PHP Academy · Lesson

Indexed and Associative Arrays

Create and access both types of PHP arrays.

Indexed and Associative Arrays is a free PHP Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 1 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the PHP Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

Arrays in PHP

PHP arrays are ordered maps — they can act as lists, dictionaries, stacks, and queues. Two main flavors:

Indexed arrays — numeric keys (0, 1, 2…)
Associative arrays — string keys

Creating Indexed Arrays

Use the short array syntax [] or array():

<?php
$colors = ['red', 'green', 'blue'];    // short syntax
$nums   = array(10, 20, 30);            // long syntax

echo $colors[0]; // red
echo $nums[2];   // 30
echo count($colors); // 3

Adding and Removing Elements

Append with [], remove with unset():

<?php
$items = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
$items[] = 'd';      // append
$items[] = 'e';

unset($items[1]);    // remove 'b'

print_r($items);
// [0=>'a', 2=>'c', 3=>'d', 4=>'e'] — index gap!

Associative Arrays

Use string keys to create a dictionary-like structure:

<?php
$person = [
    'name'  => 'Alice',
    'age'   => 30,
    'email' => 'alice@example.com',
];

echo $person['name'];   // Alice
$person['city'] = 'London';  // add new key
unset($person['email']);      // remove key

Checking Key Existence

Test whether a key or value exists in an array:

<?php
$config = ['debug' => false, 'version' => '2.0'];

var_dump(array_key_exists('debug', $config));  // true
var_dump(isset($config['debug']));             // false! debug=false, not NULL
var_dump(in_array('2.0', $config));            // true

array_key_exists vs isset

isset() returns false for keys with NULL values; array_key_exists() returns true even for NULL values:

<?php
$data = ['key' => null];

var_dump(isset($data['key']));              // false
var_dump(array_key_exists('key', $data));  // true

Array Unpacking

Destructure arrays into variables with the short list syntax:

<?php
$point = [10, 20, 30];
[$x, $y, $z] = $point;
echo "x=$x y=$y z=$z"; // x=10 y=20 z=30

// Skip elements
[, $second] = [1, 2, 3];
echo $second; // 2

Merging Arrays

Combine arrays with array_merge() or the spread operator:

<?php
$a = ['x' => 1, 'y' => 2];
$b = ['y' => 99, 'z' => 3];

$merged = array_merge($a, $b);
print_r($merged); // x=>1, y=>99 (b overwrites), z=>3

$union = $a + $b;
print_r($union);  // x=>1, y=>2 (a wins), z=>3

Array Slicing

Extract a portion of an array with array_slice():

<?php
$letters = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e'];

$slice = array_slice($letters, 1, 3);
print_r($slice); // ['b', 'c', 'd']

$last2 = array_slice($letters, -2);
print_r($last2); // ['d', 'e']

Stack and Queue Operations

PHP arrays double as stacks and queues:

<?php
$stack = [];
array_push($stack, 'a', 'b');
$top = array_pop($stack);  // 'b' — LIFO

$queue = ['first', 'second'];
array_push($queue, 'third');
$front = array_shift($queue);  // 'first' — FIFO

array_unshift($queue, 'zero'); // prepend

compact and extract

compact() builds an associative array from variable names; extract() does the reverse:

<?php
$name = 'Alice';
$age  = 30;

$data = compact('name', 'age');
// ['name' => 'Alice', 'age' => 30]

extract(['city' => 'London', 'country' => 'UK']);
echo $city;    // London
echo $country; // UK

Quick Check

What does array_key_exists('key', $arr) return when the key exists but its value is NULL?

Recap: Indexed and Associative Arrays

PHP array fundamentals:

Indexed arrays use numeric keys; associative use string keys
Append with $arr[] = value
Check keys: array_key_exists() vs isset()
Destructure with [$a, $b] = $arr
Merge with array_merge() or + (different override rules)
Stack/queue ops: push, pop, shift, unshift

Frequently asked questions

Is the “Indexed and Associative Arrays” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Indexed and Associative Arrays” is free to read here on the web, and the PHP Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the PHP Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “Indexed and Associative Arrays”?

Create and access both types of PHP arrays. You practise PHP Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start PHP Academy?

No prior experience is required. PHP Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 1 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “Indexed and Associative Arrays” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this PHP Academy lesson?

Yes. Every PHP Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

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