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Arrays

The arrays utility function provides a tool for merging arrays recursively with improved handling compared to PHP's native array_merge_recursive function.

Available Function

cbo_array_merge_recursive(array $array1, array $array2, array...$arrays)

Merges arrays recursively with improved handling compared to PHP's native array_merge_recursive function.

Parameters:

  • $array1: The base array.
  • $array2: The array to merge with the base array.
  • $arrays: Additional arrays to merge.

Return Value:

Returns the merged array.

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// Merge two arrays recursively
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$array1 = [
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  'colors' => [
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    'red' => '#ff0000',
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    'green' => '#00ff00'
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  ],
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  'sizes' => ['small', 'medium']
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];
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$array2 = [
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  'colors' => [
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    'blue' => '#0000ff',
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    'green' => '#00cc00'  // This will override the green in array1
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  ],
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  'sizes' => ['large']    // This will be merged with sizes in array1
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];
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$merged = cbo_array_merge_recursive($array1, $array2);
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// Result:
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// [
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//   'colors' => [
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//     'red' => '#ff0000',
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//     'green' => '#00cc00',  // Value from array2 overrides array1
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//     'blue' => '#0000ff'
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//   ],
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//   'sizes' => ['small', 'medium', 'large']  // Values are merged
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// ]

Comparison with PHP's array_merge_recursive

The main difference between cbo_array_merge_recursive and PHP's native array_merge_recursive is how they handle string keys with the same name:

  • array_merge_recursive: Creates an array of values when keys are the same.
  • cbo_array_merge_recursive: Overwrites the value with the one from the second array.
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// PHP's array_merge_recursive
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$array1 = ['key' => 'value1'];
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$array2 = ['key' => 'value2'];
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$result1 = array_merge_recursive($array1, $array2);
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// Result: ['key' => ['value1', 'value2']]
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// cbo_array_merge_recursive
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$result2 = cbo_array_merge_recursive($array1, $array2);
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// Result: ['key' => 'value2']

Usage Examples

Merging Configuration Arrays

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// Merge default configuration with user configuration
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function get_merged_config() {
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  // Default configuration
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  $default_config = [
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    'site' => [
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      'title' => 'Default Site Title',
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      'description' => 'Default site description',
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      'logo' => '/images/default-logo.png'
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    ],
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    'features' => [
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      'comments' => true,
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      'social' => [
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        'facebook' => true,
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        'twitter' => true,
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        'instagram' => false
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      ]
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    ],
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    'performance' => [
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      'cache' => true,
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      'minify' => [
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        'css' => true,
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        'js' => true,
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        'html' => false
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      ]
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    ]
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  ];
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  // User configuration
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  $user_config = [
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    'site' => [
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      'title' => 'My Custom Site',
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      'logo' => '/images/custom-logo.png'
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    ],
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    'features' => [
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      'social' => [
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        'facebook' => false,
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        'instagram' => true
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      ]
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    ],
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    'performance' => [
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      'minify' => [
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        'css' => false
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      ]
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    ]
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  ];
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  // Merge configurations
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  return cbo_array_merge_recursive($default_config, $user_config);
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}
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// Usage
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$config = get_merged_config();
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echo 'Site Title: ' . $config['site']['title'] . '<br>';
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echo 'Cache Enabled: ' . ($config['performance']['cache'] ? 'Yes' : 'No') . '<br>';
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echo 'Facebook Enabled: ' . ($config['features']['social']['facebook'] ? 'Yes' : 'No') . '<br>';

Merging Theme Options

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// Merge theme options with defaults
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function get_theme_options() {
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  // Default theme options
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  $defaults = [
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    'colors' => [
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      'primary' => '#0073aa',
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      'secondary' => '#23282d',
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      'background' => '#ffffff',
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      'text' => '#333333'
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    ],
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    'typography' => [
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      'body_font' => 'Arial, sans-serif',
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      'heading_font' => 'Georgia, serif',
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      'base_size' => '16px',
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      'line_height' => '1.5'
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    ],
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    'layout' => [
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      'container_width' => '1200px',
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      'sidebar' => 'right',
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      'header_style' => 'default'
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    ]
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  ];
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  // Get saved options from database
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  $saved_options = get_option('theme_options', []);
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  // Merge with defaults
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  return cbo_array_merge_recursive($defaults, $saved_options);
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}
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// Usage
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$options = get_theme_options();
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echo 'Primary Color: ' . $options['colors']['primary'] . '<br>';
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echo 'Body Font: ' . $options['typography']['body_font'] . '<br>';
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echo 'Container Width: ' . $options['layout']['container_width'] . '<br>';

Best Practices

  • Use cbo_array_merge_recursive instead of PHP's native array_merge_recursive when you want to override values rather than create arrays of values.
  • Use for configuration arrays where you want to merge default settings with user settings.
  • Be aware of the behavior with numeric keys, which will be reindexed just like with PHP's array_merge.
  • Consider performance when merging large arrays, as recursive operations can be resource-intensive.
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