[php] How to convert array to a string using methods other than JSON?

What is a function in PHP used to convert array to string, other than using JSON?

I know there is a function that directly does like JSON. I just don't remember.

use php implode() or serialize()

Use the implode() function:

$array = array('lastname', 'email', 'phone');
$comma_separated = implode(",", $array);
echo $comma_separated; // lastname,email,phone

You are looking for serialize(). Here is an example:

$array = array('foo', 'bar');

//Array to String
$string = serialize($array);

//String to array
$array = unserialize($string);

Another good alternative is http_build_query

$data = array('foo'=>'bar',
              'baz'=>'boom',
              'cow'=>'milk',
              'php'=>'hypertext processor');

echo http_build_query($data) . "\n";
echo http_build_query($data, '', '&');

Will print

foo=bar&baz=boom&cow=milk&php=hypertext+processor
foo=bar&baz=boom&cow=milk&php=hypertext+processor

More info here http://php.net/manual/en/function.http-build-query.php

There are different ways to do this some of them has given. implode(), join(), var_export(), print_r(), serialize(), json_encode()exc... You can also write your own function without these:

A For() loop is very useful. You can add your array's value to another variable like this:

<?php
    $dizi=array('mother','father','child'); //This is array

    $sayi=count($dizi);
    for ($i=0; $i<$sayi; $i++) {
        $dizin.=("'$dizi[$i]',"); //Now it is string...
    }
         echo substr($dizin,0,-1); //Write it like string :D
?>

In this code we added $dizi's values and comma to $dizin:

$dizin.=("'$dizi[$i]',");

Now

$dizin = 'mother', 'father', 'child',

It's a string, but it has an extra comma :)

And then we deleted the last comma, substr($dizin, 0, -1);

Output:

'mother','father','child'

readable output!

echo json_encode($array);     //outputs--->    "name1":"value1",  "name2":"value2",  ...

OR

echo print_r($array, true);

Display array in beautiful way:

function arrayDisplay($input)
{
    return implode(
        ', ',
        array_map(
            function ($v, $k) {
                return sprintf("%s => '%s'", $k, $v);
            },
            $input,
            array_keys($input)
        )
    );
}

$arr = array('foo'=>'bar',
              'baz'=>'boom',
              'cow'=>'milk',
              'php'=>'hypertext processor');

echo arrayDisplay($arr);

Displays:

foo => 'bar', baz => 'boom', cow => 'milk', php => 'hypertext processor'