PHP Object to Array Convert using JSON Decode

There are several ways to convert an object to an array in PHP, but using json_decode is one of the simplest and most efficient methods. In this tutorial, you will learn how to convert json objects to arrays in PHP using json_decode().

PHP: json_decode() | How to decode json to array in PHP

Now, let’s see how to use json_decode to convert an object to an array in PHP.

Syntax:

The syntax of JSON decode function is:-

json_decode(string, assoc, depth=500, options)

Parameters of json_decode() function

json: It holds the JSON string which need to be decode. It only works with UTF-8 encoded strings.
assoc: It is a boolean variable. If it is true then objects returned will be converted into associative arrays.
depth: It states the recursion depth specified by user.
options: It includes bitmask of JSON_OBJECT_AS_ARRAY, JSON_BIGINT_AS_STRING,, JSON_THROW_ON_ERROR.

Ex 1 – Convert JSON String to PHP array

Let’s take the first example, here you will convert the JSON string to PHP array using the json_decode() function. See the example below:

<?php
$jObject = '{"Sam":23,"John":32,"Joe":41,"Elvish":43}';
var_dump(json_decode($jObject, true));
?>

The output of the above code is: Array ( [Sam] => 23 [John] => 32 [Joe] => 41 [Elvish] => 43 )

Ex 2 – json String to Multidimensional Array PHP

Let’s take the second example of json_decode() function, Here you will take to convert json multiple objects to a multidimensional array in PHP. Let’s see example:

<?php
$jObject = '[
    {
        "title": "PHP",
        "category": "PHP"
    },
    {
        "title": "JSON PHP",
        "category": "PHP"
    },
    {
        "title": "JSON string to array php",
        "category": "php"
    }
]';
//json_decode multidimensional array php
print_r(json_decode($jObject, true));
?>

The output of the above code is:

Array (
   [0] => Array ( [title] => PHP [category] => PHP )
   [1] => Array ( [title] => JSON PHP [category] => PHP )
   [2] => Array ( [title] => JSON string to array php [category] => php )
 )

Ex 3 – json decode and access object value php

Let’s take the third example, in this example, you will decode the json object first and after access the value by key. Let’s see the example:

<?php
$jsonObject= '{
    "title": "PHP JSON decode example",
    "category": "PHP"
}';
$res = json_decode($jsonObject);
// access title of reponse object
echo $res->title;
?>

The output of the above code is: ” PHP JSON decode example
“

Ex 4 -Convert object to an array in PHP

Here is an example of how to use json_decode() to convert an object to an array in PHP:

// Create a sample object
$myObject = new stdClass();
$myObject->name = "John";
$myObject->age = 30;
$myObject->country = "USA";

// Convert the object to a JSON string
$jsonString = json_encode($myObject);

// Convert the JSON string to an array using json_decode()
$array = json_decode($jsonString, true);

// Output the array to the console
print_r($array);

In the above example, you first create a sample object called $myObject with three properties: name, age, and country. You then convert the object into a JSON string using the json_encode() function.

Next, you use the json_decode() function to convert the JSON string back into a PHP variable. You pass true as the second argument to json_decode() to convert the result into an associative array.

Finally, you output the resulting array using the print_r() function. The output will be:

Array
(
    [name] => John
    [age] => 30
    [country] => USA
)

Conclusion

Converting an object to an array is a common task in PHP, and json_decode provides a simple and efficient way to accomplish it.

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