PHP Array: Updating an Array Element in a Loop

When changing the values of items in a foreach loop, we can use the referencing technique. By inserting the & sign before the element variable, we assign the value by reference. This ensures that all changes made to the element inside the loop are performed on the original array. It is essential to use the unset() function after the loop to break the reference and prevent unintended side effects on the last element.

EXAMPLE

$fruits1 = ["Pineapple", "Blueberries", "Peaches", "Cherries"];
$fruits2 = ["Pineapple", "Blueberries", "Peaches", "Cherries"];

// Example 1: Changing to uppercase using a reference
foreach ($fruits1 as &$f) {
    $f = strtoupper($f);
}
unset($f); // Essential to remove the reference!

// Example 2: Changing all values to a fixed string
foreach ($fruits2 as &$fruit) {
    $fruit = "Fresh fruit";
}
unset($fruit); // Essential to remove the reference!

echo "Array 1 (Uppercase):\n";
print_r($fruits1);

echo "\nArray 2 (Updated values):\n";
print_r($fruits2);

RESULT

The result will be shown here...