PHP append to array - How to add elements to an array

To append an element to an array, you can use either the array_push() function or the index assignment syntax.

The array_push() function accepts at least two arguments:

• The $array you want to add new elements into
• The $values you want to append to the $array

You can pass as many $values that you want to append to the array.

Here’s an example of the array_push() function in action:

<?php

$arr = [1, 2];

// 👇 append to array
array_push($arr, 3, 4, 5);

print_r($arr);
// 👇 output:
// Array
// (
//     [0] => 1
//     [1] => 2
//     [2] => 3
//     [3] => 4
//     [4] => 5
// )

The array_push() function will add new array elements to the end of the array.

Alternatively, you can also use the array index assignment syntax in the form of $arr[] = to append an element to the array.

Consider the code example below:

<?php

$arr = [1, 2];

// 👇 append to array
$arr[] = 3;
$arr[] = 4;
$arr[] = 5;

print_r($arr);
// 👇 output:
// Array
// (
//     [0] => 1
//     [1] => 2
//     [2] => 3
//     [3] => 4
//     [4] => 5
// )

As you can see, both the array_push() function and the index assignment syntax produce the same result.

Which method should you use to append elements to an array?

When you need to add a single element to your array, it’s better to use the index assignment syntax to eliminate the overhead of calling a function.

But if you have several elements to add to an existing array, then you should use the array_push() function. Using the index assignment syntax causes you to repeat your code as seen above.

And now you’ve learned how to append elements to an array. Nice! 👍