phparraysmethods

array_unique for objects?

Is there any method like the array_unique for objects? I have a bunch of arrays with 'Role' objects that I merge, and then I want to take out the duplicates :)

Solution

  • Well, array_unique() compares the string value of the elements:

    Note: Two elements are considered equal if and only if (string) $elem1 === (string) $elem2 i.e. when the string representation is the same, the first element will be used.

    So make sure to implement the __toString() method in your class and that it outputs the same value for equal roles, e.g.

    class Role {
    private $name;

    //.....

    public function __toString() {
        return $this->name;
    }

}

    This would consider two roles as equal if they have the same name.