PHP reference

shuffle

Shuffles the elements of an array into a random order.

Syntax

shuffle(array &$array): true

Parameter	Type	Description
$array	array	The array being shuffled.

trueAlways `true`; the array itself is modified.

A random order — different on every run:

<?php
 
$cards = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
 
shuffle($cards);
 
echo implode(', ', $cards);

The number and the set of elements stay the same:

<?php
 
$cards = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
 
shuffle($cards);
 
echo count($cards), ' ', array_sum($cards);

Output:

5 15

The keys are replaced with numbers from zero. array_rand() returns a single random key.

Arrays — Lists and associative arrays in PHP — creating, changing, iterating and useful functions.