Issue with getting data from array

Question

Whenever I seek to show the contents of an array based on data from an SQL database, the output always is prefixed with the word "Array". It doesn't matter whether I use echo, print_r(), var_dump() or otherwise. Code below. Any ideas greatly received!

$prefix1 = ''; 
$tasks = array($product, $service, $order, $social, $competition, $dataOther);
foreach ($tasks as $task) {
    if ($task == '') {
        unset($task);
    } else {
        $tasks .= $prefix1 . '' . $task . '';
        $prefix1 = ', ';
    }
} 
echo $tasks;

Output - "Array" followed by the contents of $tasks

Edit: I cannot use implode(', ', $tasks) because each of the inputs (i.e. $product, $service etc.) could be blank and therefore the outcome would be ",," in places.

Hope that's clearer.

What do you want to do ??$tasks .= $prefix1 . '' . $task . ''; — M A SIDDIQUI
– M A SIDDIQUI, Commented Feb 10, 2017 at 12:34
You are overwriting your array in the loop, casting it to a string when you add a string to it. You should use a different name. — jeroen
– jeroen, Commented Feb 10, 2017 at 12:34
$tasks is an array or at least it was before you ran this code on it. You cannot echo an array — RiggsFolly
– RiggsFolly, Commented Feb 10, 2017 at 12:40
Basically this code makes very little sence! Fixing it would require more information about what your actual intent was! — RiggsFolly
– RiggsFolly, Commented Feb 10, 2017 at 12:43

jeroen · Accepted Answer · 2017-02-10 15:11:21Z

4

You are overwriting your array in the loop, casting it to a string when you add a string to it. You should use a different name for the string you are building.

Although you don't really need a loop for this, you can replace your code with just:

$tasks = array($product, $service, $order, $social, $competition, $dataOther);
echo implode(', ', $tasks);

Edit: Based on your edit - that the variables can be blank - you can filter the empty values before you implode: array_filter without a callback function / second parameter removes empty values:

$tasks = array($product, $service, $order, $social, $competition, $dataOther);
echo implode(', ', array_filter($tasks));

Note that this will also filter strings like 0 so if that is not what you want, you would have to add a callback function that meets your requirements.

edited Feb 10, 2017 at 15:11

answered Feb 10, 2017 at 12:36

jeroen

91.8k22 gold badges118 silver badges132 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Issue with getting data from array

1 Answer 1

Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

1 Answer 1

Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related