Writing an array to a text file

[tnspc]

I have a function in my program to write an array to a text file, but every way I've tried results in the same result: when I open the file to check what's been written to it, all it displays is the word "Array" at the top. It's the last step I need to finish this assignment! I've tried a foreach loop, a listeach loop, and the simplest solution, shown below:

[PHP]function saveData($myFile)
{


if($file = fopen("employees.dat", "w")):
$numElements = count($myFile);
for($i = 0; $i < $numElements; $i++)
{
fwrite($file, $myFile[$i]);
}
fclose($file);

else:
echo("Error in opening file. Please re-submit");
echo("<A HREF ='gradedLab3.htm'>Return to form</A>");

endif;
}[/PHP]

None of these has helped. Any advice?

[cassbiz]

If all you are writing is "Array" I would look at that part of the script to see if that is all you are asking it to write there.

I know that you have done a lot of work but the output being the word "Array" makes me think that you want to look at that part.

Can you show your entire script? It may help us better to help you.

Good Luck.

[tnspc]

Thanks for the feedback. However, I'd already tested the code before posting this, and without going into too much detail, it is definitely passing the array properly into the function. (I used the print_r() method to display it, so I know for sure). The problem seems to be that the fwrite method doesn't work for arrays, only strings, even though each element of the array IS a string. Are there any special methods for writing an array? I've already tested everything else and it all works except the last function. (By the way, ignore most of the comments; they were part of the code to start with).

And, here's the complete code:

<?php
/* 
   loadData: returns an array of lines in a file
   Parameters: the name of the file to be loaded, a string
           the default is "employees.dat"
   Returns: the array of lines in that file
*/
 
//write loadData here
   function loadData($defaultFileName = "employees.dat")
  {
     if(!$defaultFileName = file("employees.dat"))
       {
        echo('Error while opening file');
       }
 
        return $defaultFileName;
  }   
 
 
 
/*
   searchData: searches an array for a string
   Parameters: $myFile - the array to look through
               $oldName - the string to look for
   Returns: the index where the string is found in the array or -1 if not found
*/
 
//write searchData here
function searchData($myFile, $oldName)
     {
    $a = $myFile;
    $s = $oldName;
 
    $numElements = count($myFile);
      for($i = 0; $i < $numElements; $i++)  
        {
         if((eregi($s, $a[$i])))
        {
        return $i;
                }
         else
        {
         if($i == $numElements-1)        
                  {
              return -1;
                    } 
            else
               {
              $i++;
                  }  
                }
        }
 
      }
 
 
/*
   updateData: updates lines in an array
   Parameters: $a - the array
           $i - index in the array to update
           $sOld - name in string to replace
           $sNew - name to replace $sOld with
*/
 
//write updateData here
    function updateData($myFile, $index, $oldName, $newName)
        {
         $a = $myFile;
         $i = $index;
         $sOld = $oldName;
         $sNew = $newName;
 
         $a[$i] = eregi_replace($sOld,$sNew, $a[$i]);          
             return array($a);
 
        }
 
 
 
/*
   saveData: saves array to a file, does not save empty array elements
   Parameters: $a - array to be saved
           $defaultFilename - name of file, default value "employees.dat"
*/
//write saveData here
    function saveData($myFile)
        {
echo("<br>");
print_r($myFile);        
echo("<br>");
 
        if($file = fopen("employees.dat", "w")):
           $numElements = count($myFile);
           for($i = 0; $i < $numElements; $i++)
           {            
                    fwrite($file, $myFile[$i]);
           }    
            fclose($file);    
 
        else:
           echo("Error in opening file. Please re-submit");
           echo("<A HREF ='gradedLab3.htm'>Return to form</A>");        
 
        endif;
        }
 
 
 
 
 
 
   if(!empty($newName)):
    $myFile = loadData();
        $index = searchData($myFile,$oldName);
    if($index == -1):
        echo("<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>$name not found</TITLE></HEAD><BODY>");
        echo("<B>$name</B> not found <BR>");
        echo("<A HREF ='gradedLab3.htm'>Return to form</A>");
            echo("<B>$name</B></HTML>");
        exit();
    else: 
         //update name and save data
         //call updateData here
 
           $myFile = updateData($myFile, $index, $oldName, $newName);
           saveData($myFile);
 
?>
 
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Employee Updated</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<B><?php echo($oldName); ?></B> was updated <?php echo("to $newName"); ?><BR>
<A HREF = "gradedLab3.htm">Return to Form</A>
 
</BODY>
</HTML>
<?php
    endif;
    else:
 
?>
 
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>No Name</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<B>No name was submitted</B><BR>
<A HREF = "gradedLab3.htm">Return to Form</A>
 
</BODY>
</HTML>
 
<?php
 
    endif;
?>

[Motoma]

The function you are looking for is var_export().

[tnspc]

I checked that one... my issue is that I need this to write to a file instead of displaying on the screen. How would I go about doing that using this method?

[Motoma]

I checked that one... my issue is that I need this to write to a file instead of displaying on the screen. How would I go about doing that using this method?

Assign a variable to var_export() and then write the variable to a file.

[tnspc]

Code:


$file = fopen("employees.dat", "w");
fwrite($file, var_export($myFile));
fclose($file);

resulted in a blank "employees.dat" file and displayed the original array as associated with : array[0]=>.

[Motoma]

Code:


$file = fopen("employees.dat", "w");
fwrite($file, var_export($myFile));
fclose($file);

resulted in a blank "employees.dat" file and displayed the original array as associated with : array[0]=>.

It appears, then, that $myFile is an array with one element which is empty.

[AdrianoMT]

I was also trying to use var_export for arrays. What about this:
[PHP]

$FileName = "Some_File.txt";
$Data = file($FileName);
$Lines = count($Data);
...
for ($i=0; $i<$Lines; $i++){
$Array .= "$Data[$i]\n" ; // !!
}

[/PHP]
now you can write the $Array using fwrite() without problems.

[shrewmouse]

@tnspc
Set the second arg to var_export to 1. This tells var_export to return its results as a string instead of writing to the terminal.

$file = fopen("employees.dat", "w");
fwrite($file, var_export($myFile,1));
fclose($file);

This worked for me

[zameer55]

@Motoma
Kudos buddy. Worked well