PHP Interview Question - String comparison

How to reverse an associative array in PHP without using any inbuilt functions?

This is frequently asked in PHP Interviews to reverse an Associative Array in PHP. The easy solution is using the inbuilt array_reverse() function. But to reverse an associative array without using an inbuilt function is a real challenge. In below example, we will reverse an associative using array_reverse() and without using any inbuilt functions. Also a demo on coding ground is available.

  • First using the array_reverse() function:
/* Create an Associate Array */
         $clientInfo = array("name" => "Vinay Gulati", "city" => "Toronto", "country" => "Canada");

/* Print an Array */
         print "Original Array is: ";
         print_r($clientInfo);

/* Reverse an array using PHP funciton */
         print "Reversed Array is: ";
         print_r(array_reverse($clientInfo));
Output
Original Array is: Array ( [name] => Vinay Gulati [city] => Toronto [country] => Canada )
Reversed Array is: Array ( [country] => Canada [city] => Toronto [name] => Vinay Gulati )
  • Second is without using any PHP built in functions:
/* Create an Associate Array */
         $clientInfo = array("name" => "Vinay Gulati", "city" => "Toronto", "country" => "Canada");

/* Print an Array */
         print "Original Array is: ";
         print_r($clientInfo);

/* Reverse an array without using PHP function */
         print "Reversed Array without using any inbuilt PHP function is: ";
         $tmp_Array=$clientInfo;
         $index=array();
         unset($clientInfo);
         $i=0;
         foreach ($tmp_Array as $key => $value) {
            $index[$i]=$key;
            $i++;
         }
         for($i; $i>0;$i--) {
            $clientInfo[$index[$i-1]]=$tmp_Array[$index[$i-1]];
         }
         print_r($clientInfo);
Output
Original Array is: Array ( [name] => Vinay Gulati [city] => Toronto [country] => Canada )
Reversed Array without using any inbuilt PHP function is: Array ( [country] => Canada [city] => Toronto [name] => Vinay Gulati )

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