PHP json_decode Function | Decode JSON String

The PHP json_decode is an inbuilt Function in PHP that converts a JSON String to PHP Object. For example, it can convert a JSON String to an array in PHP. In this article, we will discuss the PHP json_decode Function. Also, we will discuss a few examples of using it.

Also, in order to convert a PHP object to a JSON String, you can use the PHP json_encode Function.

Syntax

mixed json_deocde($json, $assoc = false, $depth = 512, $options = 0)

Parameters

The PHP json_decode Function expects one mandatory and three optional parameters. The description of the parameters is given below as follows:

• $json: The first parameter is the mandatory JSON which the function will decode.
• $assoc: When the value of $assoc is true, the function will return an associative array. However, by default the value is false and the function returns a class object.
• $depth: User specified recursion depth. The default value to this parameter is 512.
• $options: You can also pass optional bitmasking options to the json_encode Function in PHP. The behavior of the constants is defined on JSON Constants Page.

Return Value

The PHP json_decode Function returns the encoded JSON string to the corresponding PHP data type. However, it returns NULL on failure.

Examples

Example 1: JSON to Object

By default the function returns a class object.

<?php
$jsonString = '{"Users":[{"First":"Chandler","Last":"Bing"},{"First":"Rachael","Last":"Green"},{"First":"Ross","Last":"Geller"}]}';

print_r(json_decode($jsonString));
?>

The output of the above code snippet will be as follows:

stdClass Object
     (
         [Users] => Array
             (
                 [0] => stdClass Object
                     (
                         [First] => Chandler
                         [Last] => Bing
                     )
                 [1] => stdClass Object
                     (
                         [First] => Rachael
                         [Last] => Green
                     )
                 [2] => stdClass Object
                     (
                         [First] => Ross
                         [Last] => Geller
                     )
             )
     )

Example 2: JSON to PHP Array

Alternatively, you can also convert the JSON value to an associative array by passing true in the second parameter.

<?php
$jsonString = '{"Users":[{"First":"Chandler","Last":"Bing"},{"First":"Rachael","Last":"Green"},{"First":"Ross","Last":"Geller"}]}';

print_r(json_decode($jsonString, true));
?>

Array
     (
         [Users] => Array
             (
                 [0] => Array
                     (
                         [First] => Chandler
                         [Last] => Bing
                     )
                 [1] => Array
                     (
                         [First] => Rachael
                         [Last] => Green
                     )
                 [2] => Array
                     (
                         [First] => Ross
                         [Last] => Geller
                     )
             )
     )

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed the PHP json_decode Function. It is used to convert a JSON String to PHP data type. You can use the PHP json_encode Function to convert a PHP data type to a valid JSON.

Read more about json_decode on PHP Official Documentation.