Print array into text string

zzz

I need to write an external file and I need to put an array into it.

I create a portion of the file like this:

ob_start();

echo '<?
$externalArray = '.$myArrayValues.';
?>';

$myVar = ob_get_clean();

$newArray = '. print_r(myExternalFile.php) .';

Unfortunayely right now what I get is this:

Array
(
[1] => 1114
[2] => 780
[3] => 781
[4] => 1253
[5] => 128
)
<?
$newArray = 1;
?>

I think I need to use something else but the print_r

Stuck.

gardnc

You don't describe what the external file is or what form it should take so I don't see what is wrong with what you get.

If you must format in a particular way you will need to loop through the array and write each record as required.

zzz

Oh, the external php file should look like this:

<?
$newArray = array([1] => 1114, [2] => 780, [3] => 781, [4] => 1253, [5] => 128);
?>

or even better if it looked like this:

<?
$newArray = array(1114, 780, 781, 1253, 128);
?>

halojoy

i think it is better to store your values in a more simple format
mydata.php

<?php exit; ?>
1114_##_780_##_781_##_1253_##_128

and retrieve it with

<?php

$data = file_get_contents( 'mydata.php' );
$my_rows = explode( "\n", str_replace( "\r\n", "\n", $data )); //2 rows in array
$my_array = explode( "_##_", $my_rows[1] ); //an array of values in row 2

foreach( $my_array AS $value ){
echo $value. '<br>';
}

?>

.....to store the data:
1. $row[0] = '<?php exit; ?>';
2. $row[1] = implode array with your values using '##'
3. $data = implode $row with "\n";
4. file_put_contents ( 'mydata.php', $data );

Regards 🙂

PS.
If you want, you can create 2 functions, using the above

<?php

function save_array( $filename, $array ) {
$row[0] =  = '<?php exit; ?>';
// etc
// etc
file_put_contents ( $filename, $data );
}

function load_array( $filename ) {
$data = file_get_contents( $filename );
// etc
// etc
return $my_array;
}

?>

.... and use it like this

<?php

$arr = array( 345, 5789, 43, 150, 911 );
save_array( 'mydata.php', $arr );

$some_array = load_array( 'mydata.php' );
echo '<pre>' .print_r( $some_array, true ). '</pre>';

?>

zzz

Wow, this is pretty interesting! I'll give it a whirl...

I don't really need to print array. I use array in a different script. What I'm trying to do is to save some loading time on avoiding getting the values from db into an array, but generating that array in a advance, say with a cron job. As db gets larger I start to notice a drag. getting array as an include should cut that load time. In fact all my dynamic pieces on the front page are now pre-generated and stored as separate include files and load nearly instantly since they are now just static HTML.

Weedpacket

If this array is to be read into another script to be turned back into an array (i.e., you're serialising the array for caching) then you will get the most flexibility and robustness from using the [man]serialize[/man] and [man]unserialize[/man] functions.

Then if you write a file containing the serialised array (a one-line job: file_put_contents($filename, serialize($array)); ) you'd turn it back into an array with $array=unserialize(file_get_contents($filename));.

zzz wrote:
or even better if it looked like this:

Then you're just after [man]join[/man].

liveaday

what if the reading script sits on another server? can i still read the cached serialized array ?

my writing script on server A writes the serialized array to the cache file. My reading script on server B needs to load that serialized array into a local array for manipulation but i cant get the include to work across servers