Solved

returning an element from JSON

Posted on 2013-05-20

1 solution

Medium Priority

357 Views

Last Modified: 2013-06-03

Im trying to get just 1 element from a JSON request:-

switch (json_decode($rowNewInput['json'])['type']) {

Open in new window

The contents of "$rowNewInput['json']" are:-

{
"type" : "combo",
"attribute" : "SQL",
"values" : "Select distinct `First Name` from `staff`;"
}

And all I want is the 'combo' value.

Although I could decode the JSON into a variable and then pull the variable out of the created array, I was hoping to do it all on one line.

However I get an error to saying:-

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected '['

Any suggestions what Im doing wrong?

Thanks in advance.

Comment

Question by:tonelm54

[X]

Welcome to Experts Exchange

Add your voice to the tech community where 5M+ people just like you are talking about what matters.

Help others & share knowledge
Earn cash & points
Learn & ask questions

Join The Community

2 Comments

LVL 111

Accepted Solution

by:Ray Paseur

Ray Paseur earned 2000 total points

ID: 391807472013-05-20

JSON uses object-oriented notation, not array notation. Try the -> instead of the brackets and quotes.

Also, trying to "do it all on one line" is a fools errand. That kind of code makes it harder to debug and understand the data structures. Use as many statements as needed, no less, no more!
http://www.laprbass.com/RAY_temp_tonelm54.php

<?php // RAY_temp_tonelm54.php
error_reporting(E_ALL);

$jso = <<<EOD
{
"type" : "combo",
"attribute" : "SQL",
"values" : "Select distinct `First Name` from `staff`;"
}
EOD;

// DECODE THE STRING INTO AN OBJECT
$obj = json_decode($jso);

// ACTIVATE THIS TO SEE WHAT IS IN THE OBJECT
// var_dump($obj);

// WHAT IS IN THE type PROPERTY
var_dump($obj->type);

Open in new window

Best regards, ~Ray

LVL 34

Expert Comment

by:Slick812

ID: 391822702013-05-20

greetings tonelm54, , not sure about how you "think" about the methods you use in your code, as you have a PHP ['type'] array access for what you have as a javascript object in the javascript object notation string. I have to work in PHP and javascript at the same time to build pages, and often get mixed up in the code syntax for each,
In javascript you are allowed to access OBJECT properties with array methods like - jsobj['type'] - , but in PHP this is not allowed, , I often forget which Object access to use, and put -> in javascript and put a "." in PHP, which causes fatal errors in either one.
If you are used to javascript, you will need to watch your code when changing to PHP code writing, as many things like ['type'] for object access will get you -
Parse error: syntax error, unexpected '['

and -
switch (json_decode($rowNewInput['json'])->type) {
just might work

but if I forget and use -
switch (json_decode($rowNewInput['json']).type) {
it does Not work.

for your own development error trace, I have found that compound abstraction code like -
switch (json_decode($rowNewInput['json'])->type) {
is harder to debug.

I like this better for debugging -
$newIn = json_decode($rowNewInput['json']);
switch ($newIn->type) {
because you can more clearly see what line and method causes the error

Featured Post

Question has a verified solution.

If you are experiencing a similar issue, please ask a related question

Display your dates as Today, Yesterday etc in PHP

Article by: Gary

Build an array called $myWeek which will hold the array elements Today, Yesterday and then builds up the rest of the week by the name of the day going back 1 week. (CODE) (CODE) Then you just need to pass your date to the function. If i…

PHP Error Handling: Never Say die() Again

Article by: Ray

Introduction This article is intended for those who are new to PHP error handling (https://www.experts-exchange.com/articles/11769/And-by-the-way-I-am-New-to-PHP.html). It addresses one of the most common problems that plague beginning PHP develop…

Look For Files Using PHP

Video by: Marco

The viewer will learn how to look for a specific file type in a local or remote server directory using PHP.

How to Add a Watermark to an Image Using PHP (Part 2)

Video by: Marco

This tutorial will teach you the core code needed to finalize the addition of a watermark to your image. The viewer will use a small PHP class to learn and create a watermark.