PHP Array to JSON: How to use PHP json_encode()

Through this tutorial, you will learn how to convert PHP Object to JSON, convert PHP String to JSON, PHP Array To JSON, get data from JSON array in PHP convert Multidimensional PHP Array into JSON.

PHP is a versatile programming language widely used in web development. One of its most valuable features is its ability to work with arrays, which allow developers to store and manipulate large amounts of data in a structured way. JSON is a popular data interchange format that has gained widespread adoption due to its lightweight and flexible nature. It’s commonly used for exchanging data between a client and a server.

Converting a PHP array to JSON format is a simple process that can be done using built-in PHP functions. The process involves encoding the array into a JSON string that can be easily transmitted over the internet.

What is a PHP Array?

In PHP, an array is a collection of key-value pairs, where each key is a unique identifier for a specific value. Arrays can be created using the array() function or by assigning values to specific keys. For example, the following code creates an array with three elements:

$fruits = array("apple", "banana", "orange");

In this case, the keys for each element are automatically assigned as integers starting from 0. However, you can also assign your own keys, like this:

$fruits = array("a" => "apple", "b" => "banana", "o" => "orange");

In this case, the keys are strings that have been assigned manually.

What is JSON?

JSON is a lightweight data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. It is based on a subset of the JavaScript programming language and is commonly used for exchanging data between a client and a server.

JSON data is represented as a collection of key-value pairs, where the keys are strings and the values can be any valid JSON data type, such as a string, number, boolean, array, or object. Here is an example of JSON data:

{
  "name": "John Smith",
  "age": 35,
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "hobbies": ["reading", "traveling", "photography"],
  "address": {
    "street": "123 Main St",
    "city": "Anytown",
    "state": "CA",
    "zip": "12345"
  }
}

This JSON data represents a person’s name, age, email address, hobbies, and address.

PHP json_encode: Convert Array To JSON Object, Array Object To JSON Object

To convert a PHP array to JSON format, you can use the json_encode() function. This function takes a PHP variable as its input and returns a JSON-encoded string.

Syntax of PHP json_encode() function

json_encode(value, options);

Parameters of PHP json_encode() function

Parameters	Type	Description
value	Mixed	Any PHP type except resource. Must be UTF character encoded data.
options	Integer	Bitmask comprising of JSON_HEX_QUOT, JSON_HEX_TAG, JSON_HEX_AMP, JSON_HEX_APOS, JSON_NUMERIC_CHECK, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT, JSON_UNESCAPED_SLASHES, JSON_FORCE_OBJECT.

Example 1 – PHP JSON Encode

$fruits = array("apple", "banana", "orange");
$json = json_encode($fruits);
echo $json;

In this example, the $fruits array is passed as the input to the json_encode() function, which returns a JSON-encoded string. This string is then printed to the screen using the echo statement.

The output of this code will be:

[“apple”,”banana”,”orange”]

Example 2 – Convert Object to JSON in PHP

Here, you want to convert Object to JSON format using PHP json_encode() method. Let’s see example below:

<?php

class Color {
  
}

$color = new Color();
$color->title = 'Block';
$color->code = 'FFF';

$json = json_encode($color);
echo $json."\n"; 

?>

Output of the above code is: {“title”:”Block”,”code”:”FFF”}

Example 3 – Convert String to JSON in PHP

Here you want to convert string to json in php using json_encode() function.

<?php

$string = "hello php dev";
echo json_encode($string)."\n";

?>

The output of the above code is: “hello php dev”

Example 4 – PHP Convert Array To JSON

How to get data from JSON array in PHP?

You want tor convert PHP array to JSON or get data from JSON array in PHP using the PHP json_encode() function.

<?php

$arr = array('Name' => 'Test', 
            'Age' => 24, 
            'Email' => '[email protected]'); 
echo json_encode($arr)."\n";

?>

Output of the above code is: {“Name”:”Test”,”Age”:24,”Email”:”[email protected]”}

Example 5- PHP Convert Multidimensional Array into JSON

If you want to convert multidemsional array to json in PHP using the json_encode() function. Let’s see the example below:

<?php

$data = array(
  'product' => array(
    'product_id' => 1,
    'product_color' => 'Black',
    'product_name' => 'Laptap',
    'brand_name' => 'DELL',
  )
);

echo json_encode($data)."\n";

?>

Output of the above code is: {“product”:{“product_id”:1,”product_color”:”Black”,”product_name”:”Laptap”,”brand_name”:”DELL”}}

Conclusion

Converting a PHP array to JSON format is a straightforward process that can be done using the json_encode() function. The resulting JSON string can be easily transmitted over the internet and used in client-side scripts or API responses. PHP’s array manipulation capabilities combined with JSON’s flexibility make for a powerful data handling solution in web development.