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PHP Create Arrays

Before you can store or loop through a collection of values, you first need to actually create an array to hold them. PHP gives you a few different ways to do this -- the short array literal syntax, the older array() function form, and building one up empty and filling it in afterward -- and knowing when to reach for each makes your code read more naturally.

In this page:

  1. Creating an Array with Short Syntax
  2. Creating an Array with array()
  3. Starting Empty and Filling In Values
  4. Creating an Array with a Specific Size and Default Values
  5. Creating an Array from a Range
Syntax
php 
$array = [value1, value2, value3];
$array = array(value1, value2, value3);   // older syntax
$array = [];                              // empty array

Creating an Array with Short Syntax

The modern way to create an array is square brackets: $fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"]. This short syntax is concise, matches the syntax used to access array items, and is the style recommended in current PHP code.

Note: Use the short [] syntax by default for all new arrays -- it is shorter to type and is what most modern PHP style guides recommend.
Warning: Forgetting a comma between items in a multi-line array literal is a common typo that produces a confusing parse error.

Example: Creating an Array with Short Syntax

php 
<?php
// Declare `$fruits` as an array: `["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"]`
$fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"];
// Print a human-readable dump of `$fruits`
print_r($fruits);
?>

Creating an Array with array()

The older array() function-call syntax, $fruits = array("Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"), produces an identical array to the short [] syntax -- it is fully supported and still common in older codebases, but the short syntax is now generally preferred for new code.

Note: You will still encounter array() often in existing PHP projects; recognize it as functionally identical to [] rather than something different.
Warning: Mixing array() and [] inconsistently within the same codebase adds no functional difference but can look stylistically inconsistent.

Example: Creating an Array with array()

php 
<?php
// Declare `$fruits`, set to `array("Apple", "Banana", "Cherry")`
$fruits = array("Apple", "Banana", "Cherry");
// Print a human-readable dump of `$fruits`
print_r($fruits);
?>

Starting Empty and Filling In Values

An array does not need any values at creation time -- $items = [] starts a completely empty array, which you can then fill in afterward, one value at a time, often inside a loop that builds up the array's contents based on some other data.

Note: Starting with an empty array and appending inside a loop is the natural pattern when the array's contents come from processing other data, rather than being known values upfront.
Warning: An empty array is falsy in a boolean context, which is useful for checking "has anything been added yet" with a simple if ($items) check.

Example: Starting Empty and Filling In Values

php 
<?php
// Declare `$items` as an empty array
$items = [];
// Append "first" to the end of `$items`
$items[] = "first";
// Append "second" to the end of `$items`
$items[] = "second";
// Print a human-readable dump of `$items`
print_r($items);
?>

Creating an Array with a Specific Size and Default Values

array_fill(startIndex, count, value) creates an array of a given length where every element starts out set to the same default value, which is useful for pre-allocating a fixed-size structure like a grid or a set of default settings before filling in real values.

Note: Use array_fill when you need a predictable, fixed-size array upfront, like initializing a scoreboard of zeros before any scores come in.
Warning: array_fill's second argument is a count, not an end index -- passing the wrong number produces an array of the wrong length.

Example: Creating an Array with a Specific Size and Default Values

php 
<?php
// Declare `$grid`, set to `array_fill(0, 5, 0)`
$grid = array_fill(0, 5, 0);
// Print a human-readable dump of `$grid`
print_r($grid);
?>

Creating an Array from a Range

The range(start, end) function generates an array containing every value from start to end (inclusive), stepping by 1 by default -- a quick way to create a sequential array of numbers or even letters without writing a loop.

Note: Use range() for quickly generating sequential test data or numbered options, instead of manually typing out each value.
Warning: range() with a large span (like range(1, 1000000)) creates a correspondingly large array in memory all at once -- be mindful of the size for very large ranges.

Example: Creating an Array from a Range

php 
<?php
// Declare `$numbers`, set to `range(1, 5)`
$numbers = range(1, 5);
// Print a human-readable dump of `$numbers`
print_r($numbers);
?>
Related Topics

PHP Arrays Introduction · PHP Indexed Arrays · PHP Associative Arrays · PHP Multidimensional Arrays

{# common_mistakes/chapter_summary/browser_support: on Hindi pages the view already swaps in the hi_ translation fields (or blanks these out if untranslated), so this renders correctly for both languages without a lang_code check here. #}
Common Mistakes
  1. Using the older array(...) syntax out of habit in new code, when the shorter [...] syntax (available since PHP 5.4) is the modern, preferred style.
  2. Assuming an array must be created with all its values up front, when starting from an empty array and appending values in a loop is often the more natural approach.
  3. Mixing indexed and associative-style creation inconsistently within the same array, making its intended structure harder to read at a glance.
Chapter Summary
  • The short syntax, $arr = [1, 2, 3], is the modern, preferred way to create an array literal in PHP.
  • The older array(1, 2, 3) function-call syntax still works identically, but is considered legacy style.
  • An array can also start empty, $arr = [], and be filled in afterward using assignment or the [] append syntax.
Browser Support

The short [] array syntax has been supported since PHP 5.4; array() has worked since PHP's earliest versions.

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