[php] How to increment a letter N times per iteration and store in an array?

ord() will not work because your end string is two characters long.

Returns the ASCII value of the first character of string.

Watch it break.

From my testing, you need to check that the end string doesn't get "stepped over". The perl-style character incrementation is a cool method, but it is a single-stepping method. For this reason, an inner loop helps it along when necessary. This is actually not a bother, in fact, it is useful because we need to check if the loop(s) should be broken on each single step.

Code: (Demo)

function excelCols($letter,$end,$step=1){  // function doesn't check that $end is "later" than $letter
    if($step==0)return [];  // prevent infinite loop
    do{
        $letters[]=$letter;  // store letter
        for($x=0; $x<$step; ++$x){  // increment in accordance with $step declaration
            if($letter===$end)break(2);  // break if end is "stepped on"
            ++$letter;
        }
    }while(true);
    return $letters;    
}
echo implode(' ',excelCols('A','JJ',4));
echo "\n --- \n";
echo implode(' ',excelCols('A','BB',3));
echo "\n --- \n";
echo implode(' ',excelCols('A','ZZ',1));
echo "\n --- \n";
echo implode(' ',excelCols('A','ZZ',3));

Output:

A E I M Q U Y AC AG AK AO AS AW BA BE BI BM BQ BU BY CC CG CK CO CS CW DA DE DI DM DQ DU DY EC EG EK EO ES EW FA FE FI FM FQ FU FY GC GG GK GO GS GW HA HE HI HM HQ HU HY IC IG IK IO IS IW JA JE JI
 --- 
A D G J M P S V Y AB AE AH AK AN AQ AT AW AZ
 --- 
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z AA AB AC AD AE AF AG AH AI AJ AK AL AM AN AO AP AQ AR AS AT AU AV AW AX AY AZ BA BB BC BD BE BF BG BH BI BJ BK BL BM BN BO BP BQ BR BS BT BU BV BW BX BY BZ CA CB CC CD CE CF CG CH CI CJ CK CL CM CN CO CP CQ CR CS CT CU CV CW CX CY CZ DA DB DC DD DE DF DG DH DI DJ DK DL DM DN DO DP DQ DR DS DT DU DV DW DX DY DZ EA EB EC ED EE EF EG EH EI EJ EK EL EM EN EO EP EQ ER ES ET EU EV EW EX EY EZ FA FB FC FD FE FF FG FH FI FJ FK FL FM FN FO FP FQ FR FS FT FU FV FW FX FY FZ GA GB GC GD GE GF GG GH GI GJ GK GL GM GN GO GP GQ GR GS GT GU GV GW GX GY GZ HA HB HC HD HE HF HG HH HI HJ HK HL HM HN HO HP HQ HR HS HT HU HV HW HX HY HZ IA IB IC ID IE IF IG IH II IJ IK IL IM IN IO IP IQ IR IS IT IU IV IW IX IY IZ JA JB JC JD JE JF JG JH JI JJ JK JL JM JN JO JP JQ JR JS JT JU JV JW JX JY JZ KA KB KC KD KE KF KG KH KI KJ KK KL KM KN KO KP KQ KR KS KT KU KV KW KX KY KZ LA LB LC LD LE LF LG LH LI LJ LK LL LM LN LO LP LQ LR LS LT LU LV LW LX LY LZ MA MB MC MD ME MF MG MH MI MJ MK ML MM MN MO MP MQ MR MS MT MU MV MW MX MY MZ NA NB NC ND NE NF NG NH NI NJ NK NL NM NN NO NP NQ NR NS NT NU NV NW NX NY NZ OA OB OC OD OE OF OG OH OI OJ OK OL OM ON OO OP OQ OR OS OT OU OV OW OX OY OZ PA PB PC PD PE PF PG PH PI PJ PK PL PM PN PO PP PQ PR PS PT PU PV PW PX PY PZ QA QB QC QD QE QF QG QH QI QJ QK QL QM QN QO QP QQ QR QS QT QU QV QW QX QY QZ RA RB RC RD RE RF RG RH RI RJ RK RL RM RN RO RP RQ RR RS RT RU RV RW RX RY RZ SA SB SC SD SE SF SG SH SI SJ SK SL SM SN SO SP SQ SR SS ST SU SV SW SX SY SZ TA TB TC TD TE TF TG TH TI TJ TK TL TM TN TO TP TQ TR TS TT TU TV TW TX TY TZ UA UB UC UD UE UF UG UH UI UJ UK UL UM UN UO UP UQ UR US UT UU UV UW UX UY UZ VA VB VC VD VE VF VG VH VI VJ VK VL VM VN VO VP VQ VR VS VT VU VV VW VX VY VZ WA WB WC WD WE WF WG WH WI WJ WK WL WM WN WO WP WQ WR WS WT WU WV WW WX WY WZ XA XB XC XD XE XF XG XH XI XJ XK XL XM XN XO XP XQ XR XS XT XU XV XW XX XY XZ YA YB YC YD YE YF YG YH YI YJ YK YL YM YN YO YP YQ YR YS YT YU YV YW YX YY YZ ZA ZB ZC ZD ZE ZF ZG ZH ZI ZJ ZK ZL ZM ZN ZO ZP ZQ ZR ZS ZT ZU ZV ZW ZX ZY ZZ
 --- 
A D G J M P S V Y AB AE AH AK AN AQ AT AW AZ BC BF BI BL BO BR BU BX CA CD CG CJ CM CP CS CV CY DB DE DH DK DN DQ DT DW DZ EC EF EI EL EO ER EU EX FA FD FG FJ FM FP FS FV FY GB GE GH GK GN GQ GT GW GZ HC HF HI HL HO HR HU HX IA ID IG IJ IM IP IS IV IY JB JE JH JK JN JQ JT JW JZ KC KF KI KL KO KR KU KX LA LD LG LJ LM LP LS LV LY MB ME MH MK MN MQ MT MW MZ NC NF NI NL NO NR NU NX OA OD OG OJ OM OP OS OV OY PB PE PH PK PN PQ PT PW PZ QC QF QI QL QO QR QU QX RA RD RG RJ RM RP RS RV RY SB SE SH SK SN SQ ST SW SZ TC TF TI TL TO TR TU TX UA UD UG UJ UM UP US UV UY VB VE VH VK VN VQ VT VW VZ WC WF WI WL WO WR WU WX XA XD XG XJ XM XP XS XV XY YB YE YH YK YN YQ YT YW YZ ZC ZF ZI ZL ZO ZR ZU ZX

Here is an array-functions approach:

Code: (Demo)

$start='C';
$end='DD';
$step=4;

// generate and store more than we need (this is an obvious method disadvantage)
$result=$array=range('A','Z',1);  // store A - Z as $array and $result
foreach($array as $a){
    foreach($array as $b){
        $result[]="$a$b";  // store double letter combinations
        if(in_array($end,$result)){break(2);}  // stop asap
    }
}
//echo implode(' ',$result),"\n\n";

// slice away from the front of the array
$result=array_slice($result,array_search($start,$result));  // reindex keys
//echo implode(' ',$result),"\n\n";

 // punch out elements that are not "stepped on"
$result=array_filter($result,function($k)use($step){return $k%$step==0;},ARRAY_FILTER_USE_KEY); // use modulo

// result is ready
echo implode(' ',$result);

Output:

C G K O S W AA AE AI AM AQ AU AY BC BG BK BO BS BW CA CE CI CM CQ CU CY DC