There are a few different ways to check if array empty php. In this blog post, we’ll talk about how to do that, why you might want to, the pros and cons, and when you should use each method.
Ways to check out:
1.The first way to check if an array is empty is by using the empty() function.
The syntax for this is pretty straightforward:
if (empty($array)) { // do something }
This will return true if the array is empty or false if it’s not. Pretty simple, right? Now let’s talk about when you might want to use this approach.
- One reason you might want to use the empty() function is for efficiency. If all you care about is whether or not the array is empty, using empty() will be faster than using count(). That’s because empty() doesn’t have to loop through the entire array to determine if it’s empty or not; it just checks if there are any values in the array at all.
- Another reason you might want choice this particular approach is because of what counts as “empty.” For our purposes, “empty” means that there are no elements in the array whatsoever. But what if you had an array of objects and one of the properties on those objects was set to null? In that case, using empty() would still return true even though, technically, there are values in the array.
2. So now, let’s talk about another way to check if an array is “empty.”
This time we’ll use the count() function:
if (count($array) === 0) { // do something } // alternatively… // if (count($array) == 0) { // do something }
This will also return true if the array is empty and false otherwise.
- The main benefit of using count() over empty() is that it’s more flexible; you can specify what counts as “empty” by changing what comparison operator you use. For example, instead of checking if the number of elements in the array === 0, you could check if it <= 10 or whatever other criteria you wanted.
- The downside of using count(), however, is that it’s less efficient than using empty(). That’s because count() has to loop through the entire contents of the array before it can determine how many elements are in it, whereas empty() just checks whether or not there are any values at all.
So if all you care about is whether or not there are any values in the array, stick with using empty(). But if you need more flexibility about what counts as “empty,” then go with using count().
3. $array:
This third option might look a little strange at first glance, but all it’s doing is negating (or “flipping”) a boolean value. So if $array returns true—i.e., it contains values—then !$array will return false because we’ve negated it.
- Likewise, if $array returns false—i.e., it doesn’t contain any values—then !$array will return true because we’ve negated it. In other words, this will also return true when the array contains no values and false otherwise.
- Notice that we don’t need to use parentheses here as we did with the previous two options; that’s perfectly valid, but for our purposes, they’re unnecessary since we’re only working with a single value (i.e., $array).
Conclusion:
As you can see, there are a few different ways to check whether an Array Is Empty in PHP. The most important thing is deciding which approach makes sense for your particular situation. Hopefully, this blog post has helped clear things up. Happy coding!