PHP push a value to an array during recursive search

Question

    $menus = [
        0 => [
            'id' => 'home',
            'title' => 'Home',
            'url' => '/display/home',
            'children' => [],
            'parent' => null
        ],
        1 => [
            'id' => 'nodes',
            'title' => 'Nodes',
            'url' => 'nodes/index',
            'children' => [
                0 => [
                    'id' => 'addNode',
                    'title' => 'Add Node',
                    'url' => '/nodes/add',
                    'children' => [],
                    'parent' => "nodes"
                ],
                1 => [
                    'id' => 'editNode',
                    'title' => 'Edit Node',
                    'url' => '/nodes/edit',
                    'children' => [],
                    'parent' => 'nodes'
                ],
                2 => [
                    'id' => 'deleteNode',
                    'title' => 'Delete Node',
                    'url' => '/nodes/delete',
                    'children' => [
                        0 => [
                            'id' => 'deleteMultipleNodes',
                            'title' => 'Delete Multiple Nodes',
                            'url' => '/nodes/deleteall',
                            'children' => [
                                0 => [
                                    'id' => 'deleteMultipleSelectedNodes',
                                    'title' => 'Delete Multiple Selected Nodes',
                                    'url' => '/nodes/deleteallselected',
                                    'children' => [],
                                    'parent' => 'deleteMultipleNodes'
                                ]
                            ],
                            'parent' => 'deleteNode'
                        ]
                    ],
                    'parent' => 'nodes'
                ]

            ],
            'parent' => null
        ]
    ];

Assuming I have this array. What i want is to recursively search this array for an "id" and if found push a new children to the children array of that element.

I've tried it via different ways, I've also tried to use RecursiveArrayIterator to traverse the array, but the problem is how can i push value to that index of the array when found while traversing.

For Example here is a code from one of my tries:

private function traverseArray($array)
{

    $child = [
        'id' => 'deleteMultipleNotSelectedNodes',
        'title' => 'Delete Multiple Not Selected Nodes',
        'url' => '/nodes/deletenotselected',
        'children' => [],
        'parent' => 'deleteMultipleNodes'
    ];
    foreach($array as $key=>$value)
    {
        if(is_array($value))
        {
            $this->traverseArray($value);
        }
        if($key == "id" && $value == "deleteMultipleNodes") 
        {
            array_push($array["children"], $child); // This part is confusing me, How to add the child on this index where the id is found. 
        }
    }
}

Any help on how to do such thing in an efficient way would save my days.

If you fixed `deleteMultipleNodes` in your search then you must know the index, so what confusing? — Murad Hasan, May 12 '16 at 13:09
Its recursively drilling down and if it founds the ID I want to to push the child to that id's element. But i don't have the index — Subhan, May 12 '16 at 13:11
There is a `children`, do you want one more similar to that? — Murad Hasan, May 12 '16 at 13:11
Yes i want another sibling of that children in its parent's children array. — Subhan, May 12 '16 at 13:12
you can store the last `id` every time, so you can use this id for the next child. — Murad Hasan, May 12 '16 at 13:13
id does not gives me the index. I mean how to get to know that i have to add this child to $menus[1][0][1] index — Subhan, May 12 '16 at 13:14
can you please add the desire block? what you actually want to push and where to push? — Murad Hasan, May 12 '16 at 13:15
Let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackoverflow.com/rooms/111762/discussion-between-subhan-ahmed-and-frayne-konok). — Subhan, May 12 '16 at 13:15
In the element where id is "deleteNode" there exists one children named "deleteSelectedNodes", i want to add another child there. — Subhan, May 12 '16 at 13:17
the 2nd if wouldn't work because you have assignment instead of comparison — Richard, May 12 '16 at 13:18
I'm not getting the current index of the array when i reach to that id. — Subhan, May 12 '16 at 13:27

score 4 · Accepted Answer · answered May 12 '16 at 13:28

Here it's how it would work without using $this and fixing bugs in comparing $value instead assigning anything to value.

Please note the difference with &$array and &$value, which are references, so it would change the original data instead of copying it into new variables.

<?php
$menus = [
        0 => [
            'id' => 'home',
            'title' => 'Home',
            'url' => '/display/home',
            'children' => [],
            'parent' => null
        ],
        1 => [
            'id' => 'nodes',
            'title' => 'Nodes',
            'url' => 'nodes/index',
            'children' => [
                0 => [
                    'id' => 'addNode',
                    'title' => 'Add Node',
                    'url' => '/nodes/add',
                    'children' => [],
                    'parent' => "nodes"
                ],
                1 => [
                    'id' => 'editNode',
                    'title' => 'Edit Node',
                    'url' => '/nodes/edit',
                    'children' => [],
                    'parent' => 'nodes'
                ],
                2 => [
                    'id' => 'deleteNode',
                    'title' => 'Delete Node',
                    'url' => '/nodes/delete',
                    'children' => [
                        0 => [
                            'id' => 'deleteMultipleNodes',
                            'title' => 'Delete Multiple Nodes',
                            'url' => '/nodes/deleteall',
                            'children' => [
                                0 => [
                                    'id' => 'deleteMultipleSelectedNodes',
                                    'title' => 'Delete Multiple Selected Nodes',
                                    'url' => '/nodes/deleteallselected',
                                    'children' => [],
                                    'parent' => 'deleteMultipleNodes'
                                ]
                            ],
                            'parent' => 'deleteNode'
                        ]
                    ],
                    'parent' => 'nodes'
                ]

            ],
            'parent' => null
        ]
    ];

function traverseArray(&$array)
{
    $child = [
        'id' => 'deleteMultipleNotSelectedNodes',
        'title' => 'Delete Multiple Not Selected Nodes',
        'url' => '/nodes/deletenotselected',
        'children' => [],
        'parent' => 'deleteMultipleNodes'
    ];
    foreach($array as $key=>&$value)
    {
        if(is_array($value))
        {
            traverseArray($value);
        }
        if($key == "id" && $value == "deleteMultipleNodes") 
        {
            array_push($array["children"], $child); 
        }
    }
}

echo "=== before \n";
var_export($menus);
echo "\n\n";
traverseArray($menus);
echo "=== after \n";
var_export($menus);

Wow That worked. Can you please explain what &$array would do actually. — Subhan, May 12 '16 at 13:31
Passing by reference http://php.net/manual/en/language.references.pass.php Modifying array during foreach cycle http://codereview.stackexchange.com/questions/12652/modifying-an-array-during-a-foreach-loop — Richard, May 12 '16 at 13:33
Pass by reference was a new concept to me in PHP and it worked like a dream. Thank you so much. — Subhan, May 12 '16 at 13:38

PHP push a value to an array during recursive search

1 Answers1

Linked