Notice how an Indexed array is represented by an array in JSON, whereas Associative arrays take the form of a complete JSON object after being encoded. We can also arrive at the book JSON object that we saw above by encoding an Associative array as such - 101, 'label'=>'Lorem Ipsum') Indexed arrays are conventional arrays that are represented by index numbers.Įxample: $arr = array(1,2,3,4) // Īssociative arrays are arrays that use named keys as indices for your values.Įxample: $age = array('John'=>'11', 'Ken'=>'19', 'Tim'=>'14') Let us look at what these are and some examples of how we can encode each of these into JSON - Indexed Array to JSON There are three types of arrays in PHP, namely - Indexed arrays, Associative arrays, and Multidimensional arrays. We’ll create two instance variables for the book’s instance and encode the object using json_encode(). Let’s understand how we can JSON-encode a PHP object by creating an instance of a Book class based on the Library example we saw above (Sec 1.1). Since the information in JSON is stored in key/value pairs, json_encode() is more likely to be used to encode PHP objects and their instance variables. Let’s see this using an example - PHP String to JSON Example ⠀ Therefore, encoding a PHP string into JSON is quite simple it results in the same string being returned. JSON encoding for a string is the string itself. Let’s see how we can encode various PHP data structures into JSON using json_encode(). Therefore, it can be imperative in some cases for PHP servers to provide JSON-encoded data and to be able to process it. Let’s look at a simple example - 1, 'b' => 2) Īs we saw above, JSON is one of the most common formats for exchanging data over the internet.

Don’t worry about the $options and $depth parameters you’re seldom going to need them. The function takes in a PHP object ($value) and returns a JSON string (or False if the operation fails).

Json_encode() is a native PHP function that allows you to convert PHP data into the JSON format. Let’s see how we can convert our PHP variables into JSON format. Even though JSON derives its name from JavaScript, JSON was created to be used by all programming languages. JSON allows us to represent and encapsulate complex data in an organized fashion that can be shared easily across the internet. We’ll be using this example in the sections below to understand how we can encode PHP data into JSON format. This is what a common JSON object looks like. It uses human-readable text to represent data using attribute-value pairs and array data types. JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is one of the most popular open-standard file formats used for storing and sharing data. What is the JSON_Encode Function? What is JSON? In the end, we’ll also see how we can decode JSON data to be able to process it. In this post, we’ll learn about the JSON format, about the json_encode() function - what it is, why it is required, and how it can be used to convert PHP data structures into JSON format, all with examples. This is where json_encode (and json_decode) come into the picture and enable PHP processed data to be compatible with frameworks and systems that deal with JSON data and make way for easier and faster web development. Since JSON is a ubiquitous data format for sharing and storing data, it is vital that a PHP backend allows processing of JSON data. A decent backend framework like PHP needs to be capable of providing and processing data in any format (e.g., XML, JSON, etc.) to be socially accepted in a society of skilled web development frameworks.

PHP is a server-side scripting language for creating your website’s backend system that can serve webpages, communicate with databases, and exchange data over the internet.

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