How To Get The Last Element Of An Array in PHP Without Deleting It?

Using the end() Function

The end() function in PHP gets the last element of an array without deleting it. This function moves the internal array pointer to the last element and returns its value.

Here's how to use the end() function:

$array = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'];
$lastElement = end($array);
echo $lastElement; // Outputs: d

Note that end() changes the array's internal pointer. This can affect other array functions like current(), each(), prev(), and next(). If you need to keep the original pointer position, you may want to use a different method.

$array = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'];
$lastElement = end($array);
reset($array);

Using array_key_last() for PHP 7.3.0 and Later

For PHP versions 7.3.0 and later, the array_key_last() function gets the last element without changing the array's internal pointer.

To use array_key_last():

1. Get the key of the last element using array_key_last().
2. Use this key to access the last element of the array.

Here's an example:

$array = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'];
$lastKey = array_key_last($array);
$lastElement = $array[$lastKey];
echo $lastElement; // Outputs: d

The main advantage of array_key_last() is that it doesn't change the array's internal pointer, making it safer to use when you need to keep the current array position.

Handling Numerically Indexed Arrays

For numerically indexed arrays, you can use the count() or sizeof() functions to get the last index and access the last element. Both functions return the number of elements in an array.

To get the last element of a numerically indexed array:

$array = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'];
$lastIndex = count($array) - 1;
$lastElement = $array[$lastIndex];
echo $lastElement; // Outputs: d

The sizeof() function can be used instead of count():

$array = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'];
$lastIndex = sizeof($array) - 1;
$lastElement = $array[$lastIndex];
echo $lastElement; // Outputs: d

This method works for arrays with consecutive numeric keys, but may not work for arrays with non-consecutive or non-numeric keys.

$array = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'];
$lastElement = array_slice($array, -1)[0];
echo $lastElement; // Outputs: d

Dealing with Associative Arrays

For associative arrays, you can use array_keys() and end() functions to get the last key-value pair.

Here's how to get the last element of an associative array:

$array = ['first' => 'a', 'second' => 'b', 'third' => 'c'];
$keys = array_keys($array);
$lastKey = end($keys);
$lastElement = $array[$lastKey];
echo $lastElement; // Outputs: c

This method works for both associative and numerically indexed arrays. It gets the last element based on the key order.

For PHP 7.3.0 and later, you can use array_key_last():

$array = ['first' => 'a', 'second' => 'b', 'third' => 'c'];
$lastKey = array_key_last($array);
$lastElement = $array[$lastKey];
echo $lastElement; // Outputs: c

This approach is simpler and doesn't change the array's internal pointer.