How to remove some duplicate elements from multidimensional array

Question

I will mention my array bellow. I need to remove duplicating keys from array but also I need to keep other elements merged. I know this is not clean enough to understand so I will explain.

This the expected result I want.

Main Cat Items 1 -> Categories 1 --> Sub Cat Items 1 
                    Categories 1 --> Sub Cat Items 2
                    Categories 2 --> Sub Cat Items 3
                    Categories 3 --> Sub Cat Items 4

Main Cat Items 2 -> Categories 4 --> Sub Cat Items 5

but from the query I am getting some thing like this.

Main Cat Items 1 -> Categories 1 --> Sub Cat Items 1 
Main Cat Items 1 -> Categories 1 --> Sub Cat Items 2
Main Cat Items 1 -> Categories 2 --> Sub Cat Items 3
Main Cat Items 1 -> Categories 3 --> Sub Cat Items 4
Main Cat Items 2 -> Categories 4 --> Sub Cat Items 5

My query can't refine to get the result. so I have to do it by php. this is what I had tried.

$input = array_map("unserialize", array_unique(array_map("serialize", $test)));

using this nothing changed I got the same array with duplicates.

    $serialized = array_map('serialize', $test);
    $unique = array_unique($serialized);
    $tdsdsdf =  array_intersect_key($test, $unique);

this one also the same.

 $unique = array();
    foreach ($test as $key => $value) {
        if (!array_key_exists($value['main_cat_id'], $unique)) {
            $unique[$value['main_cat_id']] = $value;
        }
    }

when trying with this it is removing the all duplicates with all the elements.

this is the array I am getting just after the db query.

Array
(
    [0] => Array
        (
            [main_cat_id] => 1
            [main_cat_name] => main cat 1
            [cat_id] => 1
            [cat_name] => cat1 parent 1
            [sub_cat_name] => sub 1 cat1 parent 1
        )

    [1] => Array
        (
            [main_cat_id] => 1
            [main_cat_name] => main cat 1
            [cat_id] => 1
            [cat_name] => cat1 parent 1
            [sub_cat_name] => sub 2 cat1 parent 1
        )

    [2] => Array
        (
            [main_cat_id] => 1
            [main_cat_name] => main cat 1
            [cat_id] => 4
            [cat_name] => cat2 parent 1
            [sub_cat_name] => sub 3 cat 4 parent 1
        )

    [3] => Array
        (
            [main_cat_id] => 1
            [main_cat_name] => main cat 1
            [cat_id] => 5
            [cat_name] => cat3 parent 1
            [sub_cat_name] => 
        )

    [4] => Array
        (
            [main_cat_id] => 2
            [main_cat_name] => main cat 2
            [cat_id] => 6
            [cat_name] => cat 4 parent 2
            [sub_cat_name] => 
        )

    [5] => Array
        (
            [main_cat_id] => 2
            [main_cat_name] => main cat 2
            [cat_id] => 7
            [cat_name] => cat 5 parent 2
            [sub_cat_name] => 
        )

    [6] => Array
        (
            [main_cat_id] => 3
            [main_cat_name] => main cat 3
            [cat_id] => 8
            [cat_name] => cat 6 parent 3
            [sub_cat_name] => 
        )

)

simple array_unique is not working. :( thanks anyway.

Yasitha
– Yasitha

2014-11-04 09:40:34 +00:00
Commented Nov 4, 2014 at 9:40 — Yasitha
– Yasitha, Commented Nov 4, 2014 at 9:40
Still couldn't solve any help ?

Yasitha
– Yasitha

2014-11-04 09:54:27 +00:00
Commented Nov 4, 2014 at 9:54 — Yasitha
– Yasitha, Commented Nov 4, 2014 at 9:54

Goombi · Accepted Answer · 2014-11-04 10:59:13Z

1

Is this what you want?

