PHP Constants Containing Arrays?

arrays, constants, php, scalar

Solution

PHP 5.6+ introduced `const` arrays - see Andrea Faulds' answer.

You can also serialize your array and then put it into the constant:

# define constant, serialize array
define ("FRUITS", serialize (array ("apple", "cherry", "banana")));

# use it
$my_fruits = unserialize (FRUITS);

Problem

This failed: ``` define('DEFAULT_ROLES', array('guy', 'development team')); ``` Apparently, constants can't hold arrays. What is the best way to get around this? ``` define('DEFAULT_ROLES', 'guy|development team'); //... $default = explode('|', DEFAULT_ROLES); ``` This seems like unnecessary effort.

Original source