PHP Snippets & Tutorials

PHP snippets for string handling, arrays, dates, and common checks. Works on PHP 7.4+; PHP 8+ where noted.

Server-side logic often comes down to strings, arrays, and dates. The examples here are ready to use in scripts, WordPress snippets, or custom PHP apps. We note when a function requires PHP 8 (e.g. str_contains()) and give alternatives for older versions where it matters.

Check if a string contains a substring

$text = "I love to program!";
$word = "program";
$found = str_contains($text, $word);  // true (PHP 8+)

On PHP 7.x use strpos($text, $word) !== false. str_contains() is available from PHP 8.0. For case-insensitive check use str_contains(strtolower($text), strtolower($word)).

Trim whitespace with trim()

$input = "  hello world  \n";
$trimmed = trim($input);        // "hello world"
$left = ltrim($input);          // "hello world  \n"
$right = rtrim($input);         // "  hello world"

trim() removes spaces, tabs, and newlines from both ends. ltrim() and rtrim() strip only from the left or right. Pass a string as the second argument to remove custom characters.

Remove duplicates from an array

$items = ["a", "b", "a", "c", "b"];
$unique = array_unique($items);           // keys preserved
$unique_list = array_values($unique);    // reindex 0, 1, 2...

array_unique() keeps the first occurrence of each value and preserves keys. Use array_values() if you need a plain 0-based list. Works for strings and integers; for arrays as elements you need a custom approach.

Get the current month from a date

$date = new DateTime("2025-03-07");
$month = (int) $date->format("n");   // 3 (numeric)
$monthName = $date->format("F");     // "March"

format("n") gives 1–12, "F" gives the full month name. For the current date use new DateTime() with no arguments.

More PHP topics

See also: Code Snippets, Learn to Code.