NDArray Class

The main N-dimensional array class.

Overview

NDArray is the core class of this library. It represents an N-dimensional array backed by Rust via FFI. Each NDArray instance holds:

• A pointer to the underlying Rust array handle
• Metadata about the array (shape, dtype, strides)
• Reference counting information for memory management

An NDArray can represent either:

• An owned array - The array owns its data and memory
• A view of an array - A slice or view that shares memory with another array

use PhpMlKit\NDArray\NDArray;

// Create an owned array
$arr = NDArray::array([1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);

// Create a view (shares memory)
$view = $arr[0:3];
echo $view->isView();  // true

Properties

Methods to inspect array metadata.

shape()

Returns the dimensions of the array.

public function shape(): array

Returns: Array of integers representing size of each dimension

Examples:

$arr = NDArray::zeros([3, 4, 5]);
echo $arr->shape();  // [3, 4, 5]

$vector = NDArray::array([1, 2, 3]);
echo $vector->shape();  // [3]

---

ndim()

Returns the number of dimensions.

public function ndim(): int

Returns: Integer count of dimensions

Examples:

$scalar = NDArray::array([1]);
echo $scalar->ndim();  // 1

$matrix = NDArray::zeros([3, 4]);
echo $matrix->ndim();  // 2

$tensor = NDArray::zeros([2, 3, 4, 5]);
echo $tensor->ndim();  // 4

---

size()

Returns the total number of elements.

public function size(): int

Returns: Total element count

Examples:

$arr = NDArray::zeros([3, 4, 5]);
echo $arr->size();  // 60 (3 * 4 * 5)

$vector = NDArray::array([1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);
echo $vector->size();  // 5

---

dtype()

Returns the data type of the array.

public function dtype(): DType

Returns: DType enum value

Examples:

$arr = NDArray::array([1, 2, 3]);
echo $arr->dtype();  // DType::Int64

$int_arr = NDArray::array([1, 2, 3], DType::Int32);
echo $int_arr->dtype();  // DType::Int32

See Also:

• Data Types Guide

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itemsize()

Returns the size of each element in bytes.

public function itemsize(): int

Returns: Bytes per element

Examples:

$f64 = NDArray::array([1.0], DType::Float64);
echo $f64->itemsize();  // 8

$f32 = NDArray::array([1.0], DType::Float32);
echo $f32->itemsize();  // 4

$i32 = NDArray::array([1], DType::Int32);
echo $i32->itemsize();  // 4

---

nbytes()

Returns the total bytes consumed by the array.

public function nbytes(): int

Returns: Total bytes (size * itemsize)

Examples:

$arr = NDArray::zeros([1000, 1000], DType::Float64);
echo $arr->nbytes();  // 8000000 (8 MB)

// Memory-efficient alternative
$small = NDArray::zeros([1000, 1000], DType::Float32);
echo $small->nbytes();  // 4000000 (4 MB)

---

strides()

Returns the byte steps in each dimension.

public function strides(): array

Returns: Array of strides

Examples:

$arr = NDArray::array([[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6]], DType::Float64);
echo $arr->strides();  // [24, 8]
// 24 bytes to next row, 8 bytes to next column
// (Float64 = 8 bytes per element)

TIP

Strides are used internally for views and non-contiguous arrays.

---

isView()

Returns whether the array is a view of another array.

public function isView(): bool

Returns: True if array shares memory with parent

Examples:

$arr = NDArray::array([1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);
echo $arr->isView();  // false

$view = $arr[0:3];
echo $view->isView();  // true

See Also:

• Views vs Copies

---

isContiguous()

Returns whether the array is C-contiguous (row-major).

public function isContiguous(): bool

Returns: True if elements stored sequentially in memory

Examples:

$arr = NDArray::array([[1, 2], [3, 4]]);
echo $arr->isContiguous();  // true

// Transpose changes strides
$transposed = $arr->transpose();
echo $transposed->isContiguous();  // false

// Copy restores contiguity
$copy = $transposed->copy();
echo $copy->isContiguous();  // true

---

String Representation

NDArray implements PHP's Stringable interface, allowing arrays to be used in any string context.

__toString()

Returns a string representation of the array.

public function __toString(): string

Uses global print options configured via setPrintOptions(). The output includes a header showing the array shape.

Returns: String representation of the array

Examples:

$arr = NDArray::array([1, 2, 3]);
echo $arr;
// array(3)
// [1 2 3]

$matrix = NDArray::array([[1, 2], [3, 4]]);
echo $matrix;
// array(2, 2)
// [
//  [1 2]
//  [3 4]
// ]

See Also:

• Printing Guide

---

NDArray::setPrintOptions()

Configure global print options for all array displays.

public static function setPrintOptions(
    int $threshold = 1000,
    int $edgeitems = 3,
    int $precision = 8
): void

Parameters:

Name	Type	Default	Description
threshold	int	1000	Maximum elements before truncation
edgeitems	int	3	Items to show at each edge when truncating
precision	int	8	Decimal places for floating-point numbers

Examples:

// Configure for high precision
NDArray::setPrintOptions(precision: 16);

$values = NDArray::array([1.123456789012345]);
echo $values;
// array(1)
// [1.123456789012345]

// Compact display for large arrays
NDArray::setPrintOptions(threshold: 10, edgeitems: 2);

$arr = NDArray::arange(20);
echo $arr;
// array(20)
// [0 1 ... 18 19]

---

NDArray::getPrintOptions()

Retrieve current print settings.

public static function getPrintOptions(): array

Returns: Array with keys threshold, edgeitems, and precision

Examples:

$options = NDArray::getPrintOptions();
// ['threshold' => 1000, 'edgeitems' => 3, 'precision' => 8]

---

NDArray::resetPrintOptions()

Restore print options to default values.

public static function resetPrintOptions(): void

Examples:

NDArray::setPrintOptions(precision: 16);
// ... use high precision ...

NDArray::resetPrintOptions();
// Now uses: threshold=1000, edgeitems=3, precision=8

---

Summary

Property	Returns	Description
shape()	array	Dimensions [rows, cols, ...]
ndim()	int	Number of dimensions
size()	int	Total element count
dtype()	DType	Data type enum
itemsize()	int	Bytes per element
nbytes()	int	Total memory usage
strides()	array	Byte steps per dimension
isView()	bool	Whether shares memory
isContiguous()	bool	Whether row-major

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Next Steps

• Array Creation - Methods to create arrays
• Indexing Routines - Access and modify elements
• Mathematical Functions - Arithmetic and math operations
• Printing Guide - Controlling array display