To ensure a PHP array has an exact size, use a combination of array_slice() and array_pad(). 1. First, slice the array to the target size to remove excess elements. 2. Then, pad the sliced array to ensure it meets the desired length. This method works for both trimming and extending arrays, though padding associative arrays requires custom logic due to array_pad()'s reliance on numeric indexes.
If you need to make sure a PHP array has a specific number of elements — filling in the blanks if it's too short or trimming it down if it's too long — there’s a straightforward way to do it. The built-in array_pad()
function helps with part of this, but it only adds items when the array is smaller than desired. To strictly enforce a size, including cutting off extra elements, you’ll want to combine a couple of steps.

Use array_pad()
to Extend an Array
PHP’s array_pad()
function is perfect for making sure your array isn’t too small. It takes three arguments: the original array, the target size (positive or negative), and the value to pad with. If the array is already larger than the specified size, array_pad()
won’t trim it — it just leaves it alone.

$array = [1, 2]; $padded = array_pad($array, 5, null); // [1, 2, null, null, null]
This works well when you know you always want at least N elements, but not when you need exactly N elements.
Tip: You can use a negative number for the size to pad to the left instead of the right:

$padded = array_pad($array, -5, null); // [null, null, null, 1, 2]
Trim or Slice to Limit Size
If the array might be longer than your target size, use array_slice()
to cut it down. This function lets you extract a portion of the array — starting from index 0 and taking N elements:
$array = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]; $trimmed = array_slice($array, 0, 3); // [1, 2, 3]
You can combine this with array_pad()
to ensure that your array always ends up exactly the size you want:
- First, slice the array to avoid overflows.
- Then, pad it to fill any gaps.
Combine Padding and Trimming for Exact Size
Here’s a simple function that ensures an array is always exactly the size you specify:
function fixArraySize(array $array, int $size, $padValue = null): array { return array_pad(array_slice($array, 0, $size), $size, $padValue); }
Examples:
$input = [1, 2]; $result = fixArraySize($input, 5); // [1, 2, null, null, null] $input = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]; $result = fixArraySize($input, 4); // [1, 2, 3, 4]
This approach handles both cases cleanly without needing extra logic or loops.
One thing to note:
- If you're padding associative arrays,
array_pad()
won't work as expected because it only uses numeric indexes. In that case, you'll need a custom loop to generate keys yourself.
So depending on your data structure, you may need to adjust how you apply padding.
Basically, that's all there is to it.
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