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 casthi! 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.
(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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