Assign a PHP array to a javascript array

Ros

Hi,

It is possible to use a server side language like PHP witha client side language like Javascript.

Right now I am wondering how I could pass a PHP array to a Javascript array.

<?php
// Connect to the db server and select and select a database
mysql_connect("XXX", "XXX", "XXX");
mysql_select_db("XXX");

// Retrieve the language table data
$query = "XXX";
$result = mysql_query($query);

// create an associative array based on the table data
while($row= mysql_fetch_array($result))
{
	$value = $row["XX"];
	$name = $row["XX"];
	$pairs["$value"] = $name;
}

return $pairs;
?>

Could I just return this PHP array to a javascript array like that?

 
<html>
<head>
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="actb.js"></script>
<script>
var customarray= <?php code from above ?>
...

If you have any tips for be beside of that, how to encapsulte stuff that would be great.

Best regards
Ros

bubblenut

You'll have to output the javascript array declaration in full. This is likely to be something you're going to have to do quite often (I know I have) so it's probably worth investing some time into writing a fully featured (can handle associative arrays, multi-dimentional arrays and possibly even objects) function to handle it. I've going for lunch in a bit so I'm going to have a bash at it then if you can hold on.

Cheers
Bubble

bubblenut

I've only tested this as far as running the provided script in Firefox and making sure there aren't any errors in the Javascript console, I haven't actually tried to use the arrays/object for anything. Could you please leave some feedback on it for me as I don't think I'm going to have the chance to properly play with it before I forget about it :p Thanks.

<?php

$test_array=toJavascript(array('here', 'are some', 'values', array('and', 'extra', 'dimentions')));
$test_assoc=toJavascript(array('key'=>'value', 'is'=>'the', 
      'perfect'=>array('example', 'of', 'how'), 
      'thism'=>array('whole'=>'thing', 'works')));

echo <<<END_HTML
<script type="text/javascript">
var test_array = $test_array
var test_assoc = $test_assoc
</script>
END_HTML;

function toJavascript($var) {
    if(is_array($var)) {
        if(!$result=toJavascript_fromArray($var))
            $result=toJavascript_fromAssoc($var);
    }
    return $result.';';
}

function toJavascript_fromArray($var) {
    $output='new Array(';
    $first=true;
    foreach($var as $key => $value) {
        if(!is_numeric($key) || $key!=intval($key)) return false;
        if(!$first) $output.=',';
        $first=false;
        if(is_array($value)) {
            if(!$tmp=toJavascript_fromArray($value))
                $output.=toJavascript_fromAssoc($value);
            else
                $output.=$tmp;
        } else {
            $output.="'$value'";
        }
    }
    return $output.')';
}

function toJavascript_fromAssoc($var) {
    $output='{';
    $first=true;
    foreach($var as $key => $value) {
        if(!$first) $output.=",";
        $first=false;
        //The key cannot have certain characters in, I'm not sure of the full list
        //of these characters so I've assumed that if we strip all PCRE non word
        //characters we should be OK, this may well not be the case though.
        $key=preg_replace('/\W/', '', $key);
        //Also, keys cannot be numeric so we add an underscore to the start.
        if(is_numeric($key)) $key='a'.$key;
        $output.=" $key:";
        if(is_array($value)) {
            if(!$tmp=toJavascript_fromArray($value))
                $output.=toJavascript_fromAssoc($value);
            else
                $output.=$tmp;
        } else {
            $output.="'$value'";
        }
    }
    return $output.' }';
}
?>

Cheers
Bubble

Ros

HI Bubble,

That was very kind of you writing all this code. I am working since an hour on your code. I am still partially confused. I need more time to understand that.

The basic problem is my very poor understanding of PHP. I am still working on it and have 2 questions:

Please Imagine this very easy example:
I have an test.html with a java script i n it.

<html>
<head>
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="actb.js"></script>
<script>
var teststring= <?php  test.php?giveBacktheString() ?>
</script>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>

all it should do is to call the function giveBacktheString() in the test.php and save the returned value into the javascript's teststring variable.

1) Is that the right way I have written the code?

2) What if I would like to have just one file instead of a test.phph and test.html? Could I unite javascript and PHP in the same file? If yes how? And what type of extension does the file need to have?

I know this questions seem to be very weird to you. But as I said, I am a 2 days old PHP beginner. ;o)

Thank you so much,
Ros