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The array_pad Function

The array_pad function pads an array to a specified size with a value. The first parameter is the array to pad, the second parameter is the target size, and the third is the padding value.

The second parameter can be negative - in this case, the array will be padded from the beginning, not from the end.

Syntax

array_pad(array $array, int $length, mixed $value): array

Example

Let's pad the array with zeros so that its size becomes 7 elements:

<?php $arr = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e']; $res = array_pad($arr, 7, 0); var_dump($res); ?>

Code execution result:

['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 0, 0]

Example

Now the array already has 7 elements - so it won't be padded with anything:

<?php $arr = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g']; $res = array_pad($arr, 7, 0); var_dump($res); ?>

Code execution result:

['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g']

Example

Let's make the second parameter negative. In this case, the array will be padded from the beginning, not from the end:

<?php $arr = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e']; $res = array_pad($arr, -7, 0); var_dump($res); ?>

Code execution result:

[0, 0, 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e']

See Also

  • the array_fill function,
    which fills an array with values
  • the range function,
    which creates an array containing a range of elements
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