current

(PHP 4, PHP 5, PHP 7)

Return the current element in an array

mixed current ( array &$array )

Every array has an internal pointer to its "current" element, which is initialized to the first element inserted into the array.

Parameters:

array

The array.

Returns:

The current() function simply returns the value of the array element that's currently being pointed to by the internal pointer. It does not move the pointer in any way. If the internal pointer points beyond the end of the elements list or the array is empty, current() returns FALSE.

Warning

This function may return Boolean FALSE, but may also return a non-Boolean value which evaluates to FALSE. Please read the section on Booleans for more information. Use the === operator for testing the return value of this function.

Notes:

You won't be able to distinguish the end of an array from a boolean FALSE element. To properly traverse an array which may contain FALSE elements, see the each() function.

Examples:

Example use of current() and friends

<?php
$transport = array('foot', 'bike', 'car', 'plane');
$mode = current($transport); // $mode = 'foot';
$mode = next($transport);    // $mode = 'bike';
$mode = current($transport); // $mode = 'bike';
$mode = prev($transport);    // $mode = 'foot';
$mode = end($transport);     // $mode = 'plane';
$mode = current($transport); // $mode = 'plane';

$arr = array();
var_dump(current($arr)); // bool(false)

$arr = array(array());
var_dump(current($arr)); // array(0) { }
?>