PHP how to extract info from json string wtihout knowing the keys

Question

I am querying a service if a person have phone number(s) (also maybe not). I have a json string (as return value) like the following:

$json = '{"data":[{"tel1":"1102"},{"tel2":"3220"}],"found":true}';

I convert this string to json_decode() function.

$jd = json_decode($json);

Then I want to get the phone numbers only into an array without keys.

if($jd->found) {
    $o2a = get_object_vars($json);

}
var_dump($o2a);

When I want to see what $o2a holds with var_dump() function, I get the following:

array (size=2)
    'data' => 
        array (size=2)
            0 => 
                object(stdClass)[2]
                public 'tel1' => string '1219' (length=4)
            1 => 
                object(stdClass)[3]
                public 'tel2' => string '2710' (length=4)
    'found' => boolean true

I want to get only the phone numbers into an array at the end like:

$phones = array('1219', '2710');

What makes me stop doing this is that I do not know how many phone numbers one can have. Json array could consist of more or less elements.

$possibleJson1 = '{"data":[],"found":false}'; //no phone number found
$possibleJson2 = '{"data":[{"tel1":"1102"},{"tel2":"3220"},{"tel3":"1112"},{"tel4":"3230"}],"found":true}'; //4 phone numbers found

It may vary 0-to-n, so if it was a constant number I could create that array within a loop.

If you pass true for the second parameter (json_decode($json, true);), it'll decode JavaScript objects to an associative array that you can iterate more easily. — Phylogenesis
– Phylogenesis, Commented Jun 23, 2015 at 12:20
You don't need to know the exact number, like in other languages... In PHP you can use a foreach-loop on the data-key given, that it only contains phone numbers. — Fidi
– Fidi, Commented Jun 23, 2015 at 12:20

Narendrasingh Sisodia · Accepted Answer · 2015-06-23 12:50:18Z

2

Some functions without any code :)

$json = '{"data":[{"tel1":"1102"},{"tel2":"3220"}],"found":true}';

$vals = array_values(array_reduce(json_decode($json, true)['data'], 'array_merge',[]));
var_dump($vals);

edited Jun 23, 2015 at 12:50

Narendrasingh Sisodia

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answered Jun 23, 2015 at 12:29

splash58

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1 Comment

Narendrasingh Sisodia Over a year ago

Notice: Use of undefined constant array_merge - assumed 'array_merge'

Machavity · Accepted Answer · 2015-06-23 12:20:23Z

2

Convert it into an array and then you should be able to iterate it easily

$jd = json_decode($json, true);
$phones = array();
if(isset($jd['data']) && $jd['found']) {
    foreach($jd['data'] as $key => $val) $phones[] = $val;
}

answered Jun 23, 2015 at 12:20

Machavity♦

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1 Comment

zkanoca Over a year ago

This also works well but I chose @splash58's answer because it has not loop

Ofir Baruch · Accepted Answer · 2015-06-23 12:45:14Z

1

Instead of handling with an object, use the second parameter of the json_decode function so it would returned an array.
Check if the data and found keys exist.
Since you don't know what are the keys names, you can use array_values
Demo

.

$jd = json_decode($json, true);
if(isset($jd['data']) && isset($jd['found'])){
  $telArr = $jd['data'];

  $phones = array();
  foreach($telArr as $tel){
    $value = array_values($tel);
    $phones[] = $value[0];
  }

  var_dump($phones);
}

Output:

array(2) {
  [0]=>
  string(4) "1102"
  [1]=>
  string(4) "3220"
}

edited Jun 23, 2015 at 12:45

answered Jun 23, 2015 at 12:20

Ofir Baruch

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Comments

Lucas Mezêncio · Accepted Answer · 2015-06-23 12:26:39Z

0

Well, I would try something like that:

$json = '{"data":[{"tel1":"1102"},{"tel2":"3220"}],"found":true}';
$jd = json_decode($json);
$phones = [];

if ($jd->found && count($jd->data)) {
    foreach ($jd->data as $key -> $value) {
        $phones[] = $value;
    }
}

answered Jun 23, 2015 at 12:26

Lucas Mezêncio

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Comments

Narendrasingh Sisodia · Accepted Answer · 2015-06-23 12:37:12Z

0

Try as using in_array and simple foreach loop

$json = '{"data":[{"tel1":"1102"},{"tel2":"3220"}],"found":true}';
$arr = json_decode($json, true);
$result = array();
if (in_array(true, $arr)) {
    foreach ($arr['data'] as $key => $value) {
        foreach($value as $k => $v)
            $result[] = $v;
    }
}
print_r($result);

Fiddle

edited Jun 23, 2015 at 12:37

answered Jun 23, 2015 at 12:31

Narendrasingh Sisodia

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