[SOLVED] Array to string

[53329]

I've had my own and found a few at php.net but is there something that can take an array and convert it to a string so that I can then take that string and set a variable equal to it?

 

What I have used in the past for 1 dimensional arrays used loops and took a horrendous amount of time to execute if the array was big.  I'd need something to be able to convert a 2d array to a string.

 

So for example

 

$myarray=Array('keyone' => Array('keyone' => 'valueone', 'keytwo' => 'valuetwo'), 'keytwo' => Array('keyone' => 'valueone', 'keytwo' => 'valuetwo'));

 

Is a common array I format I use.  I tried using foreach but I've been stuck for about 2 hours and I've got nothing.  So bottom line is that I need to get that array to turn into the string:

 

"Array('keyone' => Array('keyone' => 'valueone', 'keytwo' => 'valuetwo'), 'keytwo' => Array('keyone' => 'valueone', 'keytwo' => 'valuetwo'));"

 

I'm not sure what I should be using to do it.  The main factor is speed.  If the array has 10 keys and each of those has 5 keys I'd like to be able to get it to run in less than 30 seconds.  I'm thinking maybe foreach or having a function call on itself but I have no clue if that is too much work or just wrong.

 

Thanks in advance for any help/advice

[Ken2k7]

$myString = implode(",",$myarray);

[btherl]

30 seconds?  You should thinking in milliseconds.

 

A function calling itself (recursion) is probably the easiest way to go about it.

 

Is it a requirement that the output be valid php code?

[kenrbnsn]

What are you planning to do with the resulting string?

 

If you're going to store it somewhere, I would use the serialize() function.

 

<?php
$myarray=Array('keyone' => Array('keyone' => 'valueone', 'keytwo' => 'valuetwo'), 'keytwo' => Array('keyone' => 'valueone', 'keytwo' => 'valuetwo'));
$sa = serialize($myarray);
echo $sa . "<br>";
?>

This results in a string like

a:2:{s:6:"keyone";a:2:{s:6:"keyone";s:8:"valueone";s:6:"keytwo";s:8:"valuetwo";}s:6:"keytwo";a:2:{s:6:"keyone";s:8:"valueone";s:6:"keytwo";s:8:"valuetwo";}}

To recreate the original array you would use the unserialize() function:

<?php
$new_array = unserialize($sa);
echo '<pre>' . print_r($new_array,true) . '</pre>';
?>

 

If you really want the original string you mentioned, you would use the var_export() function:

<?php
$myarray=Array('keyone' => Array('keyone' => 'valueone', 'keytwo' => 'valuetwo'), 'keytwo' => Array('keyone' => 'valueone', 'keytwo' => 'valuetwo'));
$x = var_export($myarray,true);
$str =  str_replace(',)',')',str_replace(array("\n",' '),'',$x));
echo $str . '<br>';
?>

 

Ken

[53329]

And thats why you're the GM lol.  Thats a bunch man.  I didn't even think of that.  Thats a huge time saver.