I'm using SimpleXML to parse an XML feed of property listings from different realtors. The relevant section of the XML feed looks something like this:
<branch name="Trustee Realtors">
<properties>
<property>
<reference>1</reference>
<price>275000</price>
<bedrooms>3</bedrooms>
</property>
<property>
<reference>2</reference>
<price>350000</price>
<bedrooms>4</bedrooms>
</property>
<property>
<reference>3</reference>
<price>128500</price>
<bedrooms>4</bedrooms>
</property>
</properties>
</branch>
<branch name="Quick-E-Realty Inc">
<properties>
<property>
<reference>4</reference>
<price>180995</price>
<bedrooms>3</bedrooms>
</property>
</properties>
</branch>
and is then converted to an array like this:
$xml = file_get_contents($filename);
$xml = simplexml_load_string($xml);
$xml_array = json_decode(json_encode((array) $xml), 1);
$xml_array = array($xml->getName() => $xml_array);
The issue I'm having is that when the array is created the data for the single listing is in a different position in the array to the multiple listings - I'm not sure exactly how to explain this, but if I var_dump() the array for the multiple items it looks like this:
array(3) {
[0]=>
array(3) {
["reference"]=>
string(4) "0001"
["price"]=>
string(6) "275000"
["bedrooms"]=>
int(3)
}
[1]=>
array(3) {
["reference"]=>
string(4) "0002"
["price"]=>
string(6) "350000"
["bedrooms"]=>
int(4)
}
[2]=>
array(3) {
["reference"]=>
string(4) "0003"
["price"]=>
string(6) "128500"
["bedrooms"]=>
int(2)
}
}
If I var_dump() the array for the single listing it looks like this:
array(3) {
["reference"]=>
string(4) "0004"
["price"]=>
string(6) "180995"
["bedrooms"]=>
int(3)
}
But what I need it to look like is this:
array(1) {
[0]=>
array(3) {
["reference"]=>
string(4) "0004"
["price"]=>
string(6) "180995"
["bedrooms"]=>
int(3)
}
}
Each of these arrays represents the property listings from a single realtor. I'm not sure whether this is just the way that SimpleXML or the json functions work but what I need is for the same format to be used (the array containing the property listing to be the value of the [0] key).
Thanks in advance!
SimpleXML is quirky like this. I used it recently trying to make configuration files "easier" to write up and found out in the process that SimpleXML doesn't always act consistent. In this case I think you will benefit from simply detecting if a <property> is the only one in a set, and if so, then wrap it in an array by itself and then send it to your loop.
NOTE: ['root'] is there because I needed to wrap a '<root></root>' element around your XML to make my test work.
//Rebuild the properties listings
$rebuild = array();
foreach($xml_array['root']['branch'] as $key => $branch) {
$branchName = $branch['@attributes']['name'];
//Check to see if 'properties' is only one, if it
//is then wrap it in an array of its own.
if(is_array($branch['properties']['property']) && !isset($branch['properties']['property'][0])) {
//Only one propery found, wrap it in an array
$rebuild[$branchName] = array($branch['properties']['property']);
} else {
//Multiple properties found
$rebuild[$branchName] = $branch['properties']['property'];
}
}
That takes care of rebuilding your properties. It feels a little hackish. But basically you are detecting for the lack of a multi-dimensional array here:
if(is_array($branch['properties']['property']) && !isset($branch['properties']['property'][0]))
If you don't find a multi-dimensional array then you explicitly make one of the single <property>. Then to test that everything was rebuilt correctly you can use this code:
//Now do your operation...whatever it is.
foreach($rebuild as $branch => $properties) {
print("Listings for $branch:\n");
foreach($properties as $property) {
print("Reference of " . $property['reference'] . " sells at $" . $property['price'] . " for " . $property['bedrooms'] . " bedrooms.\n");
}
print("\n");
}
This produces the following output:
Listings for Trustee Realtors:
Reference of 1 sells at $275000 for 3 bedrooms.
Reference of 2 sells at $350000 for 4 bedrooms.
Reference of 3 sells at $128500 for 4 bedrooms.
Listings for Quick-E-Realty Inc:
Reference of 4 sells at $180995 for 3 bedrooms.
And a dump of the rebuild will produce:
Array
(
[Trustee Realtors] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[reference] => 1
[price] => 275000
[bedrooms] => 3
)
[1] => Array
(
[reference] => 2
[price] => 350000
[bedrooms] => 4
)
[2] => Array
(
[reference] => 3
[price] => 128500
[bedrooms] => 4
)
)
[Quick-E-Realty Inc] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[reference] => 4
[price] => 180995
[bedrooms] => 3
)
)
)
I hope that helps you out getting closer to a solution to your problem.