php create and populate multidimensional array for DataTables

Question

I am working with DataTables and it requires a specific format for the JSON object in order to populate the tables.

It should look like this:

{"aaData": [
        [ "Trident", "Internet Explorer 5.1", "Win 95+", 4, "X" ],
        [ "Trident", "Internet Explorer 5.0", "Win 95+", 5, "C" ],
        [ "Trident", "Internet Explorer 5.5", "Win 95+", 5.5, "A" ],
        [ "Trident", "Internet Explorer 6.0", "Win 98+", 6, "A" ],
        [ "Trident", "Internet Explorer 7.0", "Win XP SP2+", 7, "A" ]
}

I have tried hundred's of different ways, but cannot get to something that looks like the above and so DataTables does not accept it.

This is one of my latest attempts:

$aaData["aaData"] = array(array());
$i=0;
while($r= mysql_fetch_assoc($sql)){
    $aaData[$i][] = $r["data1"];
            $aaData[$i][] = $r["data2"] ;
            $aaData[$i][] = $r["data3"] ;
    $aaData[$i][] = $r["data4"] ;
            $aaData[$i][] = $r["data5"] ;

            $i++;
}
$aaData=json_encode($aaData);
echo $aaData;

This give me an JSON response from the server ( as verified by Firebug) that looks like this:

{"aaData":[
[]],
"0":["data1","data2","data3","data4","data5"],
"1":["data11","data21","data31","data41","data51"],
etc.....]
}

So, I do not need the keys ( 0,1...) nor do I need the "[]]" stuff. I did look at similar post here and everywhere, but did not find anything that helps me with this. How can I get rid of them? Thanks for your assistance.

Yogesh Suthar · Accepted Answer · 2013-03-26 12:33:01Z

2

use this

$aaData["aaData"] = array();
//$i=0;
while($r= mysql_fetch_assoc($sql)){
    $arr= array();
    $arr[] = $r["data1"];
    $arr[] = $r["data2"] ;
    $arr[] = $r["data3"] ;
    $arr[] = $r["data4"] ;
    $arr[] = $r["data5"] ;
    array_push($aaData["aaData"],$arr);
        //$i++;
}
$aaData=json_encode($aaData);
echo $aaData;

working example http://codepad.viper-7.com/gk2DO3

edited Mar 26, 2013 at 12:33

answered Mar 26, 2013 at 12:14

Yogesh Suthar

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7 Comments

BernardA Over a year ago

just a typing accident. I am still verifying your code.Sorry for that. Thanks.

BernardA Over a year ago

Yogesh. Thanks but that does not work it either. Here what it gives me. {"aaData":[],"0":["data1"],"1":["data2"],"2":["data3"],"3":["data4"],"4":["data5"],"5":["data11"],"6":["data21"],"7":["data31"],"8":["data41"],"12":["data51"] etc....

BernardA Over a year ago

Thanks, Yogesh. Almost there. There's one "[" too many enveloping that whole thing. If you look the result at codepad.viper {"aaData":[[0,0,0,0,0],[1,1,1,1,1],[2,2,2,2,2],[3,3,3,3,3],[4,4,4,4,4]]}, the first "[" and the last "]" should not be there, so it will be the same as required by DataTable.

Yogesh Suthar Over a year ago

@BernardA Its JSON my friend, not a string. It has limitation. We can't remove the [].

BernardA Over a year ago

Hi Yogesh. I see what you are saying, but still those guys at DataTable demand it and it seems that their users manage somehow to get it done as required. Thank your for your help so far. I will keep on trying.

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