Re: [RFC] array_search_range() function

On Mon, Aug 17, 2026, at 4:46 AM, سپهر محمودی wrote: > Hello internals, > > I'd like to open discussion on a new RFC proposing the > array_search_range() function. > > This function extends array_search() by allowing the search to > be > restricted to a specific range of the array, using an $offset > and > $length parameter — similar in spirit to how > array_slice() works. > > RFC: https://wiki.php.net/rfc/array_search_range > Implementation: https://github.com/php/php-src/pull/23325 > > Proposed signature: > > function array_search_range(mixed $needle, array $haystack, int > $offset = 0, ?int $length = null, bool $strict = false): int|false > > The main motivation is to avoid the overhead of slicing a large array > just to search within a known sub-range, which is a common pattern when > working with pagination or windowed processing. > > Example: > > $arr = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e']; > var_dump(array_search_range('c', $arr, 1, 3)); // 2 > var_dump(array_search_range('a', $arr, 3, 3)); // false > > The RFC is now Under Discussion. I welcome your feedback, questions, > and suggestions. > > Best regards, > Sepehr I agree with Rowan's comments in the previous thread. I'd rather see an efficient array-range syntax first, then array_search() will "just work" in this way. I don't see it as a common enough use case that it is worth its own dedicated special function. --Larry Garfield