Array to google charts

[james182]

I need to get the array to be in the right format for the chart.

Current output array

Array
(
    [May] => 1
    [Apr] => 64
    [Sep] => 3
    [Aug] => 1
    [Mar] => 66
    [Feb] => 29
)

My code to try and get it to this: [["month":"Incidents"],["May":1],["Apr":64],["Sep":3],["Aug":1],["Mar":66],["Feb":29]]

// Prepare the data in the correct format
	    $formatted_months = array();
	    $i=0;
		$formatted_months[] =  "['months','Incidents']";
	    foreach ($result as $key => $value) {
	    	$formatted_months[] =  "['". $key ."'". $value ."]";
	    	$i++;
	    }
		print_r($formatted_months);
		echo json_encode($formatted_months);

At the moment i get this: [{"month":"Incidents"},{"May":1},{"Apr":64},{"Sep":3},{"Aug":1},{"Mar":66},{"Feb":29}]

[bradgrafelman]

Why not just directly JSON-encode the data and create a DataTable based on the resulting JSON string?

EDIT: Okay, so you might have to restructure the array so that it looks more like format described here, but that still seems like a more straightforward approach (IMHO).

[sneakyimp]

james182;11028515 wrote:

At the moment i get this: [{"month":"Incidents"},{"May":1},{"Apr":64},{"Sep":3},{"Aug":1},{"Mar":66},{"Feb":29}]

I tried a slightly different approach and get the same results -- it looks like the php function [man]json_encode[/man] by default will encode an associative array (meaning it has non-numeric keys) as an object by default rather than as an array. I find this interesting because, unless I'm mistaken, Javascript supports associative arrays. Here's what I tried:

$months = array(
    "May" => 1,
    "Apr" => 64,
    "Sep" => 3,
    "Aug" => 1,
    "Mar" => 66,
    "Feb" => 29,
);

$google_array[] = array("month" => "Incidents");
foreach($months as $key => $value) {
  $google_array[] = array($key => $value);
}

echo json_encode($google_array);

Unfortunately, while you can supply an option JSON_FORCE_OBJECT to make json_encode use objects for numerically indexed arrays, there is no option to force an array for associatively indexed arrays -- which is kind of lame, I think. On the other hand, I'm not an expert in the JSON syntax.

I can't help but wonder if the result we both get will actually work with google chart. Have you tried it?

If it doesn't work, you can do an str_replace on your result to change all the curly brackets to square brackets. This will work as long as none of your keys or values contain curly brackets:

// assumes you are using my code above
$json = json_encode($google_array);
$json = str_replace("{", "[", $json);
$json = str_replace("}", "]", $json);

[Weedpacket]

sneakyimp wrote:

there is no option to force an array for associatively indexed arrays -- which is kind of lame, I think. On the other hand, I'm not an expert in the JSON syntax.

JSON is a subset of JavaScript syntax. JavaScript does not have associatively-indexed arrays (as something distinct from obejcts), therefore neither does JSON (which can be described in about six lines).
This:

 [{"month":"Incidents"},{"May":1},{"Apr":64},{"Sep":3},{"Aug":1},{"Mar":66},{"Feb":29}] 

Is legitimate JSON. (In other words, the output from [man]json_encode[/man] is ... JSON.)
This:

 [["month":"Incidents"],["May":1],["Apr":64],["Sep":3],["Aug":1],["Mar":66],["Feb":29]]

Is not even legitimate JavaScript, let alone legitimate JSON.
From glancing at some of the code examples, I think what the original poster actually wants is

 [["month","Incidents"],["May",1],["Apr",64],["Sep",3],["Aug",1],["Mar",66],["Feb",29]]

Which is just an array of arrays - JSON-encoded.

[sneakyimp]

Weedpacket;11028587 wrote:

This:

 [["month":"Incidents"],["May":1],["Apr":64],["Sep":3],["Aug":1],["Mar":66],["Feb":29]]

Is not even legitimate JavaScript, let alone legitimate JSON.

My bad. You are correct about that. I tried sending it into some Javascript and it was not able to decode it, failing with an error at the first colon:

SyntaxError: missing ] after element list
http://localhost/chump.php
Line 8
var foo = [["month":"Incidents"],["May":1],["Apr":64],["Sep":3],["Aug":1],["Mar
===================^

On the other hand, I have noticed that one can define an array object and then assign it an associative property without changing its fundamental type:

<html>
<head> 
<script type="text/javascript">
var toType = function(obj) {
  return ({}).toString.call(obj).match(/\s([a-zA-Z]+)/)[1].toLowerCase()
}
var arr = new Array(0, 1, 2);
arr["assoc_key"] = "some value";
console.log(toType(arr)); // outputs "array"

var obj =new Object();
obj["assoc_key"] = "some value";
console.log(toType(obj)); // outputs "object"
</script>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>

I was under the mistaken impression that JSON might be as forgiving as abuse of Javascript object types.

[Weedpacket]

sneakyimp wrote:

var obj =new Object();
obj["assoc_key"] = "some value";
console.log(toType(obj)); // outputs "object"

No surprise; the middle line is exactly equivalent to

obj.assoc_key = "some value";

The former syntax would be used if the name of the property to be accessed was held in another variable, or if the name of the property wasn't a legitimate identifier.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Member_Operators

[sneakyimp]

Weedpacket;11028595 wrote:

No surprise; the middle line is exactly equivalent to

obj.assoc_key = "some value";

Well to use array-style property assignment is what led me to think that associative arrays existed -- that and the fact that this code outputs a object type of "array"

var arr = new Array(0, 1, 2);
arr["assoc_key"] = "some value";
console.log(toType(arr)); // outputs "array"

[Weedpacket]

sneakyimp wrote:

that and the fact that this code outputs a object type of "array"

Well, yes; because that's what you constructed:

var arr = new Array(0, 1, 2);

.
But it's an abuse of Array, which is an object that comes with a whole bunch of additional properties for maintaining ordered lists. Try these:

var arr = new Date();
arr["assoc_key"] = "some value";
console.log(toType(arr));
console.log(arr["assoc_key"]);

var arr = new Array(0,1,2);
arr["assoc_key"] = "something";
console.log(arr.length);
console.log(arr);

var arr = new Array(0,1,2);
console.log(arr.length);
console.log(arr.toString());
arr["length"] = "some value";
arr["toString"] = "something else";
console.log(arr.length);
console.log(arr.toString());