Creating an associatve array from a string

Walter G · August 18th, 2003, 02:22 PM

Hi, I have a client server application where the client receives the $data string in example (2). I want the data to be assigned or converted to an associative array. Is there a way to do this?

Example (1) This is in theory how it should work.
$jess = array ("Alt_id" => "10040" ,"Profile" => "Married");
extract ($jess);
print ("Alt_id = $Alt_id\n");
print ("Profile = $Profile\n");
# The values get printed properly

Example (2) This is how I would like it to work, but it does not.
$data = ' "Alt_id" => "10040" ,"Profile" => "Married" ';
$jess = array ($data);
extract ($jess);
print ("Alt_id = $Alt_id\n");
print ("Profile = $Profile\n");
# Unfortunately there are no values printed.

Walter G

nikolai · August 18th, 2003, 02:37 PM

For something like that you should use eval().

$jess = eval("array({$data})");

http://www.php.net/eval

The problem with your example 2 is that you were only passing a single string to array(), so your array was created with a single numerical index (0) with a string value of ' "Alt_id" => "10040" ,"Profile" => "Married" '.

Take care,

Nik
http://www.bigaction.org/

nikolai · August 19th, 2003, 01:43 PM

Oops! I'm assinging the return value of eval() to $jess. According to the documentation:

Quote:

quote:from http://www.php.net/eval
A return statement will terminate the evaluation of the string immediately. In PHP 4, eval() returns NULL unless return is called in the evaluated code, in which case the value passed to return is returned. In PHP 3, eval() does not return a value.

To do it properly, you need one of two options:

Option 1: Assign $jess inside eval()
eval("\$jess = array({$data})");

Option 2: Use the 'return' keyword to return the new array from eval().
$jess = eval("return array({$data})");

I like the second method better, personally.

Take care,

Nik
http://www.bigaction.org/

Walter G · August 19th, 2003, 02:53 PM

Hi Nik I tried it both ways you suggested and I still get a parsing
error.
I have also tried an alternate version of my $data being:
$data = '("Alt_id" => "10040" ,"Profile" => "Married");';

<?php
  $data = '"Alt_id" => "10040" ,"Profile" => "Married"';
  eval("\$jess = array({$data})");
  extract ($jess);
  print ("Alt_id = $Alt_id\n");
  print ("Profile = $Profile\n");
?>

<?php
  $data = '"Alt_id" => "10040" ,"Profile" => "Married"';
  $jess = eval("return array({$data})");
  extract ($jess);
  print ("Alt_id = $Alt_id\n");
  print ("Profile = $Profile\n");
?>

I am running PHP 4.1.2.

Do these examples print the correct values for you?
The output should be:
Alt_id = 10040
Profile = Married

Thanks again,

Walter G.

nikolai · August 19th, 2003, 02:55 PM

Hi Walter,

The parse error is due to a typo on my part -- a missing semicolon to terminate the statement to be evaluated. That's why you get an "unexpected end in eval()'d code" error.

$data = '"Alt_id" => "10040" ,"Profile" => "Married"';
$jess = eval("return array({$data});");

extract ($jess);

print ("Alt_id = $Alt_id\n");
print ("Profile = $Profile\n");

That should work now!

Take care,

Nik
http://www.bigaction.org/

Walter G · August 19th, 2003, 02:59 PM

Thanks this is just what I was looking for.

Walter G.