element()

element($item, $array[, $default = NULL])

Lets you fetch an item from an array. The function tests whether the array index is set and whether it has a value. If a value exists it is returned. If a value does not exist it returns NULL, or whatever you’ve specified as the default value via the third parameter.

Example:

$array = array(
        'color' => 'red',
        'shape' => 'round',
        'size'  => ''
);

echo element('color', $array); // returns "red"
echo element('size', $array, 'foobar'); // returns "foobar"