Problem with arrays and referencing

[Findus]

Hi.
I have a problem when i need to change an array value and i dont know in advance exactly what value.
Its for a filteringclass for a system that parses articles to an xml-feed.

I've taken the part where im in trouble out, since it would be too much to include everything in the system.
This is just a testcase really, so names on variables are not as in real life

The code is commented so you can just follow it:

// This is the key we want to change
$path = array("info", "data");

// This is the original array
$test = array
(
    "id" => 1,
    "name" => "testing",
    "info" => array
    (
        "data" => "some data here yes"
    )
);

// Lets create some copies/references to work with
$test2 = $test;
$test3 =& $test;

foreach ($path as $node) {
    $test2 = $test2[$node];
}
// $test2 now should contain "some data here yes"
// So how do we change it, references naturaly falls to mind
// So i rewrite the foreach a bit so it works like this:
foreach ($path as $node) {
    $test2 = $test2[$node];
    $test3 = $test3[$node];
}
// Now i have $test2 just like it was, and $test3 should be a reference to $test['info']['data']
// But wait, i have overwritten $test on the way, so now $test is useless, thus also any reference i have.
// What i want is the following
$test3 = $test['info']['data'];

// And nope, i cant hardcode it :/ 

Any help would really be appreciated, im totaly stuck here.
I am open to any solution there might be.

[dnszero]

Why not just skip all the loop stuff and get straight to the point:

 $test3 = $test[$path[0]][$path[1]]; 

[Findus]

Because i dont know how many dimensions the array will have.
Like i said "i cant hardcode it".

[annimal]

Hi all
Dose any one know how i can define a foreach loop as an array i cant figuer out the corect syntax

$result = foreach ($_POST['Bar'] as $key=>$value) 
{ 
echo $value.'<br>';
 } 

Thanks!!!

[sweatje]

It is kind of hard to see what you are getting at, but perhaps:

function recursive_foreach($target) {
    if (is_array($target)) {
        foreach($target as $value) { recursive_foreach($value); }
    } else {
        echo $target, '<br>';
    }
}

recursive_foreach('foo');

echo '<hr>';

recursive_foreach(array(array(array('foo'=>'bar')))); 

?

[annimal]

yeah cool what im trying to do is turn the foreach loop
This

foreach ($_POST['CocktailBar'] as $key=>$value) 
{ 
echo $value.'<br>';
 } 

and im trying to turn the hole of that array into $result
Dose that make any more sence

[bdunlap]

You mean something like this?

foreach ($_POST['CocktailBar'] as $value) {
    $result .= $value . '<br>';
} 

[annimal]

yup thats exactly it man
Give That Man Beer
thanks verry much i was having so many problems becouse i am echoing $result in a html table and it was repeting the hole table after every value

Thanks For your Help Dood

[swdev]

he he he

you could replace this code

foreach ($_POST['CocktailBar'] as $value) {
     $result .= $value . '<br>';
 } 

with this

 $result = implode('<br>', $_POST['CocktailBar']); 

[bdunlap]

he he he

you could replace this code

foreach ($_POST['CocktailBar'] as $value) {
     $result .= $value . '<br>';
 } 

with this

 $result = implode('<br>', $_POST['CocktailBar']); 

[lastcraft]

Hi...

 $result = implode('<br>', $_POST['CocktailBar']); 

Actually this...

$result = implode('<br>', $_POST['CocktailBar']) . '<br>'; 

yours, Marcus

[McGruff]

Ahem:

$result = implode('<br />', $_POST['CocktailBar']) . '<br />';

[Findus]

I see this thread got hijacked a bit.
But i have still not found a solution to my problem.
I've changed things abit now, most likely this cant be done with referencing so i've skipped that and just works on a copy instead and letting the function return a modified array that is correct.

This function now returns a complete copy of the array given to it. What i need now is to figure out how to change the value i want to change.
It feels like im codeblinded with this problem now, im sure its quite simple but i just cant see what is wrong.

Some revision would be nice.

(As you can see im building up a copy of the original array with the change-value replaced.)

// Path is a path in the array. I think its quite self explaining what i want to change
$path = array("info", "data");
// This is the original array
$test = array
(
    "id" => 1,
    "name" => "testing",
    "info" => array
    (
        "data" => "some data here yes"
    )
);


// This is how far i got with a function to deal with this

function arrayValueReplace($path, &$arr, $replace) {
        // Create a copy of the array to work on
        $array = $arr;
        foreach ($array as $key => $ar) {
                // This is where we are in the path
                $current = array_slice($path, 0, 1);
                // Some recursivness
                if (is_array($ar[$current])) {
                        $build[$key] = arrayValueReplace($path, $ar[$current], $replace);
                }
                else {
                        // This is were i need to figure out if we are on the right spot and to change the value with the replacevalue
                        if ($ar == $current[0] && count($path) == 1) {
                                $build[$key] = $replace;
                        }
                        else {
                                $build[$key] = $ar;
                        }
                }
                // Remove the portion of path we are done with
                $path = array_slice($path, 1);
        }
        // Return the copy we are building up
        return $build;
}

// In order to test the restults:
echo "This is the original array: <pre>";
print_r($test);
echo "</pre> This is the final array which should have the correct value changed: <pre>";
print_r(arrayValueReplace($path, $test, "Nice new text"));
echo "</pre>"; 

This returns two equal arrays. So i have succesfully rebuilt the array, but not changed the value.

[Findus]

I can see again, meaning i figured the problem out.
Like i suspected it was just codeblindness. I was doing some weird things in there :/

[ghurtado]

Have you looked at array_walk_recursive?
Sounds like it could make your life a lot simpler