I would use count() if they are the same, as in my experience it is more common, and therefore will cause less developers reading your code to say "sizeof(), what is that?" and having to consult the documentation.
I think it means sizeof() does not work like it does in C (calculating the size of a datatype). It probably made this mention explicitly because PHP is written in C, and provides a lot of identically named wrappers for C functions (strlen(), printf(), etc)
PHP
php.net › manual › en › function.count.php
PHP: count - Manual
Returns the number of elements in value. Prior to PHP 8.0.0, if the parameter was neither an array nor an object that implements the Countable interface, 1 would be returned, unless value was null, in which case 0 would be returned.
Top answer 1 of 7
238
I would use count() if they are the same, as in my experience it is more common, and therefore will cause less developers reading your code to say "sizeof(), what is that?" and having to consult the documentation.
I think it means sizeof() does not work like it does in C (calculating the size of a datatype). It probably made this mention explicitly because PHP is written in C, and provides a lot of identically named wrappers for C functions (strlen(), printf(), etc)
2 of 7
118
According to phpbench:
Is it worth the effort to calculate the length of the loop in advance?
//pre-calculate the size of array
$size = count($x); //or $size = sizeOf($x);
for ($i=0; $i<$size; $i++) {
//...
}
//don't pre-calculate
for ($i=0; $i<count($x); $i++) { //or $i<sizeOf($x);
//...
}
A loop with 1000 keys with 1 byte values are given.
| count() | sizeof() | |
|---|---|---|
| With precalc | 152 | 212 |
| Without precalc | 70401 | 50644 |
(time in µs)
So I personally prefer to use count() instead of sizeof() with pre calc.
What is the primary function to get the PHP array length?
The primary and most recommended function to get the php array length is count(). This built-in function is specifically designed to count all the elements in an array or the properties in an object. It is straightforward, efficient, and universally understood by PHP developers. When you need to determine the number of items in any array, count() should be your first choice.
Code Example:PHP$fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"];$length = count($fruits);// $length is now 3
upgrad.com
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PHP Array Length: Easy Methods to Find Array Size in PHP
How do I properly use the PHP array length in a for loop?
A for loop is a common use case for the php array length. You typically initialize the loop counter at 0 and have it continue as long as the counter is less than the array's length. The length is retrieved once using count() before the loop starts for optimal performance.Code Example:PHP$colors = ["Red", "Green", "Blue"];$length = count($colors);for ($i = 0; $i < $length; $i++) { echo $colors[$i] . "
";}
";}
upgrad.com
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PHP Array Length: Easy Methods to Find Array Size in PHP
How does checking the PHP array length affect performance?
Checking the php array length using count() is an extremely fast operation. PHP internally keeps track of the element count for each array, so when you call count(), it simply retrieves this stored value. This is an O(1) operation, meaning its execution time is constant and does not depend on the size of the array. Therefore, it is not a performance bottleneck, even for very large arrays.
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PHP Array Length: Easy Methods to Find Array Size in PHP
07:38
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How To Work With Arrays In PHP - Full PHP 8 Tutorial - YouTube
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Count function in php / How to get the length of array in php - ...
W3Schools
w3schools.com › php › func_array_count.asp
PHP count() Function
connection_aborted() ... usleep() PHP MySQLi · affected_rows autocommit change_user character_set_name close commit connect connect_errno connect_error data_seek debug dump_debug_info errno error error_list fetch_all fetch_array fetch_assoc fetch_field fetch_field_direct fetch_fields fetch_lengths fetch_object ...
ReqBin
reqbin.com › code › php › iawpnvuz › php-array-length-example
How to get the length of an array in PHP?
In this PHP Array Length example, we obtain the array's length using the count() function.
Carmatec
carmatec.com › home › how to get the length of an array in php: complete guide
How to Get the Length of an Array in PHP: Complete Guide
September 28, 2024 - Getting the length of an array in PHP is straightforward with the count() and sizeof() functions. These tools are efficient and easy to use, whether you’re working with simple arrays or complex multi-dimensional arrays.
Upgrad
upgrad.com › home › blog › software development › php array length: a complete guide to finding array length in php [with examples]
PHP Array Length: Easy Methods to Find Array Size in PHP
3 weeks ago - Learn the secret to instantly checking PHP array length! Learn powerful tricks with count(), sizeof(), and expert tips to boost your coding skills.
Philipramsey
webdevelopment.philipramsey.ca › webcourse › php › ArraysLengthArraycountFunction.php
PHP Arrays - Get The Length of an Array with The count() Function
<?php // declare the $cars array $cars = array("Volvo", "BMW", "Toyota"); // display length of the array echo count($cars); ?>
Top answer 1 of 2
1
You can achieve this in this way as well.