<?php
$arr = [
    ["main_cat_id" => 1, "main_cat_name" => "main cat 1", "cat_id" => 1, "cat_name" => "cat1 parent 1", "sub_cat_name" => "sub 1 cat1 parent1"],
    ["main_cat_id" => 1, "main_cat_name" => "main cat 1", "cat_id" => 1, "cat_name" => "cat1 parent 1", "sub_cat_name" => "sub 2 cat1 parent1"],
    ["main_cat_id" => 1, "main_cat_name" => "main cat 1", "cat_id" => 4, "cat_name" => "cat1 parent 1", "sub_cat_name" => "sub 3 cat4 parent1"],
    ["main_cat_id" => 1, "main_cat_name" => "main cat 1", "cat_id" => 5, "cat_name" => "cat3 parent 1", "sub_cat_name" => ""],
    ["main_cat_id" => 2, "main_cat_name" => "main cat 2", "cat_id" => 6, "cat_name" => "cat3 parent 1", "sub_cat_name" => ""],
    ["main_cat_id" => 2, "main_cat_name" => "main cat 2", "cat_id" => 7, "cat_name" => "cat3 parent 1", "sub_cat_name" => ""],
    ["main_cat_id" => 3, "main_cat_name" => "main cat 3", "cat_id" => 8, "cat_name" => "cat3 parent 1", "sub_cat_name" => ""],
];
$unique = [];
foreach ($arr as $key => $value) {
    $unique[$value['main_cat_id']][] = $value;
}

function print_me($arr)
{
    foreach ($arr as $main_cat) {
        echo $main_cat[0]["main_cat_name"] . " -> ";
        $len = strlen($main_cat[0]["main_cat_name"] . " -> ");
        foreach ($main_cat as $index => $cat) {
            echo $cat['cat_name'] . " --> " . $cat['sub_cat_name'] . "\n";
            if ($index != count($main_cat)-1)
                echo str_repeat(" ", $len);
        }
        echo "\n";
    }
}
print_me($unique);
?>

Sorry about the str_repeat, I have trouble with printf... Output:

main cat 1 -> cat1 parent 1 --> sub 1 cat1 parent1
              cat1 parent 1 --> sub 2 cat1 parent1
              cat1 parent 1 --> sub 3 cat4 parent1
              cat3 parent 1 --> 

main cat 2 -> cat3 parent 1 --> 
              cat3 parent 1 --> 

main cat 3 -> cat3 parent 1 -->

edited Nov 4, 2014 at 10:59

answered Nov 4, 2014 at 10:03

Goombi

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5 Comments

Yasitha Over a year ago

hmmm yeh but not exactly. I will try and let you know. give me few minutes. Than you very much.

Goombi Over a year ago

@Yasitha Okay, if you can't make it work, could you give an exemple of the expected print_r() output? I'm not sure of what you want as keys.

Yasitha Over a year ago

I think this is what I am expecting. but still I couldn't display it as I mention in the very beginning of this question. Husnis' answer also same as yours.

Goombi Over a year ago

@Yasitha I edited and added a print_me function that output something more like your original request.

Yasitha Over a year ago

now this is working fully as I expected. Thank you very much.

Husni · Accepted Answer · 2014-11-04 10:46:57Z

1

Rebuilding array:

$result = array();
foreach($test as $key=>$val){ 
    $result[$val['main_cat_id']][$val['cat_id']][] = $val;
}

Display like a format you mentioned:

echo '<pre>';
foreach($result as $key=>$main_cat) {
    echo 'Main Cat Items ' . $key . ' --> ';
    foreach($main_cat as $key2=>$cat) {
        foreach($cat as $key3=>$sub) {
            echo 'Categories ' . $key2 . ' --> ';
            echo 'Sub Cat Items ' . $key3;
            echo "\r\n                     ";
        }
    }
    echo "\r\n";
}
echo '</pre>';

edited Nov 4, 2014 at 10:46

answered Nov 4, 2014 at 10:13

Husni

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5 Comments

Yasitha Over a year ago

yes This is ok. but I couldn't display as I want(as I showed in the very binning of this question) . any idea ?

Husni Over a year ago

@Yasitha : did you mean that you need to display the array as in a format you mentioned above?

Husni Over a year ago

@Yasitha : answer updated, does it work for you now?

Yasitha Over a year ago

yes it is good and I am thanking you for your kindness and help. only one thing is there any way to access like this? $key['main_cat_name']

Yasitha Over a year ago

Dear Husni, thank you very much for giving your time and appreciated. Goombis' answer is the exact thing I wanted so I have to mark it as the answer.

Halayem Anis · Accepted Answer · 2014-11-04 10:04:35Z

0

try with this :)

    /**
      * remove duplicate based on the given key
      * @param {array 2d}
      * @param {mixed} 
      * @return {array 2d}
      */
    function removeDuplicate($array, $key) {
        $clearArray = array();
        foreach($array as $a) {
            $found_b = FALSE;
            foreach($clearArray as $ca) {
                if($ca[$key] == $a[$key]) {
                    $found_b = TRUE;
                    break;
                }
            }
            if(!$found_b) {
                $clearArray[] = $a;
            }
        }
        return $clearArray;
    }

answered Nov 4, 2014 at 10:04

Halayem Anis

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