Combine Two PHP Code Lines into One

Your question concerns combining two PHP code lines into one while maintaining the same functionality. Based on research of the array_merge() function and other array manipulation methods in PHP, I can offer several solutions.

Contents

• Analysis of existing code
• Main solution
• Alternative approaches
• Comparison of methods
• Recommendations

Analysis of existing code

Your current code performs two operations:

1. The first line converts the ColorGroup value to a comma-separated string:

$array[$key]['ColorGroup'] = join(",", $row['ColorGroup']);

2. The second line merges the array with default values and data from $row:

$array[$key] = array_merge(array("Nom1" => 0, "Abs" => 0, "Nom3" => 0, "MarkFirst" => 0, "MarkSecond" => 0, "MarkThird" => 0, "RingWcf" => 0, "RingWcf2" => 0, "RingMono" => 0), $row);

The problem is that these operations happen sequentially, and the second line overwrites the first.

Main solution

The most efficient way to combine these two operations into one line:

$array[$key] = array_merge(array("Nom1" => 0, "Abs" => 0, "Nom3" => 0, "MarkFirst" => 0, "MarkSecond" => 0, "MarkThird" => 0, "RingWcf" => 0, "RingWcf2" => 0, "RingMono" => 0, "ColorGroup" => join(",", $row['ColorGroup'])), $row);

How it works:

1. Create an array with default values, including the already converted ColorGroup value
2. Use array_merge() to merge with $row

The advantage of this approach is that it preserves the logic of the original code but performs all operations in one line.

Alternative approaches

Option 2: Using the spread operator (PHP 7.4+)

$array[$key] = [...["Nom1" => 0, "Abs" => 0, "Nom3" => 0, "MarkFirst" => 0, "MarkSecond" => 0, "MarkThird" => 0, "RingWcf" => 0, "RingWcf2" => 0, "RingMono" => 0, "ColorGroup" => join(",", $row['ColorGroup'])], ...$row];

This syntax is available in PHP 7.4 and above and is more modern, but less readable for some developers.

Option 3: Creating a temporary variable

$temp = array_merge(array("Nom1" => 0, "Abs" => 0, "Nom3" => 0, "MarkFirst" => 0, "MarkSecond" => 0, "MarkThird" => 0, "RingWcf" => 0, "RingWcf2" => 0, "RingMono" => 0), $row);
$array[$key] = array_merge($temp, ["ColorGroup" => join(",", $row['ColorGroup'])]);

Although this is not one line, it’s a more readable option that may be preferable for complex scenarios.

Option 4: Functional approach

$array[$key] = array_reduce(["Nom1", "Abs", "Nom3", "MarkFirst", "MarkSecond", "MarkThird", "RingWcf", "RingWcf2", "RingMono"], function($carry, $item) use ($row) {
    $carry[$item] = $row[$item] ?? 0;
    return $carry;
}, ["ColorGroup" => join(",", $row['ColorGroup'])]);

This approach is dynamic and can be useful if the list of keys may change.

Comparison of methods

According to the official PHP documentation, the array_merge() function is the most reliable way to merge arrays, especially in your case.

Recommendations

1. For most cases, use the main solution with array_merge():

$array[$key] = array_merge(array("Nom1" => 0, "Abs" => 0, "Nom3" => 0, "MarkFirst" => 0, "MarkSecond" => 0, "MarkThird" => 0, "RingWcf" => 0, "RingWcf2" => 0, "RingMono" => 0, "ColorGroup" => join(",", $row['ColorGroup'])), $row);

2. If readability is important and you’re working in a team, consider the option with a temporary variable:

$defaults = ["Nom1" => 0, "Abs" => 0, "Nom3" => 0, "MarkFirst" => 0, "MarkSecond" => 0, "MarkThird" => 0, "RingWcf" => 0, "RingWcf2" => 0, "RingMono" => 0];
$array[$key] = array_merge($defaults, $row);
$array[$key]['ColorGroup'] = join(",", $row['ColorGroup']);

3. For modern PHP (7.4+), you can use the spread operator for a more concise syntax.

The key point is to ensure that the ColorGroup value is added to the array before merging with $row, so it won’t be overwritten by data from $row. As shown in the research on GeeksforGeeks, array_merge() correctly handles both string and numeric keys.

Sources

1. PHP: array_merge - Manual
2. PHP array_merge() Function - W3Schools
3. Merge two arrays keeping original keys in PHP - GeeksforGeeks
4. PHP Array Merge (3 Methods) - Honar Systems
5. How to merge multidimensional arrays in PHP - Stitcher.io

Conclusion

You can combine these two PHP code lines into one in several ways:

1. Main solution - add ColorGroup to the default values array before merging
2. Spread operator (PHP 7.4+) - modern syntax for merging arrays
3. Functional approach - using array_reduce for dynamic array creation

I recommend using the main method with array_merge() as it’s compatible with older PHP versions and is highly readable. If the code is in a performance-critical location, you might consider the spread operator for PHP 7.4+.

Don’t forget to test the combined code with different datasets to ensure the logic remains the same, especially regarding key and value handling.