Backend Development 3 min read

Using array_pad() to Pad an Array to a Specified Length in PHP

This article explains PHP's array_pad() function, detailing its purpose, parameters, return behavior, and provides multiple code examples demonstrating padding arrays to a specified length from both left and right sides, including edge cases.

Laravel Tech Community
Laravel Tech Community
Laravel Tech Community
Using array_pad() to Pad an Array to a Specified Length in PHP

The array_pad() function in PHP returns a copy of the input array padded to a length defined by $pad_size using the value $pad_value . If $pad_size is positive, padding is added to the right; if negative, padding is added to the left. No padding occurs when the absolute value of $pad_size is less than or equal to the original array length, and up to 1,048,576 elements can be added in a single call.

Syntax

array_pad(array $input, int $pad_size, mixed $pad_value)

Parameters

input : The original array to be padded.

pad_size : The desired length of the new array.

pad_value : The value used for padding; applied only when the original array is shorter than $pad_size .

Return value

Returns a new array containing the original elements plus any added padding according to the rules above.

Examples

```php ```

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