What is json vs php?
What is JSON?JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation, and is a syntax for storing and exchanging data. Show
Since the JSON format is a text-based format, it can easily be sent to and from a server, and used as a data format by any programming language. PHP and JSONPHP has some built-in functions to handle JSON. First, we will look at the following two functions:
PHP - json_encode()The json_encode() function is used to encode a value to JSON format. ExampleThis example shows how to encode an associative array into a JSON object: $age = array("Peter"=>35, "Ben"=>37, "Joe"=>43); echo json_encode($age); Run Example » ExampleThis example shows how to encode an indexed array into a JSON array: $cars = array("Volvo", "BMW", "Toyota"); echo json_encode($cars); Run Example » PHP - json_decode()The json_decode() function is used to decode a JSON object into a PHP object or an associative array. ExampleThis example decodes JSON data into a PHP object: $jsonobj = '{"Peter":35,"Ben":37,"Joe":43}'; var_dump(json_decode($jsonobj)); Run Example » The json_decode() function returns an object by default. The json_decode() function has a second parameter, and when set to true, JSON objects are decoded into associative arrays. ExampleThis example decodes JSON data into a PHP associative array: $jsonobj = '{"Peter":35,"Ben":37,"Joe":43}'; var_dump(json_decode($jsonobj, true)); Run Example » PHP - Accessing the Decoded ValuesHere are two examples of how to access the decoded values from an object and from an associative array: ExampleThis example shows how to access the values from a PHP object: $jsonobj = '{"Peter":35,"Ben":37,"Joe":43}'; $obj = json_decode($jsonobj); echo $obj->Peter; Run Example » ExampleThis example shows how to access the values from a PHP associative array: $jsonobj = '{"Peter":35,"Ben":37,"Joe":43}'; $arr = json_decode($jsonobj, true); echo $arr["Peter"]; Run Example » PHP - Looping Through the ValuesYou can also loop through the values with a foreach() loop: ExampleThis example shows how to loop through the values of a PHP object: $jsonobj = '{"Peter":35,"Ben":37,"Joe":43}'; $obj = json_decode($jsonobj); foreach($obj as $key => $value) { Run Example » ExampleThis example shows how to loop through the values of a PHP associative array: $jsonobj = '{"Peter":35,"Ben":37,"Joe":43}'; $arr = json_decode($jsonobj, true); foreach($arr as $key => $value) { Run Example » A common use of JSON is to read data from a web server, and display the data in a web page. This chapter will teach you how to exchange JSON data between the client and a PHP server. The PHP FilePHP has some built-in functions to handle JSON. Objects in PHP can be converted into JSON by using the PHP function json_encode(): PHP file$myObj->name = "John"; $myJSON = json_encode($myObj); echo $myJSON; Show PHP file » The Client JavaScriptHere is a JavaScript on the client, using an AJAX call to request the PHP file from the example above: ExampleUse JSON.parse() to convert the result into a JavaScript object: const xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest(); Try it Yourself » PHP ArrayArrays in PHP will also be converted into JSON when using the PHP function json_encode(): PHP file$myArr = array("John", "Mary", "Peter", "Sally"); $myJSON = json_encode($myArr); echo $myJSON; Show PHP file » The Client JavaScriptHere is a JavaScript on the client, using an AJAX call to request the PHP file from the array example above: ExampleUse JSON.parse() to convert the result into a JavaScript array: var xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest(); Try it Yourself » PHP DatabasePHP is a server side programming language, and can be used to access a database. Imagine you have a database on your server, and you want to send a request to it from the client where you ask for the 10 first rows in a table called "customers". On the client, make a JSON object that describes the numbers of rows you want to return. Before you send the request to the server, convert the JSON object into a string and send it as a parameter to the url of the PHP page: ExampleUse JSON.stringify() to convert the JavaScript object into JSON: const limit = {"limit":10}; Try it Yourself » Example explained:
Take a look at the PHP file: PHP fileheader("Content-Type: application/json; charset=UTF-8"); $conn = new mysqli("myServer", "myUser", "myPassword", "Northwind"); echo json_encode($outp); PHP File explained:
Use the DataExample xmlhttp.onload = function() { Try it Yourself » PHP Method = POSTWhen sending data to the server, it is often best to use the HTTP To send AJAX requests using the The data sent to the server must now be an argument to the Example const dbParam =
JSON.stringify({"limit":10}); Try it Yourself » The only difference in the PHP file is the method for getting the transferred data. PHP fileUse $_POST instead of $_GET: header("Content-Type: application/json;
charset=UTF-8"); echo json_encode($outp); Why JSON is used in PHP?JSON is portable because parsers and writers are available for many, many languages. This means that JSON that a PHP script generates can be very easily understood by a JavaScript script. It is the best way to transmit complex structures like arrays and objects, and have it still be compatible with multiple languages.
Can PHP read JSON?Parsing JSON with PHP
PHP has built-in functions to encode and decode JSON data.
What is the main purpose of JSON?JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is a standard text-based format for representing structured data based on JavaScript object syntax. It is commonly used for transmitting data in web applications (e.g., sending some data from the server to the client, so it can be displayed on a web page, or vice versa).
Is JSON same as JavaScript?Not exactly. JSON is a data format that is independent of any programming language, although it is derived from JavaScript. The bulk of modern programming languages contain code that can generate and parse JSON data.
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