The array_pad() Function

The array_pad() function returns a copy of an array padded to a specified size with a chosen value. If the size is positive, the array is padded on the right; if negative, it is padded on the left. If the array is already longer than the required size, no padding occurs.

EXAMPLE

// EXAMPLE 1: Preparing a list of cars for a car show (we need at least 5 spots)
$my_cars = ["Fiat Punto", "BMW M3"];

// Pad with "Empty spot" on the right until we have 5 elements
$show_list = array_pad($my_cars, 5, "Empty spot");

echo "Showroom list:\n";
print_r($show_list);

// EXAMPLE 2: Padding at the beginning (negative value)
$fruit = ["Strawberry", "Blueberry"];
// Pad with "Unknown" on the left to get a total of 4 elements
$ordered_fruit = array_pad($fruit, -4, "Unknown");

echo "\nOrdered fruit:\n";
print_r($ordered_fruit);

// Tip: array_pad() is ideal for preparing fixed data structures 
// that you later export to CSV or display in a table with a consistent row count.

RESULT

The result will be shown here...