Can you assign multiple variables at once in PHP like you can with Java?

Since PHP 7.1 you can use square bracket syntax:

[$var1, $var2, $var3, $var4, $var5] = array(1, 2, 3, 4, 5);

[1] https://wiki.php.net/rfc/short_list_syntax
[2] https://secure.php.net/manual/de/migration71.new-features.php#migration71.new-features.symmetric-array-destructuring

Yes, you can.

$a = $b = $c = $d = array();