PHP array_diff() Function

Example

Compare the values of two arrays, and return the differences:

<?php
$a1=array("a"=>"red","b"=>"green","c"=>"blue","d"=>"yellow");
$a2=array("e"=>"red","f"=>"green","g"=>"blue");

$result=array_diff($a1,$a2);
print_r($result);
?>

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Definition and Usage

The array_diff() function compares the values of two (or more) arrays, and returns the differences.

This function compares the values of two (or more) arrays, and return an array that contains the entries from array1 that are not present in array2 or array3, etc.

Syntax

array_diff( array1, array2, array3, ...)

Parameter Values

Parameter	Description
array1	Required. The array to compare from
array2	Required. An array to compare against
array3,...	Optional. More arrays to compare against

Technical Details

Return Value:	Returns an array containing the entries from array1 that are not present in any of the other arrays
PHP Version:	4.0.1+

More Examples

Example

Compare the values of three arrays, and return the differences:

<?php
$a1=array("a"=>"red","b"=>"green","c"=>"blue","d"=>"yellow");
$a2=array("e"=>"red","f"=>"black","g"=>"purple");
$a3=array("a"=>"red","b"=>"black","h"=>"yellow");

$result=array_diff($a1,$a2,$a3);
print_r($result);
?>

Try it Yourself »

❮ PHP Array Reference