String offset as an array error

Nuv · March 1, 2011

I am writing a data scraping script but i am getting fatal error.Can someone please help me.

My code:-

 <?php 
$con = mysql_connect("localhost","root","");
mysql_select_db("cakeshop", $con);
$test = '<form
                name="select"> 
                    <p><font color="#000000" size="3"><select
                    name="city" size="1"
                    onchange="self.location.href=this.options[this.selectedIndex].value"> 
                        
                    
                        <option value="xxxwi.htm">Wisconsin</option> 
                        <option value="xxxwy.htm">Wyoming</option> 
                       
                    </select><br clear="all"> 
                    </font><font color="#000000" size="2">Click
                    on the state below where you want to send
                    cake<br> 
                    or use the pull down menu above </font> 
                </form> ';
preg_match_all('~<option\s+value="(.*?)">(.*?)</option>~', $test, $out);

for($i=0;$i<=2;$i++)
{
$data = file_get_contents('http://xxx.com/'.$out[1][$i].'');
preg_match_all('~<option\s+value="(.*?)">(.*?)</option>~', $data, $city); 
//$klimit = sizeof($city);
$klimit = count($city[1]); 
for($k=2 ;$k < $klimit; $k++)
{
$data = file_get_contents('http://xxx.com/'.$city[1][$k].''); //Error on this line
$regex = '~<td\s+colspan="2"\s+width="350"><font\s+size="2">\s+<b>\s+(.*?)  <\/b><br>(.*?) <br>(.*?),\s+(.*?)\s+<br>(.*?), (.*?)\s+<BR><BR><font\s+size="2"><img\s+src="\.\.\/images\/phone1.gif"\s+align="left"\s+hspace="4"\s+alt\s+=(.*)>\s+-\s+Phone\s+#\s+(.*?)\s+<\/font>\s+<BR>\s+<font\s+size\s+="1">~';
preg_match_all($regex, $data, $final);
$jlimit = count($final[1]);
for($j=0 ;$j < $jlimit; $j++)
{
$name = $final[1][$j]; 
$name = mysql_real_escape_string($name);
$address =  $final[2][$j];
$address = mysql_real_escape_string($address);  
$city = $final[3][$j];
$city = mysql_real_escape_string($city); 
$state = $final[4][$j];
$state = mysql_real_escape_string($state); 
$pincode = $final[6][$j];
$pincode = mysql_real_escape_string($pincode); 
$telephone = $final[8][$j];
$telephone = mysql_real_escape_string($telephone); 
mysql_query("INSERT INTO cakeshop (name, address, city, state, pincode, telephone)
VALUES ('$name', '$address', '$city', '$state', '$pincode', '$telephone')");     
}
}
}
mysql_close($con);  
echo "Data scraping completed"; 
?>

Error message :-

Fatal error: Cannot use string offset as an array in C:\Users\Booone\AppData\Roaming\NuSphere\PhpED\projects\scraping1.php

Error is on this line "$data = file_get_contents('http://xxx.com/'.$city[1][$k].'');"

kenrbnsn · March 1, 2011

What is printed if you do

<?php
echo '<pre> ' . print_r($city,true) . '</pre>';
?>

Ken

Nuv · March 1, 2011

Where should i add above mentioned code ?After which line ?

kenrbnsn · March 1, 2011

After the line that sets the value of $city, probably

<?php
preg_match_all('~<option\s+value="(.*?)">(.*?)</option>~', $data, $city); 
?>

Ken

Nuv · March 2, 2011

Array
(
    [0] => Array
        (
            [0] => Cities in Alabama
            [1] => 
            [2] => Abbeville
            [3] => Abernant
            [4] => Adamsville
            [5] => Addison
            [6] => Adger
            [7] => Akron
            [8] => Alabaster
            [9] => Albertville
           
        )

    [1] => Array
        (
            [0] => cakes.pl?=AL,error
            [1] => cakes.pl?=AL,error
            [2] => cakes.pl?=AL,Abbeville
            [3] => cakes.pl?=AL,Abernant
            [4] => cakes.pl?=AL,Adamsville
            [5] => cakes.pl?=AL,Addison
            [6] => cakes.pl?=AL,Adger
            [7] => cakes.pl?=AL,Akron
            [8] => cakes.pl?=AL,Alabaster
            [9] => cakes.pl?=AL,Albertville
           
          
        )

    [2] => Array
        (
            [0] => Cities in Alabama
            [1] => 
            [2] => Abbeville
            [3] => Abernant
            [4] => Adamsville
            [5] => Addison
            [6] => Adger
            [7] => Akron
            [8] => Alabaster
            [9] => Albertville
            
        )

)


Fatal error: Cannot use string offset as an array in C:\Users\bOONE\AppData\Roaming\NuSphere\PhpED\projects\scraping1.php

gizmola · March 2, 2011

At some point during runtime the arrays you create using preg_match_all might become invalid because there was no match. You can try to add some error checking above, so for example:


if (is_array($city)) {  // go head

};

See if adding that check prevents the runtime error.

Nuv · March 2, 2011

Ah thankyou. That did it.However my script is skipping loops. Only taking first city in each State. Anything wrong you see in my script that would make it skip loops.

