Arrays in PHP

An array is a special variable that can store multiple values in a single variable, instead of creating separate variables for each value.

Why Arrays are Needed?

Without arrays:

$student1 = "Amit";
$student2 = "Rohit";
$student3 = "Neha";

With arrays:

$students = array("Amit", "Rohit", "Neha");

Exam Definition: An array is a collection of similar or different data types stored under a single variable name.

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Types of Arrays in PHP

PHP mainly supports three types of arrays:

1. Indexed Array
2. Associative Array
3. Multidimensional Array

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How to Create an Array

1. Indexed Array

Uses numeric index (0,1,2,...).

Syntax

$arrayName = array(value1, value2, value3);

Example

$colors = array("Red", "Green", "Blue");
echo $colors[0];   // Red

2. Associative Array

Uses named keys instead of numbers.

Syntax

$arrayName = array(key => value);

Example

$student = array(
   "name" => "Rohit",
   "age" => 21,
   "course" => "BCA"
);
echo $student["name"];

Real-time Use: Storing database records.

3. Multidimensional Array

An array containing one or more arrays.

Example

$students = array(
   array("Rohit", 21),
   array("Amit", 22),
   array("Neha", 20)
);

echo $students[1][0];   // Amit

Real-time Use: Storing table-like data.

Short Array Syntax

$numbers = [10, 20, 30];

Exam Tip: PHP supports both traditional and short array syntax.