4.13.1. ProblemYou want to locate entries in an array that meet certain requirements. 4.13.2. SolutionUse a foreach loop: $movies = array(...); foreach ($movies as $movie) { if ($movie['box_office_gross'] < 5000000) { $flops[] = $movie; } } Or array_filter( ): $movies = array(...); function flops($movie) { return ($movie['box_office_gross'] < 5000000) ? 1 : 0; } $flops = array_filter($movies, 'flops'); 4.13.3. DiscussionThe foreach loops are simple: you iterate through the data and append elements to the return array that match your criteria. If you want only the first such element, exit the loop using break: foreach ($movies as $movie) { if ($movie['box_office_gross'] > 200000000) { $blockbuster = $movie; break; } } You can also return directly from a function: function blockbuster($movies) { foreach ($movies as $movie) { if ($movie['box_office_gross'] > 200000000) { return $movie; } } } With array_filter( ), however, you first create a callback function that returns TRue for values you want to keep and false for values you don't. Using array_filter( ), you then instruct PHP to process the array as you do in the foreach. It's impossible to bail out early from array_filter( ), so foreach provides more flexibility and is simpler to understand. Also, it's one of the few cases in which the built-in PHP function doesn't clearly outperform user-level code. 4.13.4. See AlsoDocumentation on array_filter( ) at http://www.php.net/array-filter. |