How to Merge Arrays with Matching Keys in PHP While Keeping Both Values?

Merging Arrays with Matching Keys in PHP

When working with arrays in PHP, it is often necessary to merge multiple arrays together. However, when the arrays share matching keys, it becomes important to handle the merging process carefully.

Initial Approach

As mentioned in the provided information, you attempted to merge two arrays using array_merge(). This function performs a shallow merge, combining the values of both arrays. However, in this case, since the arrays have overlapping keys, the values of the first array are overwritten by those of the second.

An Alternative Solution Using array_map()

To address the issue of overlapping keys, you can utilize array_map(). This function applies a user-defined callback function to each element of the specified arrays and returns a new array based on the modified values.

In the provided solution:

1. Prepare the Arrays:

   • The $array1 and $array2 arrays are prepared with the given data.

2. Define the Callback Function:

   • An anonymous callback function is defined using function(). It accepts two parameters, $a and $b, which represent elements from $array1 and $array2 respectively.

3. Extract the Key and Modify Value:

   • Inside the callback, the key ($key) is obtained using current(array_keys($a)).
   • The value in $a is modified to include an 'ip' key containing its original value.

4. Handle the Second Array:

   • The second array ($b) is processed similarly, obtaining its key ($key) and modifying the value to include a 'name' key.

5. Merge the Arrays:

   • The modified arrays ($a and $b) are merged using array_merge_recursive(), which performs a deep merge, merging arrays recursively.

6. Store the Results:

   • The merged result is stored in $results using the = operator.

Output

The output of this solution is an array where the keys (Camera1, Camera2, Camera3) are merged, and the values are combined under 'ip' and 'name' keys, providing a structured result.

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