[PHP] Re: Arrays not recognized in Simple XML Objects (using print_r)

[Elizabeth Smith]

Yashesh Bhatia wrote:
hi! i'm trying to use the simple_xml functions to get an arrray of
data from a sample xml file.
here's my sample_data.xml
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<sample_data>
 <first_names>
   <first_name>amit</first_name>
   <first_name>amar</first_name>
 </first_names>
</sample_data>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

the php file
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

<?php
$sample_data = simplexml_load_file("sample_data.xml");
print_r($sample_data);
print_r($sample_data->first_names);
print_r($sample_data->first_names->first_name);
?>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

output of "$ php test_xml_1.php"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

SimpleXMLElement Object
(
   [first_names] => SimpleXMLElement Object
       (
           [first_name] => Array
               (
                   [0] => amit
                   [1] => amar
               )
       )
)
SimpleXMLElement Object
(
   [first_name] => Array
       (
           [0] => amit
           [1] => amar
       )
)
SimpleXMLElement Object
(
   [0] => amit
)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The above output shows $sample_data->first_names->first_name as an
ARRAY in the first 2 print_r 's however when a print_r is run on
itself it shows it as a SimpleXMLElementObject.
Question is why the last print_r gives different information
compared to the other 2.
I also tried running
$key = array_rand($sample_data->first_names->first_name)
and it gives a warning message
"Warning: array_rand(): First argument has to be an array in 
/home/yvb/work/practice/php/XML/foo.php on line 16"

any clue how do i use the
$sample_data->first_names->first_name as an array ?
thx.
yashesh.

That's how print_r displays objects and nested objects - try a var_dump 
on the item and you'll see that simplexml does NOT return arrays but 
instead returns simplexml objects - if you want to use array_rand you 
can cast
(http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.types.type-juggling.php#language.types.typecasting)
the object to an array, or check out the user notes on simplexml
http://us2.php.net/manual/en/ref.simplexml.php
to find example functions to change a simplexml object to an array
personally I prefer dom and use a domtoarray function - but YMMV - 
please read the simplexml documentation again, it returns objects 
(nested ones) NOT arrays

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