However that error problem has been solved.

gizmola · March 2, 2011

I can only suggest that you use the method kenrbsn suggested to make sure that the arrays you're iterating through are what you expect them to be.

You might want to post the latest version of your code as well.

Nuv · March 2, 2011

My data scraping script is as follows.However its not pulling out info for each and every city in the state but just 1. 1 City every State. Can someone please point me what i'm doing wrong

My complete code :-

 <?php 
$con = mysql_connect("localhost","root","");
mysql_select_db("flourists", $con);
$test = '<form
                name="select"> 
                    <p><font color="#000000" size="3"><select
                    name="city" size="1"
                    onchange="self.location.href=this.options[this.selectedIndex].value"> 
                        
                        <option value="floristfinderal.htm">Alabama</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderak.htm">Alaska</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderaz.htm">Arizona</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderar.htm">Arkansas</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderca.htm">California</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderco.htm">Colorado</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderct.htm">Connecticut</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderde.htm">Delaware</option> 
                        <option value="florists.pl?=DC,Washington">District of Columbia</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderfl.htm">Florida</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderga.htm">Georgia</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderhi.htm">Hawaii</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderid.htm">Idaho</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderil.htm">Illinois</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderin.htm">Indiana</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderia.htm">Iowa</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderks.htm">Kansas</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderky.htm">Kentucky</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderla.htm">Louisiana</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderme.htm">Maine</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindermd.htm">Maryland</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderma.htm">Massachusetts</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindermi.htm">Michigan</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindermn.htm">Minnesota</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderms.htm">Mississippi</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindermo.htm">Missouri</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindermt.htm">Montana</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderne.htm">Nebraska</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindernv.htm">Nevada</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindernh.htm">New Hampshire</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindernj.htm">New Jersey</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindernm.htm">New Mexico</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderny.htm">New York</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindernc.htm">North Carolina</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindernd.htm">North Dakota</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderoh.htm">Ohio</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderok.htm">Oklahoma</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderor.htm">Oregon</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderpa.htm">Pennsylvania</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderri.htm">Rhode Island</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindersc.htm">South Carolina</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindersd.htm">South Dakota</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindertn.htm">Tennessee</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindertx.htm">Texas</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderut.htm">Utah</option> 
                        <option value="floristfindervt.htm">Vermont</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderva.htm">Virginia</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderwa.htm">Washington</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderwv.htm">West Virginia</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderwi.htm">Wisconsin</option> 
                        <option value="floristfinderwy.htm">Wyoming</option> 
                       
                    </select><br clear="all"> 
                    </font><font color="#000000" size="2">Click
                    on the state below where you want to send
                    flowers<br> 
                    or use the pull down menu above </font> 
                </form> ';
preg_match_all('~<option\s+value="(.*?)">(.*?)</option>~', $test, $out);  // Pulling out State name
//echo '<pre> ' . print_r($out,true) . '</pre>'; 
for($i=0;$i<=50;$i++)
{
$data = file_get_contents('http://americas-florists.com/'.$out[1][$i].'');   //Pulling out city name from each state
preg_match_all('~<option\s+value="(.*?)">(.*?)</option>~', $data, $city); 
//echo '<pre> ' . print_r($city,true) . '</pre>'; 
$klimit = count($city[1]); 
for($k=0 ;$k < $klimit; $k++)
{
if (is_array($city)) {  
$anotherdata = file_get_contents('http://americas-florists.com/'.$city[1][$k].'');  // Pulling out the information
$regex = '~<td\s+colspan="2"\s+width="350"><font\s+size="2">\s+<b>\s+(.*?)  <\/b><br>(.*?) <br>(.*?),\s+(.*?)\s+<br>(.*?), (.*?)\s+<BR><BR><font\s+size="2"><img\s+src="\.\.\/images\/phone1.gif"\s+align="left"\s+hspace="4"\s+alt\s+=(.*)>\s+-\s+Phone\s+#\s+(.*?)\s+<\/font>\s+<BR>\s+<font\s+size\s+="1">~';
preg_match_all($regex, $anotherdata, $final);
$jlimit = count($final[1]);
for($j=0 ;$j < $jlimit; $j++)
{
$name = $final[1][$j]; 
$name = mysql_real_escape_string($name);
$address =  $final[2][$j];
$address = mysql_real_escape_string($address);  
$city = $final[3][$j];
$city = mysql_real_escape_string($city); 
$state = $final[4][$j];
$state = mysql_real_escape_string($state); 
$pincode = $final[6][$j];
$pincode = mysql_real_escape_string($pincode); 
$telephone = $final[8][$j];
$telephone = mysql_real_escape_string($telephone); 
mysql_query("INSERT INTO flourists (name, address, city, state, pincode, telephone)
VALUES ('$name', '$address', '$city', '$state', '$pincode', '$telephone')");  
}
}
}
}
mysql_close($con);          
echo "Data scraping completed"; 
?>

Nuv · March 2, 2011

Funny thing when i add

 echo '<pre> ' . print_r($final,true) . '</pre>';

I see whole list of array that is supposed to be. But for some reason they aren't going into the database.

Nuv · March 2, 2011

Problem solved.Wrote $city twice.

One array other string. Script is working properly.

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String offset as an array error

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