How to Use PHP’s array_unshift to Add Elements at the Beginning of an Array

array_unshift() Syntax

The array_unshift() function adds one or more elements to the beginning of an array and returns the new length of the array.

array_unshift(array, value1, value2, ...)

Example: Adding a Single Element

$fruits = array("apple", "banana", "cherry");
array_unshift($fruits, "orange");

Resulting array:

array("orange", "apple", "banana", "cherry")

Example: Adding Multiple Elements

array_unshift($fruits, "pear", "grape");

Resulting array:

array("pear", "grape", "orange", "apple", "banana", "cherry")

Example: Adding an Array

$more_fruits = array("melon", "kiwi");
array_unshift($fruits, $more_fruits);

Resulting array:

array(array("melon", "kiwi"), "pear", "grape", "orange", "apple", "banana", "cherry")

Important Considerations

Because array_unshift() modifies the original array, you should back up the array beforehand if you need to preserve the original data.

Conclusion

array_unshift()

is a versatile PHP function for prepending one or more values—whether strings, numbers, booleans, or even another array—to the start of an existing array, making it useful in scenarios such as adding new items to a shopping‑cart list or inserting the latest post at the top of a blog feed.