Sort multidimensional array with different keys and values

Question

I have a form where the user can add all the additional fields that they need.

Note: I would like to find a way to organize the code more efficiently, I will explain it in detail later.

As it is structured in HTML, I have simplified it to make it easier to understand:

<form action="" method="post">
    <h1>Products</h1>       
    <p>
        <input type="text" name="product_name[]" value="Product #1">
        <input type="text" name="product_sku[]" value="pro-001">
        <input type="text" name="product_price[]" value="$12.00">
        <input type="text" name="product_stock[]" value="10">
    </p>
    <p>
        <input type="text" name="product_name[]" value="Product #2">
        <input type="text" name="product_sku[]" value="pro-002">
        <input type="text" name="product_price[]" value="$12.00">
        <input type="text" name="product_stock[]" value="10">
    </p>
    <p><button type="submit">Add Product</button></p>
</form>

I need to process these received data, to later work with them more easily, for example adding it to the database. But I get the code this way, a structure that doesn't make things much easier for working with that data.

Array
(
    [product_name] => Array
        (
            [0] => Product #1
            [1] => Product #2
        )

    [product_sku] => Array
        (
            [0] => pro-001
            [1] => pro-002
        )

    [product_price] => Array
        (
            [0] => $12.00
            [1] => $12.00
        )

    [product_stock] => Array
        (
            [0] => 10
            [1] => 10
        )

)

I wish I could receive the code like this:

Array
(
    [0] => Array
        (
            [product_name] => Product #1
            [product_sku] => pro-001
            [product_price] => $12.00
            [product_stock] => 10
        )

    [1] => Array
        (
            [product_name] => Product #2
            [product_sku] => pro-002
            [product_price] => $12.00
            [product_stock] => 10
        )

)

I have achieved it in the following way, but I want to do it in a more optimal way.

if(isset($_POST) && !empty($_POST)) {                
    // Total products to add
    $total_products = count($_POST["product_name"]);
    // Products ordered
    $products_created = [];

    for ($i=0; $i <$total_products ; $i++) {
        $products_created[$i] = array(
            'product_name' => $_POST["product_name"][$i],
            'product_sku' => $_POST["product_sku"][$i],
            'product_price' => $_POST["product_price"][$i],
            'product_stock' => $_POST["product_stock"][$i]
        );
    }

   echo "<pre>"; print_r($_POST); 
   echo "<pre>"; print_r($products_created); 
}

Complete example code:

<?php

if(isset($_POST) && !empty($_POST)) {                
    // Total products to add
    $total_products = count($_POST["product_name"]);
    // Products ordered
    $products_created = [];

    for ($i=0; $i <$total_products ; $i++) {
        $products_created[$i] = array(
            'product_name' => $_POST["product_name"][$i],
            'product_sku' => $_POST["product_sku"][$i],
            'product_price' => $_POST["product_price"][$i],
            'product_stock' => $_POST["product_stock"][$i]
        );
    }

   echo "<pre>"; print_r($_POST); 
   echo "<pre>"; print_r($products_created); 
}

 ?>

<form action="" method="post">
    <h1>Products</h1>       
    <p>
        <input type="text" name="product_name[]" value="Product #1">
        <input type="text" name="product_sku[]" value="pro-001">
        <input type="text" name="product_price[]" value="$12.00">
        <input type="text" name="product_stock[]" value="10">
    </p>
    <p>
        <input type="text" name="product_name[]" value="Product #2">
        <input type="text" name="product_sku[]" value="pro-002">
        <input type="text" name="product_price[]" value="$12.00">
        <input type="text" name="product_stock[]" value="10">
    </p>
    <p><button type="submit">Add Product</button></p>
</form>

If I have access to change the HTML, but the user who added the fields could not do it. — Learning and sharing
– Learning and sharing, Commented Jun 13, 2020 at 3:37
Not sure if it will work, but you can try this: name="product[].name" and name="product[].sku" etc. Usually I add javascript to dynamically build the array for the back-end rather than relying on the automatic array feature. — PaulProgrammer
– PaulProgrammer, Commented Jun 14, 2020 at 16:16

trincot · Accepted Answer · 2020-06-18 13:54:50Z

Solution in PHP

You could use a transpose function, that will turn your $_POST data into the desired data structure:

function transpose($array) {
    foreach ($array as $key => $values) {
        foreach ($values as $i => $value) $result[$i][$key] = $value;
    }
    return $result;
}

call as:

$products_created = transpose($_POST);

Solution in HTML

You could get the desired structure directly in PHP $_POST, if you change your HTML to this:

<form action="" method="post">
    <h1>Products</h1>       
    <p>
        <input type="text" name="product[0][name]" value="Product #1">
        <input type="text" name="product[0][sku]" value="pro-001">
        <input type="text" name="product[0][price]" value="$12.00">
        <input type="text" name="product[0][stock]" value="10">
    </p>
    <p>
        <input type="text" name="product[1][name]" value="Product #2">
        <input type="text" name="product[1][sku]" value="pro-002">
        <input type="text" name="product[1][price]" value="$12.00">
        <input type="text" name="product[1][stock]" value="10">
    </p>
    <p><button type="submit">Add Product</button></p>
</form>

You would need some logic to inject that sequential number in the first bracket pairs in the name attributes. Assuming that this HTML is produced by PHP, it would not be hard to do that. If your HTML is dynamic on the client side, where rows can be added without interaction with the server, then you'll need to do this (also) in JavaScript.

I suppose you'll have no problem in setting that up.

Very good solution, if I can do this with Javascript, and I will, thank you very much for the idea, God bless you

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