Recursive function returning false - php

Question

I have no idea why this keeps returning false.
The best part is at the echo statements it actually echo's. This function is in a plugin that I am writing for WordPress.
function find_field($field_name,$array) {
if(array_key_exists($field_name,$array)) {
echo 'Here';
echo $array[$field_name];
return $array[$field_name];
}
foreach($array as $value) {
if(is_array($value)) {
find_field($field_name,$value);
}
}
return false;
}
If I run this: echo find_field('cellphone_number',$arr);
And this is my $arr:
array(
'page' => 'wp_crm_add_new',
'wp_crm' => array(
'user_data' => array(
'user_id' => array(
(int) 0 => array(
'value' => ''
)
),
'user_pass' => array(
(int) 1428 => array(
'value' => ''
)
),
'role' => array(
(int) 2718 => array(
'value' => ''
)
),
'display_name' => array(
(int) 14454 => array(
'value' => 'Albert'
)
),
'user_email' => array(
(int) 26059 => array(
'value' => 'albert#domain.com'
)
),
'company' => array(
(int) 85772 => array(
'value' => ''
)
),
'cellphone_number' => array(
(int) 62506 => array(
'value' => '0820000000'
)
),
'last_visit' => array(
(int) 45073 => array(
'value' => ''
)
)
)
),
'meta-box-order-nonce' => '1374268beb',
'closedpostboxesnonce' => '92fffdd685',
'wp_crm_update_user' => '42d35393d7',
'show_admin_bar_front' => 'false',
'color-nonce' => 'c02f4b0a88',
'admin_color' => 'sunrise',
'original_publish' => 'Publish',
'publish' => 'Save'
)
I get false as the result, every time. What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

This is happening because you return false. Here's the logic break-down:
function find_field($field_name,$array) {
if(SOMETHING) {
DO SOMETHING
return SOMETHING;
}
foreach($array as $value) {
if(SOMETHING) {
CALL RECURSIVE FUNCTION
}
}
return false;
}
Put like this... if you call the function at any point and send a value that passes the first if statement, then you return a value. If you do not pass that if statement (aka the array_key doesn't exist) then you move into a foreach loop, which does some stuff, calls a recursive function which eventually returns a value (and does nothing with it) before moving on to the final line of code... return false.
It is important to first think of a recursive function as a one-time function before compounding it into a recursive one.
Just like any other function, this recursive function is going to execute every line of code (although interrupted) before it is done. The last line of code you execute is always a "return false" which is throwing your result.
Perhaps you should be returning the inner foreach loop value when you call the recursive function:
function find_field($field_name,$array) {
if(array_key_exists($field_name,$array)) {
echo 'Here';
echo $array[$field_name];
return $array[$field_name];
}
foreach($array as $value) {
if(is_array($value)) {
return find_field($field_name,$value);
}
}
return false;
}