Convert a serialized array output in PHP

Question

In Wordpress, I have some post meta_key fields with strings of this form, from an serialized array, with a variable length:

a:2:{i:0;i:281;i:1;i:282;}

I need to copy them to other post meta_key fields, but in this format:

[281,282]

How can I do this?

My code:

$attachments = get_posts( $args );
if ($attachments) {
   $attachmentIds = array();
   foreach ( $attachments as $attachment ) {
      $attachmentIds[] = $attachment->ID;
   }
}

$data['meta_input']['advert_post_attachments'] = $attachmentIds;

P.S. I apologize to those who were angry with my question! I am not a PHP programmer, I'm really not a programmer at all, but I need to solve this.

I checked the recommended by @Machavity answers, they are very educational, but this doesn't helped me to solve my problem.

[SOLVED]

I thank everyone who tried to help me: @AbraCadaver, @Anant, @ManinderpreetSingh, @ShaktiPhartiyal and, sure, @Machavity! :)

lurie `[281,282]` is array or you are going to treat it as a string like `'[281,282]'`? — Alive to die - Anant, Mar 03 '17 at 18:06
`$result = json_encode(unserialize('a:2:{i:0;i:281;i:1;i:282;}'));` — AbraCadaver, Mar 03 '17 at 18:14
@Anant I see this in phpMyAdmin, so I think this is a string. — Yurié, Mar 03 '17 at 18:33
@AbraCadaver I tested your solution by replacing the quoted string with the array name that puts this string in the post `meta_key`, but I got as a result only a `false` output. — Yurié, Mar 03 '17 at 19:23

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 03 '17 at 18:00

2

You have to use the unserialize() function and then join the output to create an array like format: You can use:

<?php
$sData = 'a:2:{i:0;i:281;i:1;i:282;}';
$uData = unserialize($sData);
$arrFormat = "[".implode(",",$uData)."]";
echo $arrFormat;

this will give you the output:

[281,282]

answered Mar 03 '17 at 18:00

Shakti Phartiyal

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Your code works well on http://phptester.net/, but not on my site. I tested it by replacing the string `'a:2:{i:0;i:281;i:1;i:282;}'` with the array name that puts this string in a `meta_key` field (`$sData = $attachmentIds;`), and as a result I have only the brackets without content. – Yurié Mar 03 '17 at 18:56
Can you tell me your server php version? – Shakti Phartiyal Mar 03 '17 at 18:57
PHP Version 5.6.30 – Yurié Mar 03 '17 at 18:59
try doing a var_dump of $attachmentIds; and please share the output – Shakti Phartiyal Mar 03 '17 at 19:00
lurin did you checked my answer second part – Alive to die - Anant Mar 03 '17 at 19:17
@Anant Yes, but the output of `var_dump($data);` (and also of `var_dump($attachmentIds);`) is `NULL`. – Yurié Mar 03 '17 at 19:27
@ShaktiPhartiyal The output is `NULL`. – Yurié Mar 03 '17 at 19:28
lurin from where this:-`$attachmentIds` came into picture? – Alive to die - Anant Mar 03 '17 at 19:30
@Anant I suppose that's probably where the serialised data is coming from. – Shakti Phartiyal Mar 03 '17 at 19:32
@Anant I updated the question with my code. The code works, as I have that string with IDs. – Yurié Mar 03 '17 at 19:33
@Iurie what is the output of `var_dump ($data['meta_input']['advert_post_attachments']);`? – Alive to die - Anant Mar 03 '17 at 19:35
@Anant I don't see anywhere the output of `var_dump($data['meta_input']['advert_post_attachments']);`, so I copied it to a new `meta_key` field with `$data['meta_input']['advert_var_dump'] = var_dump($data['meta_input']['advert_post_attachments']);`. The result is `NULL`. But the string with IDs in discussion is constantly present. – Yurié Mar 03 '17 at 20:06

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 04 '17 at 19:39

Here is a working solution that I found in a Wordpress plugin:

...

$attachments = get_posts( $args );
if ($attachments) {
   $attachmentIds = array();
   foreach ( $attachments as $attachment ) {
      $attachmentIds[] = $attachment->ID;
   }

$dirty_ordered_keys = $attachmentIds;
$length = sizeof($dirty_ordered_keys);
$clean_ordered_keys = array();

for ( $i = 0; $i < $length; $i++ ) {
    $clean_ordered_keys[$i] = intval($dirty_ordered_keys[$i]);
}

$clean_ordered_keys_json = json_encode($clean_ordered_keys);
$data['meta_input']['advert_post_attachments'] = $clean_ordered_keys_json;

Convert a serialized array output in PHP

2 Answers2