asked on

Need help in accessing specific elements of an array

If I use:

<?php  print_r($terms); ?>

Open in new window

I get:

Array ( [0] => stdClass Object ( [term_id] => 331 [name] => John [slug] => john [term_group] => 0 [term_taxonomy_id] => 331 [taxonomy] => pairing [description] => [parent] => 209 [count] => 2 [object_id] => 6981 [filter] => raw ) [1] => stdClass Object ( [term_id] => 209 [name] => Mary [slug] => mary [term_group] => 0 [term_taxonomy_id] => 209 [taxonomy] => pairing [description] => [parent] => 0 [count] => 2 [object_id] => 6981 [filter] => raw ) )

However, if I use:

<?php  echo $terms['name'];  ?>

Open in new window

I don't get anything.

How do I get just the items in the 'name' field of this array displayed, in this case "John, Mary".

Thanks in advance!

Julian Hansen

Lets look at your output formatted nicely

Array ( 
	[0] => stdClass Object ( 
		[term_id] => 331 
		[name] => John 
		[slug] => john 
		[term_group] => 0 
		[term_taxonomy_id] => 331 
		[taxonomy] => pairing
		[description] =>
		[parent] => 209
		[count] => 2
		[object_id] => 6981
		[filter] => raw )
	[1] => stdClass Object (
		[term_id] => 209
		[name] => Mary
		[slug] => mary
		[term_group] => 0
		[term_taxonomy_id] => 209
		[taxonomy] => pairing
		[description] =>
		[parent] => 0
		[count] => 2
		[object_id] => 6981
		[filter] => raw ) 
)

Open in new window

Now you can see you actually have an array of objects so what you actually want is

$terms[0]->name

Open in new window

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Julian Hansen

membership

This solution is only available to members.

To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.

Start Free Trial

dfehling

ASKER

Thank you for such fast help!

dfehling

ASKER

Hi - I thought this was working but it is only returning the first "name" in my array - ie. John, not John, Mary.

What am I missing? I used:

<?php  echo $terms[0]->name; ?>

Open in new window

Julian Hansen

That is to access the name in the first term - there are two items in the array so the next name would be

<?php echo $terms[1]->name;?>

Open in new window

Or to dump all names of terms in the array

<?php
foreach($terms as $term) {
    echo $term->name . '<br/>';
}

Open in new window

To answer your code I need to know what you were expecting? You have an array of records with more than one term - each with its own name. Do you want to dump all of them or access a specific one? You need to explain your intent.

dfehling

ASKER

No, this is perfect! All I needed was to list all the names. Thanks again!

Ray Paseur

For future reference, PHP arrays and objects work the same in many ways, but there is a difference in syntax. $terms['name'] make reference to an associative array with an element that has the key, "name." In the case of the object, the correct syntax would be $terms->name.

If you're new to PHP and want to learn the language, this article can guide you to dependable resources.
https://www.experts-exchange.com/Web_Development/Web_Languages-Standards/PHP/A_11769-And-by-the-way-I-am-new-to-PHP.html

Julian Hansen

You are welcome.