list

(PHP 4, PHP 5, PHP 7)

Assign variables as if they were an array

array list ( mixed $var1 [, mixed $... ] )

Like array(), this is not really a function, but a language construct. list() is used to assign a list of variables in one operation.

Parameters:

var1

A variable.

Returns:

Returns the assigned array.

Changelog:

7.0.0

The order that the assignment operations are performed in has changed.

7.0.0

list()

7.0.0

Strings can no longer be unpacked.

Notes:

list() only works on numerical arrays and assumes the numerical indices start at 0.

Examples:

list() examples

<?php
 
$info = array('coffee', 'brown', 'caffeine');
 
// Listing all the variables
list($drink, $color, $power) = $info;
echo "$drink is $color and $power makes it special.\n";
 
// Listing some of them
list($drink, , $power) = $info;
echo "$drink has $power.\n";
 
// Or let's skip to only the third one
list( , , $power) = $info;
echo "I need $power!\n";
 
// list() doesn't work with strings
list($bar) = "abcde";
var_dump($bar); // NULL
?>

An example use of list()

<table>
 <tr>
  <th>Employee name</th>
  <th>Salary</th>
 </tr>
 
<?php
$result = $pdo->query("SELECT id, name, salary FROM employees");
while (list($id, $name, $salary) = $result->fetch(PDO::FETCH_NUM)) {
    echo " <tr>\n" .
          "  <td><a href=\"info.php?id=$id\">$name</a></td>\n" .
          "  <td>$salary</td>\n" .
          " </tr>\n";
}
 
?>
 
</table>

Using nested list()

<?php
 
list($a, list($b, $c)) = array(1, array(2, 3));
 
var_dump($a, $b, $c);
 
?>

int(1)
int(2)
int(3)

Using list() with array indices

<?php
 
$info = array('coffee', 'brown', 'caffeine');
 
list($a[0], $a[1], $a[2]) = $info;
 
var_dump($a);
 
?>

Gives the following output (note the order of the elements compared in which order they were written in the list() syntax):

array(3) {
  [2]=>
  string(8) "caffeine"
  [1]=>
  string(5) "brown"
  [0]=>
  string(6) "coffee"
}