Fatal error: Cannot use string offset as an array

Question

Fatal error: Cannot use string offset as an array in C:\xampp\htdocs\includes\categories\categories.php on line 12

$categories[$parent][] = $row;

categories.php

    <?php

$sql = "SELECT catid, catname, parentid FROM categories";
$res = mysql_query($sql);
while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($res)) {
    $parent = intval($row['parentid']);
    if (!isset($categories[$parent])) {
        $categories[$parent] = array();
    }
    $categories[$parent][] = $row;
}
    ?>
    <table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0">
    <tr>
        <td valign="top">
    <?php
    $category_string = "";
    function build_categories_options($parent, $categories, $level) {
        global $category_string;
        if (isset($categories[$parent]) && count($categories[$parent])) {
            $level .= " - ";
            foreach ($categories[$parent] as $category) {
                $opt_value = substr($level.$category['catname'],3);
                $category_string .= '<option value=""></option><option value="'.$category['catid'].'">'.$opt_value.'</option>';
                build_categories_options($category['catid'], $categories, $level);
            }
            $level = substr($level, -3);
        }
        return $category_string;
    }
    $category_options = build_categories_options(0, $categories, '');
    $category_options = '<select class="chosen" name="categories" id="categories">'.$category_options.'</select>';
    echo $category_options; 
    ?>
</td>

After I insert post With category This Error Will Show ??

What is $categories? I bet it's a string...or $categories[$parent] is a string. — Travesty3
– Travesty3, Commented Sep 27, 2012 at 19:17
im thinking the same. stackoverflow.com/questions/2058635/… — Flosculus
– Flosculus, Commented Sep 27, 2012 at 19:19
@Travesty3 I need Your Help !! Please stackoverflow.com/questions/12650424/… my code working done but i need to use in this line $category_string .= '<option value=""></option><option value="'.$category['catid'].'">'.$opt_value.'</option>'; in this Option <option something like that value="$_get['catid']">$_get['catname']</option> like this to display catname from table ? — ahmedhassan
– ahmedhassan, Commented Sep 29, 2012 at 16:09

Travesty3 · Accepted Answer · 2012-09-27 19:24:19Z

3

I don't see where $categories is initialized, but I'm betting that it's not an array when you enter your while loop, and that's why you're getting an error. Try doing this for your while loop:

// initialize $categories to make sure it is an array
$categories = array();
while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($res)) {
    $parent = intval($row['parentid']);
    $categories[$parent][] = $row;
}

You don't need to explicitly initialize $categories[$parent]...this will be done automatically when you call $categories[$parent][] = $row;. We know that it will start out blank because we started with an empty array before the loop.

answered Sep 27, 2012 at 19:24

Travesty3

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