PHP Spaceship Operator

The Spaceship Operator (<=>) is a feature in PHP that simplifies comparison operations. It allows you to compare two expressions and returns an integer based on the comparison result.

Key Concepts

• Syntax: The operator is written as <=>.
• Return Values:
  • Returns -1 if the left operand is less than the right.
  • Returns 0 if both operands are equal.
  • Returns 1 if the left operand is greater than the right.

Use Cases

The spaceship operator is particularly useful in sorting algorithms and custom comparison functions.

Example

Here’s a basic example to illustrate how the spaceship operator works:

$a = 5;
$b = 10;

$result = $a <=> $b; // $result will be -1 because 5 is less than 10

echo $result; // Outputs: -1

More Examples

When the left value is greater:

$a = 15;
$b = 10;

$result = $a <=> $b; // $result will be 1
echo $result; // Outputs: 1

When both values are equal:

$a = 10;
$b = 10;

$result = $a <=> $b; // $result will be 0
echo $result; // Outputs: 0

Conclusion

The spaceship operator is a convenient and concise way to perform comparisons in PHP. It simplifies code, especially in scenarios involving sorting and comparisons, making it a valuable tool for developers.