PHP Arrays to JSON without []

[a-ok]

Hi folks,

I want to pass some PHP arrays to JSON. I am managing to do this fine but the issue is that it wraps [] round the array, whereas I need it without [] to use it as geojson within Mapbox (https://www.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/example/popup-on-click/).

<?php
$programme_array = array();
$programmes = $pages->find('parent=programme, sort=sort');
foreach ($programmes as $programme) {
$title = $programme->title;
$url = $programme->url;
$summary = $programme->programme_summary;
$image = $programme->programme_venue_image->url;
$long = $programme->programme_location->lng;
$lat = $programme->programme_location->lat;
$programme_array[] = array(
'type' => 'Feature',
'geometry' => array(
'type' => 'Point',
'coordinates' => [$long,$lat]
),
'properties' => array(
'title' => $title,
'description' => $summary,
'image' => $image,
'url' => $url,
"marker-symbol" => "music"
),
);

}
$programme_json = json_encode($programme_array, true);
?>

[{"type":"Feature","geometry":{"type":"Point","coordinates":["-1.466439","53.376842"]},"properties":{"title":"Site Gallery","description":"Duis arcu tortor, suscipit eget, imperdiet nec, imperdiet iaculis, ipsum. Donec id justo. Aenean tellus metus, bibendum sed, posuere ac, mattis non, nunc. Suspendisse feugiat. Etiam rhoncus.","image":"\/Freelance\/art-sheffield-2016\/site\/assets\/files\/1032\/site_gallery.jpg","url":"\/Freelance\/art-sheffield-2016\/programme\/site-gallery\/","marker-symbol":"music"}},{"type":"Feature","geometry":{"type":"Point","coordinates":["-1.477881","53.374798"]},"properties":{"title":"Moore Street Substation","description":"","image":null,"url":"\/Freelance\/art-sheffield-2016\/programme\/moore-street-substation\/","marker-symbol":"music"}},{"type":"Feature","geometry":{"type":"Point","coordinates":["-1.459620","53.380562"]},"properties":{"title":"S1 Artspace","description":"","image":null,"url":"\/Freelance\/art-sheffield-2016\/programme\/s1-artspace\/","marker-symbol":"music"}}]

Any thoughts? I know this is perhaps more PHP/JSON related question than a PW question but I just wanted to make sure I had this set up correctly.

 

[DaveP]

From the docs it looks like JSON_FORCE_OBJECT might solve that.

[adrian]

Here is some info to help explain what is going on and how to fix it:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/15559735/no-square-bracket-json-array

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7109424/remove-the-brackets-in-json

Also, I am curious about the "true" option you are passing - I don't think that is valid, although it may not do any harm either.

[a-ok]

Thanks for the replies.

From the docs it looks like JSON_FORCE_OBJECT might solve that.

Unfortunately I tried this and it outputs the following (no need for ... "0" or "1" etc)

{"0":{"type":"Feature","geometry":{"type":"Point","coordinates":{"0":"-1.466439","1":"53.376842"}},"properties":{"title":"Site Gallery","description":"Duis arcu tortor, suscipit eget, imperdiet nec, imperdiet iaculis, ipsum. Donec id justo. Aenean tellus metus, bibendum sed, posuere ac, mattis non, nunc. Suspendisse feugiat. Etiam rhoncus.","image":"\/Freelance\/art-sheffield-2016\/site\/assets\/files\/1032\/site_gallery.jpg","url":"\/Freelance\/art-sheffield-2016\/programme\/site-gallery\/","marker-symbol":"music"}},"1":{"type":"Feature","geometry":{"type":"Point","coordinates":{"0":"-1.477881","1":"53.374798"}},"properties":{"title":"Moore Street Substation","description":"","image":null,"url":"\/Freelance\/art-sheffield-2016\/programme\/moore-street-substation\/","marker-symbol":"music"}},"2":{"type":"Feature","geometry":{"type":"Point","coordinates":{"0":"-1.459620","1":"53.380562"}},"properties":{"title":"S1 Artspace","description":"","image":null,"url":"\/Freelance\/art-sheffield-2016\/programme\/s1-artspace\/","marker-symbol":"music"}}}

[a-ok]

I have come up with the following, which works in terms of formatting BUT it's only returning one item and not three (three children pages to the parent 'programme')?

$geojson = array( 'type' => 'FeatureCollection', 'features' => array());

$programmes = $pages->find('parent=programme, sort=sort');
foreach ($programmes as $programme) {

  $marker = array(
    'type' => 'Feature',
    'properties' => array(
      'title' => $programme->title,
      "marker-symbol" => "music"
    ),
    'geometry' => array(
      'type' => 'Point',
      'coordinates' => array( 
        $programme->programme_location->lng,
        $programme->programme_location->lat
      )
    )
  );
  array_push($geojson['features'], $marker);
}
$programme_json = json_encode($marker, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT);

Any thoughts? If I unpublish the last child, it returns the new 'last child' in programme. Weird?

[a-ok]

What's even weirder is that if I add the square brackets [ ] to $marker = array( effectively making it $marker[] = array( then it returns all the items BUT it has the square brackets on it.

I'm so deep down the rabbit hole...

[adrian]

I know I must be missing something obvious, but wasn't your first post getting you all items? If so, then why not just strip the beginning [ and ending ] and be done with it?

[a-ok]

I know I must be missing something obvious, but wasn't your first post getting you all items? If so, then why not just strip the beginning [ and ending ] and be done with it?

Yeah I tried that too, but it threw back a JS error saying unexpected token }

$programme_json = substr($programme_json, 1, -1);

[LostKobrakai]

I'm not sure if that's helpful, but json does only allow for either square-bracketed arrays or keyed objects (therefore the "0": {}). Also the api you linked does use [] brackets for features.

[a-ok]

This is what I came up with... after much trial and error:

<?php

$geojson = array(
'type' => 'FeatureCollection', 
'features' => array()
);

$programmes = $pages->find('parent=programme, sort=sort');

foreach ($programmes as $programme) {

    $marker = array(
        'type' => 'Feature',
        'properties' => array(
            'title' => $programme->title,
            'url' => $programme->url,
            'summary' => $programme->programme_summary,
            'image' => $programme->programme_venue_image->url
        ),
        'geometry' => array(
            'type' => 'Point',
            'coordinates' => array(
                $programme->programme_location->lng,
                $programme->programme_location->lat
            )
        )
    );
    array_push($geojson['features'], $marker);

}

$programme_json = json_encode($geojson);

?>

Edited February 25, 2016 by LostKobrakai
Fixed some indentations