PHP read array declaration from file?

Question

I've got a text file with an array declaration (actually an array of arrays) that I'm reading into my PHP using 'file_get_contents'. The PHP code is treating the contents that it reads from the file as a literal string, rather than creating an array. I need to actually create the array.

Example:

The file 'probe2.csv' contains the following text:

array(array(22, 296), array(43, 667), array(64, 1008), array(84, 1273), array(105, 1520), array(126, 1899), array(146, 2149))

My PHP is:

$s1 = array(array(22, 256), array(43, 524), array(64, 797), array(84, 1133), array(105, 1515), array(126, 1813), array(146, 2128));
$s2 = file_get_contents('probe2.csv');
print_r($s1);
echo "<p>";
print_r($s2);
echo "</p>";

The output is:

Array ( [0] => Array ( [0] => 22 [1] => 256 ) [1] => Array ( [0] => 43 [1] => 524 ) [2] => Array ( [0] => 64 [1] => 797 ) [3] => Array ( [0] => 84 [1] => 1133 ) [4] => Array ( [0] => 105 [1] => 1515 ) [5] => Array ( [0] => 126 [1] => 1813 ) [6] => Array ( [0] => 146 [1] => 2128 ) )

array(array(22, 296), array(43, 667), array(64, 1008), array(84, 1273), array(105, 1520), array(126, 1899), array(146, 2149))

I'm a bash guy, not a PHP guy, so I have no idea how to do this.

I suggest to you (as PHP developer in the past) read about 'get from csv'(php.net/manual/en/function.fgetcsv.php) and about data serialisation (php.net/manual/en/function.serialize.php). It's really very simple. PHP has couple of library functions that read formatted data. — Yurij Goncharuk
– Yurij Goncharuk, Commented Mar 18, 2018 at 20:49

Dionei Miodutzki · Accepted Answer · 2018-03-19 00:55:23Z

1

To make it work, you should you need to change it like this:

<?php
$s2 = array(array(22, 296), array(43, 667), array(64, 1008), array(84, 1273), array(105, 1520), array(126, 1899), array(146, 2149));

And then, in you main php file, just include it:

include('probe2.php');

If you have no control about the probe2 file, you can do this (it's bad practice, but works):

$temp = file_get_contents('probe2.csv');
eval('$s2 = ' . $temp . ';');

$s2 will have the right array from here.

edited Mar 19, 2018 at 0:55

answered Mar 19, 2018 at 0:46

Dionei Miodutzki

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1 Comment

Jonas D. Over a year ago

You should really consider using serialisation or a proper data format instead though, if you have the option. stackoverflow.com/questions/804045/… might help with choosing

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