Arrays: array_shift($arr) or $arr[0]?

Question

Which one would you use?

Basically I only want to get the 1st element from a array, that\'s it.

Answer 1

given what you need, $arr[0] is preferrable, because it's faster. array_shift is used in other situations.

Answer 2

You would use $arr[ 0 ]; array_shift removes the first element from the array.

EDIT

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This answer is actually somewhere between incomplete and plain out wrong but, because the comments of the two jon's I think that it should actually stay up so that others can see that discourse.

The right answer:

• reset is the method to return the first defined index of the array. Even in non-associative arrays, this may not be the 0 index.
• array_shift will remove and return the value which is found at reset

The OP made the assumption that $arr[0] is the first index is not accurate in that particular context.

Answer 3

If you want the first element of an array, use $arr[0] form. Advantages - Simplicity, Readability and Maintainability. Keep things straight forward.

Edit: Use index 0 only if you know that the array has default keys starting from 0.

Answer 4

arrshift is more reliable and will always return the first element in the array, but this also modifies the array by removing that element.

arr[0] will fail if your array doesn't start at the 0 index, but leaves the array itself alone.

A more convoluted but reliable method is:

$keys = array_keys($arr);
$first = $arr[$keys[0]];

Answer 5

array_shift will actually remove the specified value from the array. Do not use it unless you really want to reduce the array!

See here: http://php.net/manual/en/function.array-shift.php

Answer 6

with array_shif you have two operations:

1. retrive the firs element
2. shift the array

if you access by index, actually you have only one operation.