Convert array of strings into a multidimensional array [duplicate]

Question

I have inherited a project where I get passed a string via an API request that looks like this:

$return = "state|city|street";

Now I need to convert this into an array that reads

$value = "abcd"; //gets passed by user input
$result['state']['city']['street'] = $value;

The string that gets passed can contain any number of nestings and I don't know the name of the keys upfront. Only thing that is always the same is the delimiter.

The solution implemented by my predecessor is to explode the string and build a new string, then eval() that string:

$return = explode('|',$return);
$value = "abcd"; //gets passed by user input

$arrayString = '$result';
foreach($return as $key)
{
    $arrayString .= "['".$key."']";
}

$arrayString .= '="'.$value.'";' ;
eval($arrayString);

I am sure there is an easy and better way to pull this off but I am too stupid to see it :/ Any hint would be appreciated :)

ilpaijin · Accepted Answer · 2014-03-26 11:16:50Z

1

Yes, under @Jack suggest I got this working way:

$str = "state|city|street";

$result = array();

$node = &$result;

foreach(explode("|", $str) as $v)
{
    $node = &$node[$v];
}

var_dump($result);  

array (size=1)
    'state' => 
        array (size=1)
            'city' => 
                array (size=1)
                    'street' => &null

answered Mar 26, 2014 at 11:16

ilpaijin

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