array_search¶
array_search() is a native PHP function that searches an array for a value and returns the corresponding key if found, or false if not found.
It is often used to check if a value exists in an array. When the presence of the value is the main goal of the check, it is advantageously replaced by in_array(). Otherwise, this function is prone to the same trap as strpos(): the returned key may be 0, the first element, which is confused with false in a loose comparison.
array_search() performs a loose comparison by default. Pass true as the third argument to enable strict comparison.
<?php
$colors = ['red', 'green', 'blue'];
if(array_search('red', $colors)) {
print "Found red.";
}
// Error! 'red' is at key 0, which is confused with false
if(array_search('red', $colors)) {
print "Found red.";
}
// This is OK
if(array_search('red', $colors) !== false) {
print "Found red.";
}
?>
See also How to Search in a PHP Associative Array — Fast tips.
Related : Strpos() Syndrome, Identical Operator, in_array()
