Using PHP's array_push() Function: Syntax, Parameters, Return Value, and Practical Examples

PHP is a widely used server‑side scripting language, and array_push() is a core built‑in function that appends one or more values to the end of an array.

Basic syntax :

array_push ( array &$array , mixed $value1 [, mixed $... ] ) : int

The first argument $array is passed by reference and must be an existing array; $value1 and any subsequent arguments are optional values of any type that will be added to the array.

The function returns the new total number of elements in the array after the push operation.

Example 1 – Adding a single value :

$names = array('Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie');
array_push($names, 'David');
print_r($names); // Output: Array ( [0] => Alice [1] => Bob [2] => Charlie [3] => David )

This creates an array $names with three names, then uses array_push() to append "David" as the fourth element, and finally prints the updated array.

Example 2 – Adding multiple values :

$colors = array('red', 'green', 'blue');
array_push($colors, 'yellow', 'purple');
print_r($colors); // Output: Array ( [0] => red [1] => green [2] => blue [3] => yellow [4] => purple )

Here, two new color strings are appended to the $colors array in a single call to array_push().

Conclusion

The array_push() function is a convenient way to add new elements to the end of an array in PHP, returning the updated element count and operating directly on the original array because the array argument is passed by reference.