asort
The description says that compact is the opposite of extract() but it is important to understand that it does not completely reverse extract(). In particluar compact() does not unset() the argument variables given to it (and that extract() may have created). If you want the individual variables to be unset after they are combined into an array then you have to do that yourself.
compact
(PHP 4, PHP 5)
compact — Create array containing variables and their values
Description
Creates an array containing variables and their values.
For each of these, compact() looks for a variable with that name in the current symbol table and adds it to the output array such that the variable name becomes the key and the contents of the variable become the value for that key. In short, it does the opposite of extract().
Any strings that are not set will simply be skipped.
Parameters
-
varname -
compact() takes a variable number of parameters. Each parameter can be either a string containing the name of the variable, or an array of variable names. The array can contain other arrays of variable names inside it; compact() handles it recursively.
Return Values
Returns the output array with all the variables added to it.
Examples
Example #1 compact() example
<?php
$city = "San Francisco";
$state = "CA";
$event = "SIGGRAPH";
$location_vars = array("city", "state");
$result = compact("event", "nothing_here", $location_vars);
print_r($result);
?>
The above example will output:
Array
(
[event] => SIGGRAPH
[city] => San Francisco
[state] => CA
)
Notes
Note: Gotcha
Because variable variables may not be used with PHP's Superglobal arrays within functions, the Superglobal arrays may not be passed into compact().
add a note
User Contributed Notes
compact - [8 notes]
Robc ¶
2 years ago
tatarynowicz at gmail dot com ¶
2 years ago
Please note that compact() will _not_ issue a warning if the specified variable name is undefined.
M Spreij ¶
6 years ago
Can also handy for debugging, to quickly show a bunch of variables and their values:
<?php
print_r(compact(explode(' ', 'count acw cols coldepth')));
?>
gives
Array
(
[count] => 70
[acw] => 9
[cols] => 7
[coldepth] => 10
)
hericklr at gmail dot com ¶
8 years ago
The compact function doesn't work inside the classes or functions.
I think its escope is local...
Above it is a code to help about it.
Comments & Suggestions are welcome.
PS: Sorry for my poor english...
<?php
function x_compact()
{ if(func_num_args()==0)
{ return false; }
$m=array();
function attach($val)
{ global $m;
if((!is_numeric($val)) && array_key_exists($val,$GLOBALS))
{ $m[$val]=$GLOBALS[$val];}
}
function sub($par)
{ global $m;
if(is_array($par))
{ foreach($par as $cel)
{ if(is_array($cel))
{ sub($cel); }
else
{ attach($cel); }
}
}
else
{ attach($par); }
return $m;
}
for($i=0;$i<func_num_args();$i++)
{ $arg=func_get_arg($i);
sub($arg);
}
return sub($arg);
}
?>
piedone at pyrocenter dot hu ¶
2 years ago
A quick way of compacting all local variables:
<?php
$localVariables = compact(array_keys(get_defined_vars()));
?>
This is useful if you want to return all local variables from a function/method or you want to pass all local variables to one. A valid example would be to use this with application hooks/events (if you want the called hook to be able to modify everything in the caller), but otherwise use with care (as methods should be used through their declared interface).
packard_bell_nec at hotmail dot com ¶
5 years ago
You can check whether a variable is defined by using array_key_exists()!
First, you may ask that no reserved array (would be called $LOCALS) is predefined in function scope (contrast to reserved array $GLOBALS in global scope. To solve it, you can use compact().
Then, you may ask that why property_exists() cannot be used. This is because no reserved function is predefined to create OBJECT containing variables and their values, and no reserved function is predefined to import variables into the current symbol table from an OBJECT. In addition, property_exists() breaks the naming convention of reserved function.
Finally, I show how to check whether a variable is defined by using array_key_exists():
<?php
function too(){
$roo = array_key_exists('foo', compact('foo'));
echo ($roo?'1':'0').'<br/>';
$foo = null;
$roo = array_key_exists('foo', compact('foo'));
echo ($roo?'1':'0').'<br/>';
}
too();
?>
The output will be:
0<br/>
1<br/>
mijllirg at wearethedotin dot com ¶
7 years ago
You might could think of it as ${$var}. So, if you variable is not accessible with the ${$var} it will not working with this function. Examples being inside of function or class where you variable is not present.
<?php
$foo = 'bar';
function blah()
{
// this will no work since the $foo is not in scope
$somthin = compact('foo'); // you get empty array
}
?>
PS: Sorry for my poor english...
pillepop2003 at yahoo dot de ¶
8 years ago
Use the following piece of code if you want to insert a value into an array at a path that is extracted from a string.
Example:
You have a syntax like 'a|b|c|d' which represents the array structure, and you want to insert a value X into the array at the position $array['a']['b']['c']['d'] = X.
<?
function array_path_insert(&$array, $path, $value)
{
$path_el = split('\|', $path);
$arr_ref =& $array;
for($i = 0; $i < sizeof($path_el); $i++)
{
$arr_ref =& $arr_ref[$path_el[$i]];
}
$arr_ref = $value;
}
$array['a']['b']['f'] = 4;
$path = 'a|b|d|e';
$value = 'hallo';
array_path_insert($array, $path, $value);
/* var_dump($array) returns:
array(1) {
["a"]=>
&array(1) {
["b"]=>
&array(2) {
["f"]=>
int(4)
["d"]=>
&array(1) {
["e"]=>
string(5) "hallo"
}
}
}
*/
?>
Rock on
Philipp