How to post array within array with curl

Question

I am trying to use curl with an API and post values to it. I'm posting the parameters in an associative array where all the values are either strings, integers or booleans apart from one value which is another array. (So there is an array within another array.)

The problem is: the second array isn't being sent properly and I can't get it to work. Originally the issue was 'array to string conversion' so I then started using http_build_query() around the params array and it stopped that issue but it sill isn't working.

I know it's probably an issue with my code and not the external API as other developers are using the API fine with other languages.

PHP Code:

    $url = '{url}';
    $ch = curl_init();
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $url);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYHOST, 0);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, 0);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT ,0);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 60);
    $headers = array("X-Auth-Token: $json_token");
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, $headers);
    $params = array(
            'name' => 'sample_name',
            'types' => array('web'),
            'limit' => 2,
            'auto' => true
    );
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($params));
    $out = curl_exec($ch);
    curl_close($ch);

hindmost · Accepted Answer · 2016-04-22 13:51:34Z

1

Neither of form submission formats support nested (multi-dimensional) arrays. In other words you cannot send nested arrays in POST request as form-encoded data (CURL uses application/x-www-form-urlencoded format by default). Most likely you've misinterpreted API specs. Perhaps the API accept data in other format, for instance, JSON which allows any level of nesting.

edited Apr 22, 2016 at 13:51

answered Apr 22, 2016 at 13:46

hindmost

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2 Comments

ajgisme Over a year ago

Yes! I changed the content type and encoded the array to json and it worked! Thanks!

hindmost Over a year ago

@user5331188 You could upvote this answer as well if it solve your problem

Community · Accepted Answer · 2023-11-17 20:07:23Z

1

Try with serialize

// Data to post 
$postData = array( 
  'name' = 'foo', 
  'data' = serialize(array(1,2,3,4)), 
  'value' = 'bar' 
); 

// Will not error 
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $postData); 
?>

Check here : https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.curl-setopt.php#99108

edited Nov 17, 2023 at 20:07

CommunityBot

11 silver badge

answered Apr 22, 2016 at 13:16

Niklesh Raut

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1 Comment

iKev61 Over a year ago

instead of serialize, I used json_encode

Manjeet Barnala · Accepted Answer · 2016-04-22 14:04:17Z

Try this...

$url = '{url}';
$params = array(
        'name' => 'sample_name',
        'types' => array('web'),
        'limit' => 2,
        'auto' => true
);
$data_string = json_encode($params);                                                                                   

$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, "POST"); 
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data_string);  
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYHOST, 0);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, 0);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT ,0);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 60);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array(                                                                          
    'Content-Type: application/json',                                                                                
    'Content-Length: ' . strlen($data_string))                                                                       
);                                                                                                                   

$out = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);

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