Creating a multi-dimensional array in PHP with an uncertain depth

Question

Good Evening - I am trying to create a multi-dimensional array based on an exploded text string of a account codes stored in the database. The account codes will be of varying lengths/depths. Say for example $test in the array below are similar to the results I would pull from the database:

$test = array( 
    '110|5100|120'    => 'Teacher Salaries',
    '110|5100|130'    => 'Other Professoinal Services',
    '110|5100|510|1'  => 'Primary Supplies',
    '110|5100|510|2'  => 'Intermediate Supplies', 
    '110|7300|110'    => 'Administrator Salaries', 
    '110|7300|510'    => 'Administrative Supplies', 
    '763|5100'        => 'Academic Grants'
); 
foreach($test AS $k => $v) { 
    $lvl = explode("|", $k);
    // Not sure what to do next... 
}

What I want to do is create a function which will return an array such as the following:

[110] => Array
    (
        [5100] => Array
            (
                [120] => Teacher Salaries
                [130] => Other Professional Services
                [510] => Array
                    (
                        [1] => Primary Supplies
                        [2] => Intermediate Supplies
                    )
            )
        [7300] => Array
            (
                [110] => Administrator Salaries
                [510] => Supplies
            )
    )
[763] => Array
    (
        [5100] => Academic Grants
    )

I was able to come up with a function that can take a single one of the codes and break it down correctly into an array, but when I try to merge them together, they lose their keys. Here is what I have so far:

function expandedArray($codes, $value) { 
    $decoded = explode("|",$codes);
    RETURN expandedArraySub($decoded, $value); 
}
function expandedArraySub($decoded = array(), $value = Null) { 
    $k = array_pop($decoded); 
    $out[$k] = $value;
    if(is_array($decoded) && count($decoded) > 0) { $out = expandedArraySub($decoded, $out); }
    RETURN $out;
}

But when I run the following, instead of getting what I want as described above, I get an array that loses the "110" key:

$r1 = expandedArray('110|5100|510|1', "Primary Supplies"); 
  // $r1 is now [ 110 => [5100 => [510 => [ 1 ] ] ] ]
$r2 = expandedArray('110|5100|510|2', 'Intermediate Supplies'); 
  // $r2 is now [ 110 => [5100 => [510 => [ 2 ] ] ] ]
$r = array_merge($r1, $r2);

The results I get remove the first key and doesn't combine the results as I was hoping. Here is what I get:

[0] => Array
    (
        [5100] => Array
            (
                [510] => Array
                    (
                        [1] => Primary Supplies
                    )
            )
    )
[1] => Array
    (
        [5100] => Array
            (
                [510] => Array
                    (
                        [2] => Intermediate Supplies
                    )
            )
    )

Any help is much appreciated! Thanks!

The behavior of array_merge() with numeric keys is as documented and sadly there are no options to change it. If you want to keep all your hard work, try something like $out['x'.$k] = $value; in expandedArraySub. This will force array_merge to treat your keys as strings. I think you also want array_merge_recursive() instead of array_merge. Of course you need to get rid of all the x's, but that should be simpler and the work is all yours. — jh1711
– jh1711, Commented Sep 5, 2017 at 4:04

Manuel Otto · Accepted Answer · 2017-09-05 04:34:38Z

Try this code:

function getVal($data,$chain){
    $level = $data;
    for($i=0;$i<count($chain);$i++){
        if(isset($level[$chain[$i]]))
            $level = $level[$chain[$i]];
        else
            return null; // key does not exist, return null
    }
    return $level;
}

function setVal(&$data,$chain,$value){
    $level = &$data;
    for($i=0;$i<count($chain);$i++){
        $level = &$level[$chain[$i]]; // set reference (&) in order to change the value of the object
    }
    $level = $value;
}

For setting use it like this:

$output = array();
$test = array( 
    '110|5100|120'    => 'Teacher Salaries',
    '110|5100|130'    => 'Other Professoinal Services',
    '110|5100|510|1'  => 'Primary Supplies',
    '110|5100|510|2'  => 'Intermediate Supplies', 
    '110|7300|110'    => 'Administrator Salaries', 
    '110|7300|510'    => 'Administrative Supplies', 
    '763|5100'        => 'Academic Grants'
); 
foreach($test AS $k => $v) { 
    $lvl = explode("|", $k);
    setVal($output,$lvl,$v); 
}

$output should have the desired format.

Read more about this code in my previous post

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