How to Use the PHP array_column() Function

09/09/2021

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In this article, you will learn how to use the PHP array_column() Function.

PHP array_column() Function

The array_column() function is a PHP function used to return the values from a single column of an input array.

Syntax:
array_column(array $input, mixed $column_key [, mixed $index_key = null ]) : array
Parameters:
  • $input: The input array to be processed.
  • $column_key: The column key to be used to index the values in the input array.
  • $index_key (optional): The column key to be used to index the keys of the returned array.
Example:
<?php
  $records = array(
    array(
      'id' => 2135,
      'first_name' => 'John',
      'last_name' => 'Doe',
    ),
    array(
      'id' => 3244,
      'first_name' => 'Sally',
      'last_name' => 'Smith',
    ),
    array(
      'id' => 5342,
      'first_name' => 'Jane',
      'last_name' => 'Jones',
    ),
    array(
      'id' => 5623,
      'first_name' => 'Peter',
      'last_name' => 'Doe',
    )
  );

  $first_names = array_column($records, 'first_name');
  print_r($first_names);

  // Output:
  // Array ( [0] => John [1] => Sally [2] => Jane [3] => Peter )
?>

You can also specify the $index_key to index the returned array by a specific column:

<?php
  $first_names = array_column($records, 'first_name', 'id');
  print_r($first_names);

  // Output:
  // Array ( [2135] => John [3244] => Sally [5342] => Jane [5623] => Peter )
?>
#PHP