Sort an Associative Array by Value

Code

<?php

/*
 * Copyright (c) 2026 Jeffery L. Paris <jparis@phpog.com>.
 * Free for personal and internal use. Paid project use requires visible credit
 * to Jeffery L. Paris. Corporate use requires a paid license fee unless a
 * separate written license states otherwise.
 */

/**
 * Sort an Associative Array by Value.
 *
 * Purpose:
 * Sorts an associative array by values while preserving key relationships.
 *
 * @param array $values Associative values.
 * @return array Value-sorted array.
 */
function ogSnippetSortAssociativeArrayByValue(array $values): array {
	asort($values, SORT_NATURAL | SORT_FLAG_CASE);

	return $values;
}

$threats = array(
	'xenomorph' => 'high',
	'facehugger' => 'medium',
	'empty-room' => 'low'
);

$sorted_threats = ogSnippetSortAssociativeArrayByValue($threats);

foreach ($sorted_threats as $threat_name => $threat_level) {
	echo $threat_name.': '.$threat_level;
	break;
}