Strategies for Custom Array Functionality in PHP -

i find myself struggling finding solution various array arrangement problems in php fall outside of solutions have implemented before.

currently, starting array:

$tags = array(             array('tag_id' => 1, 'tag_name' => 'hello', 'album_id => 1'),             array('tag_id' => 1, 'tag_name' => 'hello', 'album_id => 2'),             array('tag_id' => 2, 'tag_name' => 'world', 'album_id => 1'),             array('tag_id' => 2, 'tag_name' => 'world', 'album_id => 2'),             array('tag_id' => 3, 'tag_name' => 'again', 'album_id => 3')         ); 

and want organize such:

$organized_tags = array(              array('tag_id' => 1, 'tag_name' => 'hello', 'album_ids' => array(1,2)),             array('tag_id' => 2, 'tag_name' => 'world', 'album_ids' => array(1,2)),             array('tag_id' => 3, 'tag_name' => 'again', 'album_ids' => array(3))         ); 

a) best strategy solving kind of problem? b) how think solving generic array problems come in future?

i might take leaf book of cakephp in representing model data arrays.

with this, have tag model, , album model. data give, tag model looks like

['tag' => ['tag_id' => 1, 'tag_name' => 'hello']] 

and, moment, album has id

['album' => ['album_id' => 1']] 

to represent organized structure:

[     0 => [         'tag' => ['tag_id' => 1, 'tag_name' => 'hello'],         'album' => [             0 => ['album_id' => 1],             1 => ['album_id' => 2]         ],     1 => [         'tag' => ['tag_id' => 2, 'tag_name' => 'world'],         'album' => [             0 => ['album_id' => 1],             1 => ['album_id' => 2]         ],     2 => [         'tag' => ['tag_id' => 3, 'tag_name' => 'again'],         'album' => [             0 => ['album_id' => 3]         ] ] 

however, isn't you've asked for.

to change $tags $organized_tags, i'd tag model class takes $tags structure, iterates through it, , builds second structure.

public function toorganizedtags($tags) {     $organizedtags = [];     foreach ($tags $tag) {         if (!isset($organizedtags[$tag['tag_id']]) {             // make sure entry exists. assume tag_name not change between similar tag_id entries.             $organizedtags[$tag['tag_id']] = [                 'tag_id' => $tag['tag_id'],                  'tag_name' => $tag['tag_name'],                 'album_ids' => []             ];         }         $organizedtags[$tag['tag_id']]['album_ids'][] = $tag['album_id'];     }     // use array_values strip indexed keys     return array_values($organizedtags); }