PHP Linear Search with Sample

We’re going to learn about PHP linear search today with an example.

First of all,

Finding particular elements in a dataset is a typical task in the programming world. The linear search algorithm is one simple method. This post will explain the idea of linear search and show how to use PHP to achieve it.

Comprehending Linear Search

Sequential search, another name for linear search, is a straightforward searching technique that iteratively examines each element in a dataset until the target element is located or the dataset is fully explored. It is especially helpful for small or unsorted datasets when performance is not a top priority.

Using PHP to Implement Linear Search:

Let’s get started with the PHP implementation of the linear search method. To begin, we will define a function called linear search that accepts two parameters: an array to search within and the target value we wish to discover.

function linearSearch($target, $array) {
    $length = count($array);
    for ($i = 0; $i < $length; $i++) {
        if ($array[$i] === $target) {
            return $i; // Element found, return its index
        }
    }
    return -1; // Element not found
}

Interpretation of the Execution:

Two parameters are required for the linear search function: $target, which is the value to search for, and $array, which is the array to search inside.

Using the count function, we get the array’s length and save it in the $length variable.

Using a for loop, we iterate over each element in the array. The index is represented by the loop variable $i.

Using the === operator inside the loop, we determine whether the current element at index $i equals the target value.

If a match is discovered, we return the index $i, which represents the element’s location in the array.

We return -1 to show that the element was not found in the array if the loop ends without finding a match.

Use Case Example: Let’s now look at an example of the linear search algorithm in action:

$data = [10, 25, 8, 17, 42, 13];
$target = 42;

$result = linearSearch($target, $data);

if ($result === -1) {
    echo "Element not found in the array.";
} else {
    echo "Element found at index: " . $result;
}

In this case, we have some integer values in an array called $data. We wish to use the linear search function to locate the target value 42. We output a “not found” message if the target cannot be discovered, and display the index if it can.

In summary:

An array can be searched for elements using a simple yet efficient approach called linear search. For big or sorted datasets, it might not be the most efficient technique, but it is a basic building element for more sophisticated search algorithms. In this post, we looked at the idea of linear search and saw how to use PHP to implement it. Knowing this algorithm will enable you to effectively handle basic search tasks.

I hope this was useful to you!