Online PHP editor | output for 7MZDa

<?php function getLibItemByName($array,$name){ // avoid global, assign as parameter foreach($array['library'] as $key => $row){ if($name === $row['name']){ return $row; // return the whole subarray } } return false; } // logically rename json to array $array=[ 'library'=> [ ['name'=>'Alan','age'=>5], ['name'=>'Bert','age'=>6], ['name'=>'Chad','age'=>7], ['name'=>'Doug','age'=>8], ['name'=>'Eddy','age'=>9], ['name'=>'Fred','age'=>10] ] ]; var_export(getLibItemByName($array,'Chad')); echo "\n---\n"; var_export(getLibItemByName($array,'Greg')); echo "\n---\n"; if(($index=array_search('Eddy',array_column($array['library'],'name')))!==false){ var_export($array['library'][$index]); }else{ echo 'No match'; }