Convert PHP multidimensional array to JavaScript notation

Question

I am looking for an efficient and clean function to convert PHP multidimensional arrays to javascript notation definitions. For example:

$settings = array(
 "customer" => array(
 "first_name" => "John",
 "last_name" => "Doe",
 "company" => array(
 "name" => "Foobar Inc",
 "address" => "123 Main Street"
 )
 )
)

Should translate into:

echo 'window.customer.first_name = "John"';
echo 'window.customer.last_name = "Doe"';
echo 'window.customer.company.name = "Foobar Inc"';
echo 'window.customer.company.address = "123 Main Street"';

• scrowler: Did you try searching for this?
• Justin: See updated, it is not as simple as json_encode().
• scrowler: Can you explain a little more about why this approach is necessary over json_encode?
• Marty: What you're trying to do is a terrible idea and makes no sense.

Answer 1

Just use json_encode()

$json = json_encode($settings);

Example:

$settings = array(
 "customer" => array(
 "first_name" => "John",
 "last_name" => "Doe",
 "company" => array(
 "name" => "Foobar Inc",
 "address" => "123 Main Street"
 )
 )
);
 
echo json_encode($settings);

Output:

{"customer":{"first_name":"John","last_name":"Doe","company":{"name":"Foobar Inc","address":"123 Main Street"}}}

• Scuzzy: @justin I think you will find it works like: var somevar = <?php echo json_encode($settings);?>;alert(somevar.customer.first_name);

Answer 2

It looks like you're trying to generate an .ini file. I'd say you could write a simple recursive function that, given a base string to use as the start of the property name, would then generate a line of output for its value - or a sequence of lines, recursively calling itself, if the value is an array.

Another approach is given here: create ini file, write values in PHP