PHP: rfc:array_str_contains

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====== RFC: array_str_contains ======
  * **Author:** Sepehr Mahmoudi, sepehrphpr@gmail.com
  * **Status:** Draft
  * **First Published at:** 2026-08-22
  * **Target PHP Version:** PHP 8.7
  * **Version:** 0.3

===== Introduction =====
Finding elements in an array that contain a specific substring is a very common task in PHP. Currently, developers must rely on ''array_filter()'' combined with a userland closure and ''str_contains()'', or write a custom ''foreach'' loop. 

Executing a userland callback for every element in a large array using ''array_filter()'' introduces unnecessary performance overhead. This RFC proposes a native C function, ''array_str_contains()'', to perform this task efficiently, eliminating the closure overhead and providing a much cleaner, more readable syntax.

===== Proposal =====
This RFC proposes the addition of a new array function:

<code php>
function array_str_contains(
    array $array,
    string $needle
): array {}
</code>

**Parameters:**
  * ''$array'': The input array to be searched.
  * ''$needle'': The substring to search for within the array values.

The function searches for the exact substring ''$needle'' in the values of the ''$array''. It returns a new array containing only the matched elements.

  * The search is **case-sensitive** (consistent with the behavior of ''str_contains'').
  * Non-string values in the array are implicitly cast to strings before the check.
  * Original array keys are preserved in the returned array.

===== Use Cases =====
This function simplifies many common filtering tasks, including but not limited to:
  * **File filtering:** Filtering a list of filenames or paths to find specific extensions (e.g., ''.php'' or ''.jpg'').
  * **Log analysis:** Searching an array of log lines to extract entries containing specific keywords like ''"ERROR"'' or ''"Warning"''.
  * **Data processing:** Filtering a dataset of URLs, URIs, or text snippets for a specific substring without writing verbose closures.

===== Examples =====

==== Example 1: Basic Substring Search ====
<code php>
$files = [
    'image.jpeg',
    'script.php',
    'index.PHP',
    'document.pdf',
    'functions.php'
];

$result = array_str_contains(
    $files,
    '.php'
);

print_r($result);

/* Output:
Array
(
    [1] => script.php
    [4] => functions.php
)
*/
</code>
**Explanation:** The function searches for the exact substring ''.php'' in the array values. It is case-sensitive, so ''index.PHP'' is not matched. Original array keys are preserved.

==== Example 2: Searching in Log Lines ====
<code php>
$logs = [
    200 => 'INFO: Application started',
    201 => 'ERROR: Database timeout',
    202 => 'WARNING: CPU load high',
    203 => 'ERROR: Invalid user input'
];

$errors = array_str_contains($logs, 'ERROR:');

print_r($errors);

/* Output:
Array
(
    [201] => ERROR: Database timeout
    [203] => ERROR: Invalid user input
)
*/
</code>
**Explanation:** This example demonstrates filtering a list of log messages to easily extract the lines containing the ''"ERROR:"'' substring. Custom keys are maintained in the result.

==== Example 3: Handling Non-String Values ====
<code php>
$data = [
    'user_100',
    100,
    10055,
    'guest',
    true
];

$matches = array_str_contains($data, '100');

print_r($matches);

/* Output:
Array
(
    [0] => user_100
    [1] => 100
    [2] => 10055
)
*/
</code>
**Explanation:** Non-string values are implicitly cast to strings before the comparison. For instance, the integer ''100'' becomes the string ''"100"'', which successfully matches the needle ''"100"''.

===== Polyfill / Userland Equivalent =====
The behavior of the proposed function can be illustrated by the following userland implementation. (Note: This approach uses a standard loop to avoid the closure overhead typical of ''array_filter()''):

<code php>
function array_str_contains(array $array, string $needle): array {
    $result = [];
    foreach ($array as $key => $value) {
        // Cast to string to handle non-string values safely, matching str_contains behavior
        if (str_contains((string) $value, $needle)) {
            $result[$key] = $value;
        }
    }
    return $result;
}
</code>

===== Backward Incompatible Changes =====
None.

===== Proposed PHP Version(s) =====
Next minor version (PHP 8.7).

===== RFC Impact =====
  * **SAPIs:** No impact.
  * **Existing Extensions:** No impact.
  * **Opcache:** No impact.

===== Open Issues =====
None at this time.

===== Proposed Voting Choices =====
State whether to accept the RFC and merge the patch into PHP 8.7. As this is a standard feature addition, it requires a 2/3 majority to pass.

===== Implementation =====
In Progress (TBD).
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