How to Sort Multidimensional Arrays by Inner Array Fields in PHP?

Sorting Multidimensional Arrays by Inner Array Fields in PHP

Sorting multidimensional arrays by fields in the inner arrays can be a common task when working with structured data in PHP. This can be useful for organizing and retrieving data efficiently.

To sort a multidimensional array by one of the fields of the inner array, you can utilize the array_multisort() function in conjunction with array_column(). The array_column() function extracts a column of values from the inner arrays, creating a one-dimensional array that can then be sorted.

The syntax for sorting a multidimensional array by the "price" field of the inner arrays is as follows:

array_multisort(array_column($yourArray, "price"), SORT_ASC, $yourArray);

In this example, $yourArray represents the multidimensional array you wish to sort. The SORT_ASC constant specifies ascending order for the sorting.

Here's a detailed breakdown of the code:

• array_column($yourArray, "price"): This line extracts the "price" values from the inner arrays, creating a one-dimensional array of prices.
• SORT_ASC: This constant defines ascending order for the sorting. You can use SORT_DESC for descending order.
• $yourArray: This variable is passed as the last parameter to apply the sorting to the original multidimensional array.

After executing this code, the $yourArray will be sorted by the "price" field in ascending order. The keys of the outer array will not be preserved.

Note: In PHP 7 and higher, using this syntax may cause errors related to passing variables by reference. To avoid this, you can use a two-line approach:

$col = array_column($yourArray, "price");
array_multisort($col, SORT_ASC, $yourArray);

However, in PHP 8, the one-line syntax funktioniert as expected again.

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