PHP list (original) (raw)

Summary: in this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use the PHP list syntax to assign multiple variables in one operation.

Introduction to the PHP list syntax #

Suppose you have an array that contains two numbers:

`<?php

$prices = [100, 0.1];`Code language: PHP (php)

To assign each element of the $prices array to variables, you’ll do it like this:

`<?php

$pices = [100, 0.1]; buyprice=buy_price = buyp​rice=prices[0]; tax=tax = tax=price[1];`Code language: PHP (php)

The code assigns the first element and second element of the array $prices to $buy_price and $tax variables respectively. But you need two assignments to assign two two array elements to two variables.

PHP provides the list() construct that assigns the elements of an array to a list of variables in one assignment:

list(var1, var2, ...) = $array;Code language: PHP (php)

For example:

`<?php

$prices = [100, 0.1]; list($buy_price, tax)=tax) = tax)=prices;

var_dump( buyprice,buy_price, buyp​rice,tax );`Code language: PHP (php)

Try it

Output:

int(100) float(0.1)Code language: CSS (css)

In this example, the list assigns the first element of the pricesarraytotheprices array to the pricesarraytothebuy_price variable and the second element of the $price array to the $tax variable.

Note that like array(), list() is not a function but a language construct.

PHP list examples #

Let’s take some examples of using the list construct.

1) Using a list to skip array elements #

The following example uses the list to assign the first and the third element to variables. It skips the second element:

`<?php

$prices = [100, 0.1, 0.05];

list($buy_price, , discount)=discount) = discount)=prices; echo "The price is buypricewiththediscountofbuy_price with the discount of buyp​ricewiththediscountofdiscount";`Code language: PHP (php)

Try it

Output:

The price is 100 with the discount of 0.05Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

2) Using the nested list to assign variables #

The following example uses the nested list to assign the array’s elements to the variables:

`<?php

$elements = ['body', ['white','blue']]; list($element, list($bgcolor, color))=color)) = color))=elements;

var_dump($element, bgcolor,bgcolor, bgcolor,color);`Code language: PHP (php)

Try it

Output:

string(4) "body" string(5) "white" string(4) "blue" Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

3) Using a PHP list with an associative array #

Starting from PHP 7.1.0, you can use the list construct to assign elements of an associative array to variables. For example:

`<?php

$person = [ 'first_name' => 'John', 'last_name' => 'Doe', 'age' => 25 ];

list( 'first_name' => $first_name, 'last_name' => $last_name, 'age' => age)=age) = age)=person;

var_dump($first_name, lastname,last_name, lastn​ame,age); `Code language: PHP (php)

Try it

Output:

string(4) "John" string(3) "Doe" int(25)Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

Summary #

• Use PHP list() construct to assign multiple variables in one operation.

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