Indexed array creation in PHP - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Indexed array creation

📖 Scenario: You are creating a simple list of fruits to use in a grocery app.

🎯 Goal: Build a PHP program that creates an indexed array of fruits, adds a new fruit, and then prints the full list.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create an indexed array with exact fruit names

Add one more fruit to the array

Use a loop to access all fruits

Print the fruits in order

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Arrays are used to store lists of items like fruits, products, or users in many web applications.

💼 Career

Knowing how to create and manipulate arrays is a basic skill for PHP developers working on websites and backend systems.

1

Create the initial indexed array

Create an indexed array called $fruits with these exact values in order: 'Apple', 'Banana', 'Cherry'.

PHP

# Create the array called $fruits with 'Apple', 'Banana', 'Cherry'
# Your code here

Hint

Use square brackets [] to create an indexed array in PHP.

2

Add a new fruit to the array

Add the fruit 'Date' to the end of the $fruits array using the array append syntax.

PHP

<?php
$fruits = ['Apple', 'Banana', 'Cherry'];
# Add 'Date' to the end of $fruits
# Your code here

Hint

Use $fruits[] = 'Date'; to add an item to the end of an indexed array.

3

Loop through the array

Use a foreach loop with variable $fruit to go through each item in $fruits.

PHP

<?php
$fruits = ['Apple', 'Banana', 'Cherry'];
$fruits[] = 'Date';
# Use foreach loop to access each $fruit in $fruits
# Your code here

Hint

Use foreach ($fruits as $fruit) to loop through all fruits.

4

Print all fruits

Inside the foreach loop, print each $fruit followed by a newline using echo.

PHP

<?php
$fruits = ['Apple', 'Banana', 'Cherry'];
$fruits[] = 'Date';
foreach ($fruits as $fruit) {
    # Print $fruit followed by a newline
    # Your code here
}

Hint

Use echo $fruit . "\n"; to print each fruit on its own line.

Practice

1. Which of the following correctly creates an indexed array with three elements in PHP?

easy

A. $arr = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"];

B. $arr = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"};

C. $arr = ("apple", "banana", "cherry");

D. $arr = array:"apple", "banana", "cherry";

Solution

1. Step 1: Recognize PHP array syntax

   PHP indexed arrays can be created using square brackets [] or the array() function.

2. Step 2: Check each option's syntax

   $arr = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]; uses [] with comma-separated values, which is correct. Options A, B, and C use invalid syntax for arrays.

3. Final Answer:

   $arr = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]; -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Correct array syntax = $arr = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]; [OK]

Hint: Use square brackets [] or array() to create indexed arrays [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using curly braces {} instead of []
• Using parentheses () without array()
• Incorrect use of colons or other symbols

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to create an indexed array with the elements 10, 20, and 30 in PHP?

easy

A. $numbers = [10; 20; 30];

B. $numbers = array(10, 20, 30);

C. $numbers = (10, 20, 30);

D. $numbers = {10, 20, 30};

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall PHP array creation syntax

   PHP allows creating arrays using array() with parentheses and comma-separated values.

2. Step 2: Validate each option

   $numbers = array(10, 20, 30); uses array() correctly. Options B, C, and D use invalid separators or brackets.

3. Final Answer:

   $numbers = array(10, 20, 30); -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   array() with commas = $numbers = array(10, 20, 30); [OK]

Hint: Use commas inside array() or [] to separate elements [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using semicolons instead of commas
• Using parentheses without array()
• Using curly braces for arrays

3. What will be the output of the following PHP code?

$fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"];
echo $fruits[1];

medium

A. banana

B. apple

C. cherry

D. Error

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand array indexing

   Indexed arrays start at index 0, so $fruits[0] = "apple", $fruits[1] = "banana".

2. Step 2: Identify the echoed element

   The code echoes $fruits[1], which is "banana".

3. Final Answer:

   banana -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Index 1 element = banana [OK]

Hint: Remember PHP arrays start at index 0 [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing index 1 with index 0
• Expecting output of entire array
• Syntax errors from missing semicolons

4. Identify the error in the following PHP code that tries to create an indexed array:

$colors = array["red", "green", "blue"];

medium

A. Array elements must be integers

B. Missing semicolon at the end

C. Using double quotes instead of single quotes

D. Using square brackets [] instead of parentheses () with array

Solution

1. Step 1: Check array() function syntax

   The array() function requires parentheses (), not square brackets [].

2. Step 2: Identify the syntax error

   The code uses array[ ... ] which is invalid syntax and causes an error.

3. Final Answer:

   Using square brackets [] instead of parentheses () with array -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   array() needs () not [] [OK]

Hint: Use parentheses () with array(), not square brackets [] [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing array() with [] syntax
• Forgetting semicolon (though present here)
• Thinking quotes type matters for array creation

5. You want to create an indexed array of numbers from 1 to 5 in PHP without manually listing each number. Which code correctly does this?

hard

A. $numbers = array(1 to 5);

B. $numbers = [1..5];

C. $numbers = range(1, 5);

D. $numbers = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall PHP function for range creation

   PHP provides the range() function to create arrays with sequences of numbers.

2. Step 2: Evaluate each option

   $numbers = range(1, 5); uses range(1, 5) correctly. Options A, B, and D use invalid syntax or unsupported constructs.

3. Final Answer:

   $numbers = range(1, 5); -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use range() for sequences [OK]

Hint: Use range(start, end) to create number arrays quickly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using invalid range syntax like [1..5]
• Trying to write '1 to 5' inside array()
• Using curly braces {} for arrays