What is a stdClass Object in PHP and how do I work with it?

PHP
1

I am playing around with cj web services and SOAP I can make the query and I get an array from the results stored in a single variable. When I

print_r $result;

I get an array that looks like:

stdClass Object ( [out] => stdClass Object ( [count] => 10 [offset] => 0 [products] => stdClass Object ( [Product] => Array ( [0] => stdClass Object ( [adId] => 10701012 [advertiserId] => 2780113 [advertiserName] => PetStore.com / MarineDepot.com [buyUrl] => http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-3943640-10701012?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.petstore.com%2Fps_ViewItem.aspx%3Fidproduct%3DVY68756%26source%3Dcj&cjsku=VY68756 [catalogId] => cjo:1127 [currency] => USD [description] => Tiny tails dog toy just born four on the floor giraffe [imageUrl] => http://cse.f3images.com/IMD/feeds/VY68756_50.jpg [inStock] => [isbn] => [manufacturerName] => Vo-Toys [manufacturerSku] => VY [name] => Votoy Tiny Tails Dog Toy Just Born Four On The Floor Giraffe [price] => 2.99 [retailPrice] => 2.99 [salePrice] => 2.99 [sku] => VY68756 [upc] => 075726687569 ) [1] => stdClass Object ( [adId] => 10766026 [advertiserId] => 2916010 [advertiserName] => Birthday in a Box [buyUrl] => http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.birthdayinabox.com%2Fparty-supplies%2Fproductdetail.asp%3Fprodsku%3D6770&cjsku=6770 [catalogId] =>

how would I take an array like this and create a foreach() statement when the array is stored in a variable called $result ?

2

Is this any clearer?


<?php
$response = new stdClass;
$response->products = array();

var_dump(
  $response
);

/*
  object(stdClass)#1 (1) {
    ["products"]=>
    array(0) {
    }
  }
*/

foreach($response->products as $product){
  #do stuff
}
3

stdClass is PHP’s class prototype. It’s the simplest possible object - and is the eqivalent of JavaScript’s Object.prototype. All classes implicitly extend from it unless they extend from something else.

I don’t personally use it - it’s a poor man’s array at best. You can iterate over it, but you lose the power of the various array related functions whenever you use it.

4

The only array in there is named Product and you can loop over the products like:


foreach ($results->products->Product as $product) {
	// Do something with each product
	echo $product->name . " from " . $product->advertiserName . "<br>\
";
}
5

Thanks for the quick responses guys.

Is there any way to convert it to a more efficient mysql or xml type array?
I actually have a few different questions regarding the data I can and can’t get using curl, dom, and setting headers and stuff, just didnt know how to go about doing it without bombarding the forum.

I also tried code similar too:

foreach ($results->out->products->description as $product) {
		            echo "Advertiser Name: ".$product->advertiserName."\
";
		            echo "Category: ".$product->category."\
";

but I get the same error “Notice: Undefined property: stdClass::$products” each time. Isn’t the variable being declared in the foreach() statement? What is “stdClass::$products” all about?

6

You can’t just make up properties (->[i]something[/i] is a property) randomly, you need to follow the structure. In your example, there must be an out property (of the $results object), which itself be an object with a products property, and that must be an object with a description property (which is the array you loop over with foreach).

The stdClass::$products is just the representation that PHP uses in the error message. The format is, [i]class name[/i]::$[i]property name[/i].

The undefined property error means that $results->out is an object, but does not have a products property.

7

Merry Christmas Everyone.

Thanks Salathe for you response. Unfortunately I am missing something. I tried playing with the code yesterday and then again this morning with no luck.

Can you or someone point me in the direction for what I would have to google to learn or understand better the arguments in the foreach() statement ?

am not following the whole “$results->products->Product as $product” very well I am gonna need to understand what I am doing before I can edit it.

Sorry if this is getting bothersome, I am sure it’s something silly am missing it always is.

8

Not true.


class Foo {}

$foo = new Foo();

if ($foo instanceof stdClass) {
	echo 'Yep';
} else {
	echo 'Nope';
}

output is Nope

9

I said “Implicitly extends”. You’re giving an example of a test of Explicit extension. Implicit and Explicit do not mean the same thing - in fact they are antonyms.

If the PHP engine allowed ($foo instanceof stdClass) it would amount to being a cryptic equivalent to is_object(). That isn’t very useful and it doesn’t bother me in the slightest that it’s not allowed. But yes, I’ve known about your example for some time - that’s why I said “implicitly extends” because the engine hides the relation. At the engine level though the code for stdClass is used as the starting point of every object in the system.