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

In PHP we often need to manipulate array data; sometimes we need to retrieve the last element of an array.

The built-in array_pop function removes and returns the last element of an array.

Syntax: mixed array_pop ( array &$array ) If the array is empty the function returns null.

Example:

<?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);
?>

The script defines a $fruits array, uses array_pop to remove “grape”, stores it in $last_fruit, and prints both the removed value and the remaining array.

Running the code produces:

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

Summary

Using PHP’s array_pop makes it easy to pop and retrieve the last element of an array, a useful tool for array data handling.