PHP array_merge() Function: Syntax, Examples, and Usage Guide

PHP provides many powerful functions for handling arrays, and one very useful function is array_merge() . This function can merge multiple arrays into a new array and return that new array. In this article we will explore the usage of array_merge() and several examples.

The syntax of array_merge() is very simple:

array_merge ( array $array1 [, array $... ] ) : array

The array_merge() function accepts multiple arrays as parameters and returns a merged new array.

Below are some example codes using array_merge() :

Example 1: Merge two arrays

$array1 = array('apple', 'banana', 'orange');
$array2 = array('kiwi', 'melon', 'grape');
$result = array_merge($array1, $array2);
print_r($result);

Output result:

Array
(
    [0] => apple
    [1] => banana
    [2] => orange
    [3] => kiwi
    [4] => melon
    [5] => grape
)

In this example we have two arrays $array1 and $array2 . By calling array_merge() we combine them into a new array $result , which contains all elements from the original arrays.

Example 2: Merge multiple arrays

$array1 = array('apple', 'banana', 'orange');
$array2 = array('kiwi', 'melon', 'grape');
$array3 = array('strawberry', 'pineapple');
$result = array_merge($array1, $array2, $array3);
print_r($result);

Output result:

Array
(
    [0] => apple
    [1] => banana
    [2] => orange
    [3] => kiwi
    [4] => melon
    [5] => grape
    [6] => strawberry
    [7] => pineapple
)

This example shows three arrays $array1 , $array2 , and $array3 . Calling array_merge() merges them into a single new array $result , which includes every element from the three source arrays.

Example 3: Merge associative arrays

$array1 = array('name' => 'John', 'age' => 25);
$array2 = array('name' => 'Jane', 'email' => '[email protected]');
$result = array_merge($array1, $array2);
print_r($result);

Output result:

Array
(
    [name] => Jane
    [age] => 25
    [email] => [email protected]
)

Here we have two associative arrays $array1 and $array2 . Both contain the same key name . When merged with array_merge() , the later array’s value overwrites the earlier one, so the resulting array keeps the last value for duplicate keys.

Summary

The array_merge() function is a very useful tool for combining multiple arrays into a new array. It works with both indexed and associative arrays, offering a concise and efficient way to handle data. In practice you can merge as many arrays as needed, making data manipulation more flexible and convenient.

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