insert if the value does not exist

Use the in_array() function to check whether a value exists in a PHP array or not.

<?php
$fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Strawberry"];

function array_insert_if_value_not_exist(&$arr, ...$values)
{
    foreach ($values as $v) {
        if (!in_array($v, $arr)) {
            array_push($arr, $v);
        }
    }
}

array_insert_if_value_not_exist($fruits, "Pineapple", "Apple");

print_r($fruits);
Array
(
    [0] => Apple
    [1] => Banana
    [2] => Strawberry
    [3] => Pineapple
)

Insert if the key does not exist

Use the isset() function to check whether a key exists in a PHP array or not.

<?php
$user = ["name" => "John"];

function insert_if_key_not_exist(&$arr, $key, $val){
    if(!isset($arr[$key])){
        $arr[$key] = $val;
    }
}

insert_if_key_not_exist($user, "name", "Mark");
insert_if_key_not_exist($user, "age", 22);
insert_if_key_not_exist($user, "email", "[email protected]");

print_r($user);
Array
(
    [name] => John
    [age] => 22
    [email] => [email protected]
)

5. Insert value in a multidimensional array in PHP

The following examples will do the same thing. Use one of the following two ways to insert value in a multidimensional array.

<?php
$data = [
    "fruits" => ["Apple", "Banana"],
    "vegetables" => ["Potato", "Tomato"]
];

array_push($data["fruits"], "Pineapple");
array_push($data["vegetables"], "Onion");

print_r($data);
<?php
$data = [
    "fruits" => ["Apple", "Banana"],
    "vegetables" => ["Potato", "Tomato"]
];

$data["fruits"][] = "Pineapple";
$data["vegetables"][] = "Onion";

print_r($data);
Array
(
    [fruits] => Array
        (
            [0] => Apple
            [1] => Banana
            [2] => Pineapple
        )

    [vegetables] => Array
        (
            [0] => Potato
            [1] => Tomato
            [2] => Onion
        )

)

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