Identifying Array Entries Based on Object Properties

Consider an array of objects, each possessing an "ID" property. To locate an entry corresponding to a specific "ID" value stored in the variable "$v," we explore several approaches:

1. Iterative Search

This involves sequentially iterating through the array, comparing the "ID" property of each object with the desired value "$v."

$item = null;
foreach($array as $struct) {
    if ($v == $struct->ID) {
        $item = $struct;
        break;
    }
}

This method is suitable for one-time searches, but can become inefficient for large datasets.

2. Hashmap Approach

Alternatively, we can construct a hashmap using another associative array.

$HashMap = [];
foreach ($array as $struct) {
    $HashMap[$struct->ID] = $struct;
}

$item = $HashMap[$v];

This approach enables direct access to the desired entry using the "ID" value as a key, but it requires additional memory overhead.

Therefore, the choice of approach depends on the frequency and size of search operations.