How Can I Get the Last Element of an Array in PHP Without Modifying It?

Retrieving the Last Array Element Non-Destructively

When working with arrays, you may encounter situations where you need to access the last element without removing it from the array. Unlike array_pop() which destroys the last element, there are alternative approaches to obtain the last element non-destructively.

Using end() Function

The built-in end() function returns the last element of an array without altering its structure. It's an efficient method to retrieve the desired element while preserving the array's content:

$myLastElement = end($yourArray);

However, it's important to note that end() modifies the array's internal pointer, potentially affecting the behavior of current, each, prev, and next functions.

Alternative for PHP >= 7.3.0

For PHP versions 7.3.0 and later, the array_key_last function is available. This function returns the last key of an array without altering the internal pointer:

$lastKey = array_key_last($yourArray);
$myLastElement = $yourArray[$lastKey];

By using array_key_last, you can retrieve the last value of the array without modifying its internal structure, ensuring predictable behavior for other array operations.

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