Whats the best method to create this list with PHP? - php

Question

I'm new to the world of PHP and looking to see if there is a better way of writing this little code snippet that I have. Basically, it gives variables for some social media links, checks if they are empty, creates an array in a function and I call the array in a UL. I know its simple but I'm just looking if what I have is best or if I can improve on it any.
<?php
$facebook = of_get_option('facebook');
$twitter = of_get_option('twitter');
$youtube = of_get_option('youtube');
$linkedIn = of_get_option('linkedin');
$instagram = of_get_option('instagram');
$socialMediaLinks = array(
);
if (!empty($facebook)){
$socialMediaLinks[facebook] = $facebook;
}
if (!empty($twitter)){
$socialMediaLinks[twitter] = $twitter;
}
if (!empty($youtube)){
$socialMediaLinks[youtube] = $youtube;
}
if (!empty($linkedIn)){
$socialMediaLinks[linkedIn] = $linkedIn;
}
if (!empty($instagram)){
$socialMediaLinks[instagram] = $instagram;
}
function socialMediaList($value, $key){
echo '<li class="'.$key.'">'.$key.'</li>';
}
?>
<?php if (!empty($socialMediaLinks)){ ?>
<ul class="social-media">
<?php array_walk($socialMediaLinks, 'socialMediaList'); ?>
</ul>
<?php } ?>

Answer 1

You could shorten the code by simply doing:
$socialMediaLinks = array_filter(array(
'facebook' => of_get_option('facebook'),
'twitter' => of_get_option('twitter'),
'youtube' => of_get_option('youtube'),
'linkedIn' => of_get_option('linkedIn'),
'instagram' => of_get_option('instagram'),
));
This will automatically remove all empty entries, so you won't need that whole bunch of if-statements afterwards.

Answer 2

Try this:
<?php
$socialMediaItems = array(
'facebook' => of_get_option('facebook'),
'twitter' => of_get_option('twitter'),
'youtube' => of_get_option('youtube'),
'linkedin' => of_get_option('linkedin'),
'instagram' => of_get_option('instagram')
);
$socialMediaLinks = array();
foreach ($socialMediaItems as $key => $item) {
if ($item) {
$socialMediaLinks[$key] = $item;
}
}
function socialMediaList($value, $key){
echo '<li class="'.$key.'">'.$key.'</li>';
}
?>
<?php if (!empty($socialMediaLinks)){ ?>
<ul class="social-media">
<?php array_walk($socialMediaLinks, 'socialMediaList'); ?>
</ul>
<?php } ?>

Answer 3

Using array
<?php
$facebook = of_get_option('facebook');
$twitter = of_get_option('twitter');
$youtube = of_get_option('youtube');
$linkedIn = of_get_option('linkedin');
$instagram = of_get_option('instagram');
$socialMediaLinks = array();
$madeArray = array('facebook' => $facebook,'twitter' => $twitter,'youtube' => $youtube,'linkedin' => $linkedIn,'instagram' => $instagram);
foreach ($madeArray as $key => $value) {
if (!empty($value)) {
$socialMediaLinks[$key] = $value;
}
}
function socialMediaList($value, $key){
echo '<li class="'.$key.'">'.$key.'</li>';
}
?>
<?php if (!empty($socialMediaLinks)){ ?>
<ul class="social-media">
<?php array_walk($socialMediaLinks, 'socialMediaList'); ?>
</ul>
<?php } ?>

Answer 4

Better can be:
<?php
$socialmedia = array('facebook', 'twitter', 'youtube', 'linkedin' 'instagram');
$socialMediaLinks = array();
function GetOptions($name)
{
$value = of_get_option($name);
if (!empty($value))
$socialMediaLinks[$name] = $value;
}
foreach ($socialmedia as $smname)
GetOptions($smname);
function socialMediaList($value, $key){
echo '<li class="'.$key.'">'.$key.'</li>';
}
if (!empty($socialMediaLinks)){
?>
<ul class="social-media">
<?php array_walk($socialMediaLinks, 'socialMediaList'); ?>
</ul>
<?php
}
?>

Answer 5

I'd made something like this:
$social_networks = ['facebook', 'twitter', 'youtube', 'linkedin', 'instagram'];
$media_links = [];
foreach ($social_networks as $network) {
if ($option = of_get_option($network)) {
$media_links[$network] = $option;
}
}
// your code to output...
If you write simple application with short support time - your displaying style its normal. But if it something complex, you should look to MVC pattern.