PHP How to determine the first and last iteration in a foreach loop?

Solution:1

If you prefer a solution that does not require the initialization of the counter outside the loop, then you can compare the current iteration key against the function that tells you the last / first key of the array.

PHP 7.3 and newer:

foreach ($array as $key => $element) {
    if ($key === array_key_first($array)) {
        echo 'FIRST ELEMENT!';
    }

    if ($key === array_key_last($array)) {
        echo 'LAST ELEMENT!';
    }
}

PHP 7.2 and older:

foreach ($array as $key => $element) {
    reset($array);
    if ($key === key($array)) {
        echo 'FIRST ELEMENT!';
    }

    end($array);
    if ($key === key($array)) {
        echo 'LAST ELEMENT!';
    }
}

Solution:2

You could use a counter:

$i = 0;
$len = count($array);
foreach ($array as $item) {
    if ($i == 0) {
        // first
    } else if ($i == $len - 1) {
        // last
    }
    // …
    $i++;
}