Array Destructuring is a process where the values of an array can be directly assigned to separate variables. This makes the code simpler and more readable.
Basic Syntax
Array destructuring uses square brackets [] to assign array elements to variables.
Example:
$array = [1, 2, 3];
// Destructuring the array
[$a, $b, $c] = $array;
echo $a; // Output: 1
echo $b; // Output: 2
echo $c; // Output: 3
Skipping Elements
You can skip elements in the array by omitting variables in the destructuring assignment.
Example:
$array = [1, 2, 3];
// Skipping the second element
[$a, , $c] = $array;
echo $a; // Output: 1
echo $c; // Output: 3
Destructuring Associative Arrays
For associative arrays, you can use keys to extract specific values.
Example:
$user = [
'name' => 'John',
'age' => 25,
'email' => 'john@example.com'
];
// Destructuring associative array
['name' => $name, 'email' => $email] = $user;
echo $name; // Output: John
echo $email; // Output: john@example.com
Nested Array Destructuring
You can also destructure nested arrays.
Example:
$data = [
[1, 2],
[3, 4]
];
// Destructuring nested arrays
[[$a, $b], [$c, $d]] = $data;
echo $a; // Output: 1
echo $b; // Output: 2
echo $c; // Output: 3
echo $d; // Output: 4
Swapping Variables
Array destructuring can be used to swap the values of two variables without needing a temporary variable.
Example:
$a = 5;
$b = 10;
// Swapping values
[$a, $b] = [$b, $a];
echo $a; // Output: 10
echo $b; // Output: 5
Looping
<?php
// Define an array of products
$products = [
['id' => 101, 'name' => 'Laptop', 'price' => 999.99],
['id' => 102, 'name' => 'Phone', 'price' => 499.99],
];
// Loop through each product using array destructuring
foreach ($products as ['id' => $id, 'name' => $name, 'price' => $price]) {
// Print product details
echo "Product ID: $id, Name: $name, Price: $price\n";
}
/*
Output:
Product ID: 101, Name: Laptop, Price: 999.99
Product ID: 102, Name: Phone, Price: 499.99
*/
Practical Use Case
Array destructuring is particularly useful when working with functions that return arrays, such as parse_url(), explode(), or database query results. By using array destructuring, you can directly assign specific elements or keys from the returned array to variables, making the code more readable and concise.
Note that you must define the exact key names returned by these methods, as array destructuring relies on matching the keys or indexes in the array.
Example:
<?php
$url = 'https://example.com/products?category=electronics&page=2';
[
'path' => $path,
'query' => $query,
] = parse_url($url);
echo "Path: $path\n"; // Output: Path: /products
echo "Query: $query\n"; // Output: Query: category=electronics&page=2