Json Object to PHP array - not converting

Question

I am trying to take a json object stored in a textarea and convert it into a php array. I assign the value of the textarea to variable like $data = $_POST[‘data’] . When I submit the value of the text I use json_decode($data, true) to convert from JSON Object to php array. But nothing happens. It seems like nothing is assigned. How can I achieve the above?

EDIT: I have added quotes and made the suggestion below and is not working: DEMO

PHP

if(isset($_POST['submit'])) {
$data = $_POST['data'];
$personArray = json_decode($data, true);
print_r($personArray);
}

HTML

<textarea name="data">[{
    "firstName": "Jenny",
    "lastName": "LaRusso",
    "phone": "(555) 121-2121",
    "alt_phone": "(555) 123-4567",
    "main1": false,
    "main2": true    
}, {
    "firstName": "Sensei",
    "lastName": "Miyagi",
    "phone": "(555) 444-2222",
    "alt_phone": "(555) 999-1212",
    "main1": true,
    "main2": false
}]</textarea>

Just curious. Did you notice your textarea content before submit? — Your Common Sense, Mar 01 '14 at 19:21
HTML looks nice, but have you inspected what `$_POST['data']` contains? That's the data you're dealing with, regardless of where it came from. — GolezTrol, Mar 01 '14 at 19:22
Second that. Try printing out your input before it is parsed. `var_dump($_POST['data'])` should do. — Aurel Bílý, Mar 01 '14 at 19:23
side note, validation in most cases is very important, here is a great solution for validating the json in the texarea: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6041741/fastest-way-to-check-if-a-string-is-json-in-php/6041773#6041773 — m79lkm, Mar 01 '14 at 19:44

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 01 '14 at 19:23

3

I think in proper JSON, the keys (like firstName) need also be enclosed in quotes.

answered Mar 01 '14 at 19:23

GolezTrol

114,394
18
182
210

I have added the appropriate quotes but it is not working. Check [DEMO](http://holaweblearning.co.nf/test/insert_person.php) – Code_Ed_Student Mar 01 '14 at 19:36
Are you sure? That JSON is valid now, according to http://jsonlint.com/, so maybe the (next) problem is somewhere else. – GolezTrol Mar 01 '14 at 19:56

prateekkathal · Accepted Answer · 2014-03-01T20:06:42.997

2

Change your PHP code to

if(isset($_POST['data'])) {
$data = $_POST['data'];
$data = stripslashes($data); //Stripslashes removes all backslashes :)
$personArray = json_decode($data, true);
print_r($personArray);
}

Your JSON object should be this way inside the textarea

[{
"firstName": "Jenny",
"lastName": "LaRusso",
"phone": "(555) 121-2121",
"alt_phone": "(555) 123-4567",
"main1": false,
"main2": true    
}, {
"firstName": "Sensei",
"lastName": "Miyagi",
"phone": "(555) 444-2222",
"alt_phone": "(555) 999-1212",
"main1": true,
"main2": false
}]

Happy Coding :)

edited Mar 01 '14 at 20:06

answered Mar 01 '14 at 19:27

prateekkathal

3,482
1
20
40

It is not working, check [DEMO](http://holaweblearning.co.nf/test/insert_person.php) – Code_Ed_Student Mar 01 '14 at 19:35
OOPS, I forgot about the limitations of using "" in your text. I have edited the answer above :) – prateekkathal Mar 01 '14 at 20:06

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 01 '14 at 19:35

There does not seem to be anything wrong with your PHP code. For debugging, after setting $personArray, try adding these two lines:

var_dump($data);
var_dump($personArray);

This should lead to why you are having trouble.

Here you can see what each return type means(if $returnArray is equal to false): http://php.net/json_decode

Json Object to PHP array - not converting

3 Answers3