Bad json encoding

Question

I'm trying to parse in json a txt file content. This is the file content:

[19-02-2016 16:48:45.505547] [info] System done. 
 0: array(
 'ID' => 'Example 2'
 )

Now this is my code for parse the file:

$fh = fopen($file, "r");
$content = array(); 
$content["trace"] = array();
while ($line = fgets($fh))
{
 $raw = preg_split("/[\[\]]/", $line); 
 $entry = array();
 $entry["date"] = trim($raw[1]);
 $entry["type"] = trim($raw[3]);
 $entry["message"] = trim($raw[4]);
 $content["trace"][] = $entry;
}
fclose($fh);
return $content;

and this is what is returned from $content:

{
 "trace": [{
 "date": "19-02-2016 16:48:45.505547"
 "type": "info"
 "message": "System done."
 }, {
 "date": ""
 "type": ""
 "message": ""
 }, {
 "date": ""
 "type": ""
 "message": ""
 }, {
 "date": ""
 "type": ""
 "message": ""
 }]
}

---

UPDATE I'm expecting this:

{
 "trace": [{
 "date": "19-02-2016 16:48:45.505547"
 "type": "info"
 "message": "System done."
 "ID": Example 2
 }]
}

how you can see the array is saw as a new line and the code create other empty array in the while without content. I just want create new index later message and put the array content, how I can achieve this?

UPDATE WITH MORE CONTENT IN FILE

[19-02-2016 16:57:17.104504] [info] system done. 
 0: array(
 'ID' => 'john foo'
 )
[19-02-2016 16:57:17.110482] [info] transaction done. 
 0: array(
 'ID' => 'john foo'
 )

Expected result:

{
"trace": [20]
0: {
"date": "19-02-2016 16:57:17.104504"
"type": "info"
"message": "system done."
"ID": john foo
}
1: {
"date": "19-02-2016 16:57:17.110482"
"type": "info"
"message": "transaction done."
"ID": john foo
}
...

• hherger: Please show us an example of what you are expecting as result.
• Sandokan: @hherger see my update
• Edson Horacio Junior: Is there a case where trace will have more than one object? If there is, please post a sample of source txt file and expected result.
• Sandokan: @EdsonHoracioJunior complete example

Answer 1

Try this:

Code

<?php
$file = 'test.log';
$content = array(); 
$content["trace"] = array();
$input = file_get_contents('test.log');
preg_match_all('/\[(.*)\][\s]*?\[(.*?)\][\s]*?(.*)[\s][^\']*\'ID\'[ ]*=>[ ]*\'(.*)\'/', $input, $regs, PREG_PATTERN_ORDER);
for ($i = 0; $i < count($regs[0]); $i++) {
 $content['trace'][] = array(
 'date' => $regs[1][$i],
 'type' => trim($regs[2][$i]),
 'message' => trim($regs[3][$i]),
 'ID' => trim($regs[4][$i]),
 );
}
// return $content;
echo '<pre>'; print_r($content); echo '</pre>'; // For testing only
$content = json_encode($content); // For testing only
echo '<pre>' . $content . '</pre>'; // For testing only

Result

PHP array:

Array
(
 [trace] => Array
 (
 [0] => Array
 (
 [date] => 19-02-2016 16:57:17.104504
 [type] => info
 [message] => system done.
 [ID] => john foo
 )
 [1] => Array
 (
 [date] => 19-02-2016 16:57:17.110482
 [type] => info
 [message] => transaction done.
 [ID] => john foo
 )
 )
)

Json object (string):

{
 "trace":[
 {
 "date":"19-02-2016 16:57:17.104504",
 "type":"info",
 "message":"system done.",
 "ID":"john foo"
 },
 {
 "date":"19-02-2016 16:57:17.110482",
 "type":"info",
 "message":"transaction done.",
 "ID":"john foo"
 }
 ]
}

Notes re. the RegEx:

• The file is read as a whole into a string variable ($input).
• The preg_match_all(RegEx) also scans the entire input.
• The code iterates over all its hits, where the groups contain these parts…
  • 1: date
  • 2: type
  • 3: message
  • 4: ID

• The RegEx in detail:

   \[ Match the character "[" literally
  ( Match the regular expression below and capture its match into backreference number 1
   . Match any single character that is not a line break character
   * Between zero and unlimited times, as many times as possible, giving back as needed (greedy)
  )
  \] Match the character "]" literally
  [\s] Match a single character that is a "whitespace character" (spaces, tabs, and line breaks)
  *? Between zero and unlimited times, as few times as possible, expanding as needed (lazy)
  \[ Match the character "[" literally
  ( Match the regular expression below and capture its match into backreference number 2
   . Match any single character that is not a line break character
   *? Between zero and unlimited times, as few times as possible, expanding as needed (lazy)
  )
  \] Match the character "]" literally
  [\s] Match a single character that is a "whitespace character" (spaces, tabs, and line breaks)
  *? Between zero and unlimited times, as few times as possible, expanding as needed (lazy)
  ( Match the regular expression below and capture its match into backreference number 3
   . Match any single character that is not a line break character
   * Between zero and unlimited times, as many times as possible, giving back as needed (greedy)
  )
  [\s] Match a single character that is a "whitespace character" (spaces, tabs, and line breaks)
  [^'] Match any character that is NOT a "'"
  * Between zero and unlimited times, as many times as possible, giving back as needed (greedy)
  'ID' Match the characters "'ID'" literally
  [ ] Match the character " "
  * Between zero and unlimited times, as many times as possible, giving back as needed (greedy)
  => Match the characters "=>" literally
  [ ] Match the character " "
  * Between zero and unlimited times, as many times as possible, giving back as needed (greedy)
  ' Match the character "'" literally
  ( Match the regular expression below and capture its match into backreference number 4
   . Match any single character that is not a line break character
   * Between zero and unlimited times, as many times as possible, giving back as needed (greedy)
  )
  ' Match the character "'" literally
  

• Sandokan: Nope, the result isn't in json content.. I post an example
• hherger: Your earlier example was a php array. I add it to my answer.
• Sandokan: I don't understand how the regex work.. could explain a bit? UPDATE: If I don't have the array, so have only this: [19-02-2016 16:48:45.505547] [info] System done. No content is returned... @hherger
• Sandokan: thanks for the regex explaination, there is a condition that I can insert? check my last comment for see the problem, maybe you don't see it.
• hherger: Do you have mixed one-line entries (withou array...) and multi-line entries (with array...)?