PHP array_unique function

Removes duplicate values from the array and returns a new array without duplicates.

array_unique(array $array, int $flags = SORT_STRING): array

$new_array = array_unique($my_array);

Parameters

$array – The array from which duplicate values will be removed.

$flags – This parameter is optional, and its default value is SORT_STRING. With it, you can change the way values are compared.

Comparison type flags:

• SORT_REGULAR – No changes in types, no casting.
• SORT_NUMERIC – Compares items numerically.
• SORT_STRING – Compares items as strings.
• SORT_LOCALE_STRING – Compares items as strings based on the current locale settings.

Return

It returns the array without duplicated values.

Examples

In this example, we will see a case where we might not want to make the values unique. In other cases, array_unique would work quite well. In this scenario, as in the one that follows, we need to think carefully before applying this function. Will this affect me?

$caracteristicas_auto = [
    "marca" => "Toyota",
    "modelo" => "Camry",
    "año" => 2022,
    "color" => "Azul",
    "color_llantas" => "Azul",
    "motor" => "2.5L",
    "tracción" => "Delantera"
];
var_dump(array_unique($caracteristicas_auto));

array(6) {
  ["marca"]=>
  string(6) "Toyota"
  ["modelo"]=>
  string(5) "Camry"
  ["año"]=>
  int(2022)
  ["color"]=>
  string(4) "Azul"
  ["motor"]=>
  string(4) "2.5L"
  ["tracción"]=>
  string(9) "Delantera"
}