Var_export()

Introduction

The var_export() function is a built-in function in PHP that outputs a string representation of a variable or expression that can be used as PHP code. It can be used to generate code that creates a variable with the same value as the original variable.

Syntax

The syntax of the var_export() function is as follows:

string var_export(mixed $expression[, bool $return = FALSE])

The function takes one or two parameters. The first parameter, $expression, is the variable or expression to be exported. The second parameter, $return, is an optional parameter that, when set to true, returns the exported string instead of outputting it.

Example Usage

Here is an example of how to use the var_export() function in PHP:

<?php
$var1 = 10;
$var2 = "Hello, world!";
$array = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"];
echo var_export($var1, true) . "\n";
echo var_export($var2, true) . "\n";
echo var_export($array, true) . "\n";
?>

In this example, we define three variables: $var1 is an integer, $var2 is a string, and $array is an array. We use the var_export() function to export each variable as a string that can be used as PHP code. The output shows the resulting strings for each variable:

10
'Hello, world!'
array (
  0 => 'apple',
  1 => 'banana',
  2 => 'cherry',
)

Conclusion

The var_export() function is a useful tool for generating a string representation of a variable or expression in PHP that can be used as PHP code. It can be used to recreate variables with the same value as the original variable, or to generate code that can be used in debugging or documentation. By using this function, developers can generate code more quickly and easily, and ensure that the generated code has the same value as the original variable.