PHP Parse Array

[codeinphp]

I know this should be fairly simple but I have having a really hard time understanding. I can parse html using tags and elements but I am not able to parse an array.  I am loading an array from a file with the structure shown:

<?php

error_reporting(0);

$items = array(



array( "name" => "A&E",

"number" => "",

"id"=>"I265.28459333.microsoft.com",

"country" => "United States",

             "url" => "68952",

			 "url2" => "playlist.m3u8?xs=",

			 "url3" => "playlist.m3u8?xs=",

			 "url4" => "",

			 "stream" => "http://streams/A&E.m3u8",

             "image" => "http://image/generic.png",

			 "Guide"  => "http://GUIDE/AE.xml",
			 "liveguide" => "http:///streamguideXML/A&E.xml",
			 "cid" => "9"

),



array( "name" => "ABC",

"number" => "",

"id"=>"0",

"country" => "United States",

             "url" => "46476",

			 "url2" => "playlist.m3u8?xs=",

			 "url3" => "playlist.m3u8?xs=",

			 "url4" => "playlist.m3u8?xs=",

			 "stream" => "http://ABC.m3u8",

             "image" => "http://image/generic.png",

			 "Guide"  => "http://GUIDE/ABCHD.xml",
			 "liveguide" => "http://streamguideXML/ABC.xml",

          "cid" => "14"
),
?>

I load the file by using file_get_contents but from there I am kinda of lost. I seem to think it's the way the file is structured that is confusing me but not sure.  I have tried:

$file=file_get_contents("http://channel_list.php");
foreach($items as $item){
$a=$item->cid;
}

But this doesn't work at all. I know the $file is populate, I can var_dump and shows everything. I want to pick out different elements but mainly the cid. If I could get some guidance to that I can take it from there. Thanks for any help.

[blacknight]

foreach($items as $i => $item){
$a=$item['cid'];
}

 

this should work -> is used in objects not arrays ususaly

[codeinphp]

When this is executed I get error stating "Undefined variable: items " and "nvalid argument supplied for foreach()". 

[codeinphp]

This works

 

foreach($items as  $item){
$a=$item['cid];
}

[ginerjm]

Uh.... How is your $items array related at all to the second snippet of code you posted that reads a file into $file? And what do you expect to be read and stored from that snippet? You are simply reading a php file as a 'text' file and storing it as a string(s) in $file. $file will not be an array - it will be a string. Am I missing something?

[CroNiX]

I believe you want to include() the file, which loads AND parses the php file, not use file_get_contents() which loads any file as a string as ginerjm pointed out.

[ginerjm]

And with Cronix's tip making sense out of these posts, your code needs to reference the cid element like this:

 

foreach ($items as $item)

{

$a = $item['cid'];

...

...

}

Your array is not an object nor does it contain objects, so no 'object notation' is necessary. It is simply an array reference.

 

PS:

Are you really constrained into using an array to store your data instead of a much more sensible and practical db table?