asked on

Array to JSON for cURL Post Field

I am trying to create an array, encode it with json_encode, and then use it as post fields for a curl request but i keep getting "items" invalid.

Here is my code:

$jsonPostArray = array(
                "tracking_number" => $tracking,
                "order_address_id" => $address,
                "shipping_provider" => $shipping,
                "items" => array(
                    "order_product_id" => $productId,
                    "quantity" => $quantity
                    )
                );

                $jsonPostData = json_encode($jsonPostArray,true);

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and it outputs this below but the api im using returns an error and says items in invalid json? Im thinking it needs the [] brackets somewhere but cant tell how to generate that with PHP.

What am i doing wrong, is it how im building my array or how i am encoding it to json?

{
    "tracking_number": "88598020014",
    "order_address_id": "6863",
    "shipping_provider": "fedex",
    "items": {
        "order_product_id": "10890",
        "quantity": "3"
    }
}

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Nicolas Lecanu

Hi Matthew,

Just to a array of array for the []

$Taboftab = array($jsonPostArray);

this will add the []

Nicolas Lecanu

Then if you want to do the api call,

function curlAPI($data, $url){
    try {
        $ch = curl_init();

        // Check if initialization had gone wrong*
        if ($ch === false) {
            throw new Exception('failed to initialize');
        }

        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $url);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS,$data);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPAUTH, CURLAUTH_BASIC);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array(
                'Content-Type: application/json',
                'Content-Length: ' . strlen('$data'))
        );
        $content = curl_exec($ch);
        $err = curl_error($ch);

        // Check the return value of curl_exec(), too
        if ($content === false) {
            throw new Exception(curl_error($ch), curl_errno($ch));
        }

        // Close curl handle
        curl_close($ch);
        $json_data = json_decode($content, true);

        return $json_data;
    } catch (Exception $e) {

        trigger_error(sprintf(
            'Curl failed with error #%d: %s',
            $e->getCode(), $e->getMessage()),
            E_USER_ERROR);

    }
}

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Nicolas Lecanu

Also, if you want to verify your json, this site do this and tell you if your json format is good or not.

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Chris Stanyon

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Matthew B

ASKER

Thanks chris, you were 100percent correct, it was expecting an array of arrays not an array of values.

Chris Stanyon

No worries :)

Nicolas Lecanu

I write the exact same thing first, but this is true that Chris right this more correctly.

Chris Stanyon

@Nicolas - your code would convert the $jsonPostArray to an array. The problem was with the items property not being an array, so your code wouldn't have solved the problem :(

Nicolas Lecanu

Chris,

$jsonPostArray is an array, you just encode this array in json after

$jsonPostArray = array(
    "tracking_number" => $tracking,
    "order_address_id" => $address,
    "shipping_provider" => $shipping,
    "items" => array(
        array(
            "order_product_id" => $productId,
            "quantity" => $quantity
        )
    ) 
);

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and

$tab = array($jsonPostArray);

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is the same thing butin fact its more clean to do your code.
than you just have to do:

$jsonPostData = json_encode($jsonPostArray,true);

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or with my code:

 json_encode($tab ,true);

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Chris Stanyon

Nicolas,

Sorry - but you're wrong !!

Take a look at this (your method):

$data = array(
    "tracking_number" => "123",
    "items" => array(
        "order_product_id" => "111",
        "quantity" => 1
    )
);

$tab = array($data);
var_dump( json_encode($tab) );

// Result:
[{
    "tracking_number": "123",
    "items": {
        "order_product_id": "111",
        "quantity": 1
    }
}]

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Now take a look at this (my method):

$data = array(
    "tracking_number" => "123",
    "items" => array(
        array(
            "order_product_id" => "111",
            "quantity" => 1
        )
    )
);

var_dump( json_encode($data) );

//Result:
{
    "tracking_number": "123",
    "items": [{
        "order_product_id": "111",
        "quantity": 1
    }]
}

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In your method, the whole object is converted to an array (the square brackets), which is wrong. In my method, the items property is wrapped in an array, which is correct. The data needs to be an object, with only the items as an array.

Nicolas Lecanu

Chris,

Thank you I understand my error , its clear, sorry for my miss understood.

I have to be more carefull next time.

Thank you again for your explaination and time Chris :D

Chris Stanyon

No worries Nicolas :)