How can I normalize/check a json object output it can run through a foreach loop (php)

Question

Maybe I just need to get some sleep, but I cannot figure this one out :( ... My problem is that the json output I have changes when it contains a single order vs multiple orders.

Here is an example json output of a single order:

{"Ack":"Success","OrderArray":{"Order":{"OrderID":"165921181012"}},"OrdersPerPage":"10","PageNumber":"1","ReturnedOrderCountActual":"1"}

Here is an example json output of multiple orders:

{"Ack":"Success","OrderArray":{"Order":[{"OrderID":"165921181012","OrderStatus":"Completed"},{"OrderID":"151330738592-1109250612005","OrderStatus":"Completed"},{"OrderID":"380931137567-501668037025","OrderStatus":"Completed"}]},"OrdersPerPage":"10","PageNumber":"1","ReturnedOrderCountActual":"3"}

The difference being the [ ]

Right now my code is as follows:

$json_o = json_decode($json);
foreach ($json_o->OrderArray->Order as $orderkey=>$o) { echo $o->OrderID; }

My first thought was to write an if statement to handle single orders Edit**, I can detect the difference between the single orders vs multiple orders using is_array / is_object. But, is there a way to add the [ ] (force a single element array) around json "OrderID" so that the foreach loop would run even if only one order exists?

if you control how the json is generated, make both cases the same — charlietfl, Jul 06 '14 at 13:05
`Order` _is_ an array in your second case, so `is_array` should detect that. You neglected to show us how exactly you used it, so we can’t tell you what you did wrong. — CBroe, Jul 06 '14 at 13:10
So I dumped what was going on and I saw that I am actually able to use is_array to detect if its an array or not. But, I am still wondering if there is a way I can somehow force a single element array so that the foreach loop does not bug out. — imos, Jul 07 '14 at 01:49

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 06 '14 at 13:17

0

If you are also generating the JSON yourself, normalise the format at that point. 'Order' should always be an array of orders, even if it only contains a single element. That, or set some other flag which signifies whether it contains only a single order or multiple orders.

If you're only consuming the JSON and have no choice:

if (!isset($json_o->OrderArray[0])) {
    $json_o->OrderArray = array($json_o->OrderArray);
}

foreach ($json_O->OrderArray as $order) ...

answered Jul 06 '14 at 13:17

deceze

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oddly enough $json_o->OrderArray = array($json_o->OrderArray); does not allow the foreach loop to run through if there is only one object. – imos Jul 07 '14 at 01:46

score 0 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 11:57

So I found another question that dealt with a similar issue. php-convert-xml-to-json-group-when-there-is-one-child With this you can customize the json encode and add brackets where it is needed. The example below adds the array around the "status" element.

    <?php
/**
 * PHP convert XML to JSON group when there is one child
 * @link https://stackoverflow.com/q/16935560/367456
 */
$bufferXml = <<<STRING
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<searchResult>
    <status>
        <userName1>johndoe</userName1>
    </status>
    <users>
        <user>
            <userName>johndoe</userName>
        </user>
        <user>
            <userName>johndoe1</userName>
            <fullName>John Doe</fullName>
        </user>
        <user>
            <userName>johndoe2</userName>
        </user>
        <user>
            <userName>johndoe3</userName>
            <fullName>John Doe Mother</fullName>
        </user>
        <user>
            <userName>johndoe4</userName>
        </user>
    </users>
</searchResult>
STRING;
class XML2JsonSearchResult extends SimpleXMLElement implements JsonSerializable
{
    public function jsonSerialize()
    {
        $name = $this->getName();
        if ($name == 'status') {
            $value = (array)$this;
            return [$value];
        }
        return $this;
    }
}
$converter = new XML2JsonSearchResult($bufferXml);
echo "<pre>";
echo json_encode($converter, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT);
echo "</pre>";

How can I normalize/check a json object output it can run through a foreach loop (php)

2 Answers2