PHP to determine if a variable is an array

PHP to Determine if a Variable is an Array

Code Solution

<?php

// Check if a variable is an array using `is_array()` function
if (is_array($variable)) {
    // The variable is an array
} else {
    // The variable is not an array
}

// Check if a variable is an array in a more versatile way (using `var_dump()`)
var_dump(is_array($variable));

?>

Explanation

The is_array() function in PHP is used to determine if a variable is an array. It takes a variable as an argument and returns true if the variable is an array, and false otherwise.

The var_dump() function is a versatile function that can be used to display information about a variable. When used with is_array(), it can provide more detailed information about the variable, including its type and value.

Implementation

To implement this solution effectively, you can use the following steps:

1. Include the is_array() function in your code.
2. Pass the variable you want to check to the is_array() function.
3. Check the return value of the is_array() function to determine if the variable is an array.
4. Use the var_dump() function to display more detailed information about the variable, if needed.

Example

The following example shows how to use the is_array() function to determine if a variable is an array:

<?php

$array = array(1, 2, 3);
$not_array = "Hello world!";

if (is_array($array)) {
    echo "The variable \$array is an array.";
} else {
    echo "The variable \$array is not an array.";
}

echo "<br>";

if (is_array($not_array)) {
    echo "The variable \$not_array is an array.";
} else {
    echo "The variable \$not_array is not an array.";
}

?>

Output

The output of the above example will be:

The variable $array is an array.
The variable $not_array is not an array.