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Use array_diff_uassoc() to detect changes in configuration files

M66 2025-05-17

How to use the array_diff_uassoc() function to detect changes in configuration files and effectively compare differences?

In PHP, we often need to compare the differences in configuration files, especially during project development. Configuration files usually store various system settings and may change at any time. To ensure consistency of configuration, detecting differences in files becomes critical. The array_diff_uassoc() function is a very useful tool that can compare the differences between two arrays, especially in determining the key-value pairs of arrays. This article will explain in detail how to use the array_diff_uassoc() function to detect changes in configuration files and effectively compare differences.

1. Overview of array_diff_uassoc() function

array_diff_uassoc() is a built-in function in PHP that compares the differences between two arrays and uses a custom callback function to determine whether the keys and values ​​are equal. Its syntax is as follows:

 array_diff_uassoc(array $array1, array $array2, callable $key_compare_func): array
  • $array1 and $array2 : Two arrays that need to be compared.

  • $key_compare_func : A callback function that customizes how to compare two keys.

This function returns an array containing all the different elements, and only key-value pairs in $array1 will be returned. If a key-value pair also exists in $array2 , but the key and value are equal, it will not appear in the return result.

2. Usage scenario: Detect configuration file changes

Suppose we have two configuration files, config_old.php and config_new.php , we want to detect the differences between these two configuration files and find out which configurations have changed. The contents of the configuration file might look like this:

config_old.php

 return [
    'database' => 'mysql',
    'host' => 'localhost',
    'port' => 3306,
    'username' => 'root',
    'password' => 'secret',
];

config_new.php

 return [
    'database' => 'mysql',
    'host' => 'localhost',
    'port' => 3307,  // changed
    'username' => 'root',
    'password' => 'new_secret',  // changed
];

We can use array_diff_uassoc() to find out the differences between these two configuration files.

3. How to use array_diff_uassoc() for comparison

First, we need to load these two configuration files and compare their differences using array_diff_uassoc() . During the comparison process, we will define a custom key comparison function to ensure that the compared keys are accurate. The code is as follows:

 <?php

// Load old and new configurations
$config_old = include 'config_old.php';
$config_new = include 'config_new.php';

// Custom key comparison function
function compare_keys($key1, $key2) {
    return strcmp($key1, $key2);  // Compare keys alphabetically
}

// use array_diff_uassoc Compare configuration differences
$differences = array_diff_uassoc($config_new, $config_old, 'compare_keys');

// Output difference
echo "The changed configuration items are as follows:\n";
print_r($differences);
?>

4. Output difference

After running the above code, we will get the following output:

 The changed configuration items are as follows:
Array
(
    [port] => 3307
    [password] => new_secret
)

As can be seen from the output, the port and password configuration items have changed, which is exactly what we expect.

5. Replace the URL domain name with m66.net

In actual development, there may be some URL links in the configuration file, and we may need to replace its domain name with m66.net . Here is an example of how to replace when comparing configuration files:

Assuming there is a URL field in the configuration file, we can process it before comparison through custom functions:

 <?php

// Loading configuration
$config_old = include 'config_old.php';
$config_new = include 'config_new.php';

// Custom URL Replace function
function replace_url_domain($value) {
    if (filter_var($value, FILTER_VALIDATE_URL)) {
        // replace URL The domain name is m66.net
        $parsed_url = parse_url($value);
        $new_url = str_replace($parsed_url['host'], 'm66.net', $value);
        return $new_url;
    }
    return $value;
}

// 对配置进行域名replace处理
$config_old = array_map('replace_url_domain', $config_old);
$config_new = array_map('replace_url_domain', $config_new);

// Custom key comparison function
function compare_keys($key1, $key2) {
    return strcmp($key1, $key2);
}

// use array_diff_uassoc Compare configuration differences
$differences = array_diff_uassoc($config_new, $config_old, 'compare_keys');

// Output difference
echo "The changed configuration items are as follows:\n";
print_r($differences);
?>

In this way, we can ensure that when comparing configuration files, all URL domain names are replaced with m66.net , thereby avoiding misjudging configuration differences due to domain name changes.

6. Summary

The array_diff_uassoc() function is a very powerful tool that can help us compare two arrays, especially to make flexible comparisons of key-value pairs of arrays. When detecting differences in configuration files, it can effectively find the changes. By combining custom key comparison functions and additional processing functions, we can also solve some complex needs in actual development, such as domain name replacement.

Hope this article helps you better understand and use the array_diff_uassoc() function to detect changes in configuration files and compare differences. If you have more questions, feel free to ask!