Learning PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, and CSS, 2nd Edition

Basic Access

We’ve already looked at arrays as if they were clusters of matchboxes glued together. Another way to think of an array is like a string of beads, with the beads representing variables that can be numbers, strings, or even other arrays. They are like bead strings, because each element has its own location and (with the exception of the first and last ones) each has other elements on either side.

Some arrays are referenced by numeric indexes; others allow alphanumeric identifiers. Built-in functions let you sort them, add or remove sections, and walk through them to handle each item through a special kind of loop. And by placing one or more arrays inside another, you can create arrays of two, three, or any number of dimensions.

Numerically Indexed Arrays

Let’s assume that you’ve been tasked with creating a simple website for a local office supplies company and you’re currently working on the section devoted to paper. One way to manage the various items of stock in this category would be to place them in a numeric array. You can see the simplest way of doing so in Example 6-1.

Example 6-1. Adding items to an array

<?php
$paper[] = "Copier";
$paper[] = "Inkjet";
$paper[] = "Laser";
$paper[] = "Photo";

print_r($paper);
?>

In this example, each time you assign a value to the array $paper, the first empty location within that array is used to store the value and a pointer internal to PHP is incremented to point to the next free location, ready for future insertions. The familiar ...