(PHP 4, PHP 5, PHP 7, PHP 8)
current — Return the current element in an array
Every array has an internal pointer to its "current" element, which is initialized to the first element inserted into the array.
arrayThe array.
The current() function simply returns the
value of the array element that's currently being pointed to by the
internal pointer. It does not move the pointer in any way. If the
internal pointer points beyond the end of the elements list or the array is
empty, current() returns false.
This function may
return Boolean false, but may also return a non-Boolean value which
evaluates to false. Please read the section on Booleans for more
information. Use the ===
operator for testing the return value of this
function.
| Version | Description |
|---|---|
| 8.1.0 | Calling this function on objects is deprecated. Either convert the object to an array using get_mangled_object_vars() first, or use the methods provided by a class that implements Iterator, such as ArrayIterator, instead. |
| 7.4.0 | Instances of SPL classes are now treated like empty objects that have no properties instead of calling the Iterator method with the same name as this function. |
Example #1 Example use of current() and friends
<?php
$transport = array('foot', 'bike', 'car', 'plane');
$mode = current($transport); // $mode = 'foot';
$mode = next($transport); // $mode = 'bike';
$mode = current($transport); // $mode = 'bike';
$mode = prev($transport); // $mode = 'foot';
$mode = end($transport); // $mode = 'plane';
$mode = current($transport); // $mode = 'plane';
$arr = array();
var_dump(current($arr)); // bool(false)
$arr = array(array());
var_dump(current($arr)); // array(0) { }
?>Note: The results of calling current() on an empty array and on an array, whose internal pointer points beyond the end of the elements, are indistinguishable from a bool
falseelement. To properly traverse an array which may containfalseelements, see the foreach control structure. To still use current() and properly check if the value is really an element of the array, the key() of the current() element should be checked to be strictly different fromnull.