<?php
$products = array('Volvo', 'BMW', 'Toyota', 'Kijang');
for(
i<count($products);$i++){
echo implode(", ",$products);
echo "<br>";
array_push($products, array_shift($products));
}
?>
This will give you the following result:
Volvo, BMW, Toyota, Kijang
BMW, Toyota, Kijang, Volvo
Toyota, Kijang, Volvo, BMW
Kijang, Volvo, BMW, Toyota
You can run the code in here.Hope this will help you.
2 of 2
0
You can achive it in this way
<?php
$products = array('Volvo', 'BMW', 'Toyota', 'Kijang');
foreach($products as $product){
echo "'".$product."', ";
foreach($products as $otherProduct){
if($otherProduct == $product){
// Skip the element
continue;
}
echo "'".$otherProduct."', ";
}
echo "<br>";
}
You need to loop twice to get the result.
Honar Systems
honarsystems.com › home › php array length (4 methods)
PHP Array Length (4 Methods) | Honar Systems
August 21, 2025 - PHP array length, count, size, and others are expressions to find how many items are in the array. Sometimes size is different from count.
Scaler
scaler.com › home › topics › how to find the length of an array in php?
How to Find the Length of an Array in PHP? - Scaler Topics
April 12, 2024 - Keeping track of array length is particularly useful when dynamic manipulation of array elements occurs, ensuring that accurate and reliable operations are performed on arrays of varying sizes. In PHP, obtaining the size or length of an array is accomplished using the count() function.
freeCodeCamp
freecodecamp.org › news › php-array-length-how-to-get-an-array-size
PHP Array Length Tutorial – How to Get an Array Size
August 27, 2021 - By Jonathan Bossenger Arrays are a powerful data type in PHP. And knowing how to quickly determine the size of an array is a useful skill. In this article I'll give you a quick overview of how arrays work, and then I'll dive into how to get the size...
Medium
medium.com › @teamcode20233 › getting-the-length-of-an-array-in-php-3f10f7dd3719
Getting the Length of an Array in PHP | by Teamcode | Medium
May 30, 2023 - In this example, the sizeof() function ... functions that are commonly used to get the length or size of an array, which are sizeof() and count()....
Reddit
reddit.com › r/php › i found a website completely about finding the length of an array in php.
I found a website completely about finding the length of an array in PHP. : r/PHP
August 8, 2017 - However, there is one exception to this: If you do count($GLOBALS) the operation is O(n), because PHP has to scan through the whole array to check for indirectly deleted elements. Now you know. ... I didn't understand how to find the length of an array until I studied the cheating husband example.
Reactgo
reactgo.com › home › getting the length of an array in php
Getting the length of an array in PHP | Reactgo
July 30, 2023 - $users=array("a","b","c"); $length=count($users); echo $length; ... How to reverse a string in PHPHow to repeat a string n times in PHPGet the first 2 digits of a number in PHPGet the First 2 Characters of a String in PHPGet the second digit ...
Code.mu
code.mu › en › php › faq › php-number-of-array-elements
The PHP Array Length
To count the length of an array in PHP, use the function count.
Aunt Millie's
auntmillies.com › homepage
Baking Memories From Our Family to Yours | Aunt Millie's
May 22, 2026 - Honest, simple ingredients make our baked goods the most like what you could bake in your own kitchen, delivered fresh every day to your favorite local grocer.
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › dsa › binary-search
Binary Search - GeeksforGeeks
It returns // location of x in given array arr[low..high] is present, // otherwise -1 function binarySearch(arr, low, high, x) { if (high >= low) { let mid = low + Math.floor((high - low) / 2); // If the element is present at the middle // itself if (arr[mid] == x) return mid; // If element is smaller than mid, then // it can only be present in left subarray if (arr[mid] > x) return binarySearch(arr, low, mid - 1, x); // Else the element can only be present // in right subarray return binarySearch(arr, mid + 1, high, x); } // We reach here when element is not // present in array return -1; } // Driver Code let arr = [ 2, 3, 4, 10, 40 ]; let x = 10; let n = arr.length let result = binarySearch(arr, 0, n - 1, x); if (result == -1) console.log("Element is not present in array"); else console.log("Element is present at index " + result); ... <?php // A recursive binary search function.
Published March 17, 2026
Chart.js
chartjs.org › docs › latest › charts › doughnut.html
Doughnut and Pie Charts | Chart.js
For a pie chart, datasets need to contain an array of data points.