How to Use PHP’s array_pop to Remove the Last Element from an Array

Understanding PHP’s array_pop Function

PHP provides the array_pop function to remove and return the last element of an array. The function accepts a single array argument passed by reference; it modifies the original array and returns the removed value, or null if the array is empty.

Function Signature

mixed array_pop ( array &$array )

Example Usage

The following script demonstrates defining an array of fruit names, using array_pop to extract the last fruit, and printing both the removed element and the remaining array.

<?php
// Define an array
$fruits = array("apple", "banana", "orange", "grape");

// Pop the last element
$last_fruit = array_pop($fruits);

// Output the popped element
echo "Popped element: " . $last_fruit . "
";

// Output the remaining array
echo "Remaining array:
";
print_r($fruits);
?>

Running the script produces:

Popped element: grape
Remaining array:
Array
(
    [0] => apple
    [1] => banana
    [2] => orange
)

As shown, array_pop removes “grape” from the original array and returns it, leaving the array with the remaining fruit names.

Key Takeaway

Using array_pop is a simple and effective way to handle the last element of an array in PHP, especially when you need to both retrieve and delete that element.