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

In PHP, the array_pop function is a convenient way to pop the last element off an array and return it.

Function Syntax

The function accepts a single argument – the array to be processed – and modifies the original array by removing its final element. If the array is empty, null is returned.

mixed array_pop ( array &$array )

Example Usage

The following code defines an array of fruit names, uses array_pop to extract the last fruit, and then prints both the popped value 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);
?>

Result

Running the script produces:

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

As shown, array_pop removed "grape" from the original array and returned it, leaving the array with the remaining fruit names.

Conclusion

The array_pop function is a simple yet powerful tool for handling array data in PHP, especially when you need to retrieve and discard the last element of a list.