PHP Looping through a JSON file Illegal string offset error

Question

I have a json file data, cache.txt. When I try to write the data I retrieved from it I get this error Illegal string offset for all fields.

I get the data but I cannot read fields, I don't know why

The file Data

s:729:"[{"id":"787","name":"XXY","release":"2007","Language":"Spanish","cover":"upload\/photos\/2019\/06\/sKRTzoEjRPCeHWsCrcHi_19_c12db8f07c6acb75a430a0c63c4f7e8d_image.jpg"},{"id":"638","name":"Barfi","release":"2012","Language":"Hindi","cover":"upload\/photos\/2019\/04\/uJD7t2q3XQcsOjSORv1c_25_eff4e484426302484d8de738dcb99470_image.jpg"},{"id":"937","name":"Secretary","release":"2002","Language":"English","cover":"upload\/photos\/2019\/01\/Secretary.jpg"},{"id":"829","name":"Love Meet Hope","release":"2016","Language":"English","cover":"upload\/photos\/2019\/01\/Love-Meet-Hope.jpg"},{"id":"412","name":"Daughters Of Darkness","release":"1971","Language":"English","cover":"upload\/photos\/2019\/01\/Daughters-Of-Darkness.jpg"}]";


<?php
WritePopularMovies();

function WriteData()
{
   $movies = json_decode(GetData(),true);

   for($i=0;$i < 5;$i++)
   {
        echo "<div class='col-exs-6 col-xs-4 col-sm-3 col-md-3'>";
        echo "<figure>";
        echo "<a href='" . $movies[$i]['id'] . "'>";
        echo "<img src='" . $movies[$i]['cover'] ."' alt='".$movies[$i]['name'] .
             "' class='responsive-img' style='height:250px;width:170px'>";
        echo "</a>";
        echo "<h6 title=". $movies[$i]['name'] ."><a href='". $movies[$i]['id']."'>".
              $movies[$i]['name']."</a></h6>";
        echo "<p>". $movies[$i]['genre']. "(".$movies[$i]['language'].")| ". 
        $movies[$i]['release'] ."</p>";
        echo "</figure>";
        echo "</div>";
   }
}

function GetData() {
   $data  = array();
   $file = $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] .'/cache.txt';
   $data = unserialize(file_get_contents($file));
   return json_encode($data,true);
}
?>

I tried to solve it but with no luck, so I will appreciate your help.

Many thanks

Why are the data first json encoed and then serialized with PHP's serialize-function? Seems redundant. — M. Eriksson
– M. Eriksson, Commented Dec 21, 2019 at 13:44

Nigel Ren · Accepted Answer · 2019-12-21 13:46:12Z

1

In your GetData() you are reading the data and then encoding it...

return json_encode($data,true);

this isn't necessary and stops the next part working, just return the raw data

return $data;

answered Dec 21, 2019 at 13:46

Nigel Ren

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