In PHP, objects and arrays are both used to store collections of data, but they are slightly different in how they are used and what they can do.
Arrays in PHP are used to store collections of data in a way that is similar to how arrays work in other programming languages. They are ordered collections of values, and each value can be accessed by its index, which is an integer.
For example, you can define an array in PHP like this:
$my_array = array("apple", "banana", "orange");and you can access elements in the array using the square brackets notation:
echo $my_array[1]; // Outputs "banana"Objects, on the other hand, are used to represent real-world objects or concepts in a program. They are instances of classes, which are templates that define the properties and methods of an object.
For example, you can define a class in PHP like this:
class Car {
public $make;
public $model;
public $year;
}and you can create an instance of the class like this:
$my_car = new Car();You can then access the properties of the object using the arrow notation ->:
$my_car->make = "Toyota";
$my_car->model = "Camry";
$my_car->year = "2020";You can also call methods on the object:
class Car {
public function drive() {
echo "The car is driving.";
}
}
$my_car = new Car();
$my_car->drive(); // Outputs "The car is driving."Another key difference between objects and arrays in PHP is that objects are passed by reference while arrays are passed by value.
When an object is passed as an argument to a function, any changes made to the object within the function will be reflected outside of the function as well. This is because objects are passed by reference, which means that a reference to the object is passed instead of a copy.
However, when an array is passed as an argument to a function, any changes made to the array within the function will not be reflected outside of the function. This is because arrays are passed by value, which means that a copy of the array is passed instead of a reference.
Also, arrays have a fixed number of elements, and you can access elements by an index, Arrays are useful when you need to store a fixed number of elements and you need to access them by an index. While objects have properties and methods, and it’s useful when you need to represent real-world concepts and organize your code into reusable templates.
In summary, arrays are mainly used to store collections of data, while objects are used to represent real-world concepts and can have properties and methods. Objects are instances of classes, and they are useful when you need to organize your code into reusable templates. Both arrays and objects have their own advantages and use cases, it depends on the problem you are trying to solve, you should choose the best data structure that suits your needs.
This is all for now!
Peace!
Here are some Sources:
http://php.net/manual/en/index.php
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/convert-an-object-to-associative-array-in-php/
