How to access elements from the PHP array returned from json_decode() on a JSON array?

By default, json_decode() will convert a JSON Array to a PHP array with integer indexes of 0, 1, 2, ...

There are different ways to access elements in the output PHP array:

• $array[i] - Returns the element of the given index in the array.
• $array["i"] - Returns the element of the given index in the array.
• count($array) - Returns the number of elements in the array.

Here is a PHP example that shows you how to access elements from the array returned by json_decode():

<?php
# json_decode_array.php
# Copyright (c) FYIcenter.com 

   $json = '["a","b","x-y"]';
   print("\nInput: ".$json."\n");

# Decoded into an array
   $array = json_decode($json);
   print("\nOutput Array:\n");
   print("   Type: ".gettype($array)."\n");
   print("   Size: ".count($array)."\n");
   print("   [0]: ".$array[0]."\n");
   print("   [2]: ".$array[2]."\n");

# Dump the array
   print("\nOutput Array Dump:\n");
   var_dump($array);
?>

If you run the above PHP code through the PHP engine, you get the following output:

>\fyicenter\php\php.exe json_decode_array.php

Input: ["a","b","x-y"]

Output Array:
   Type: array
   Size: 3
   [0]: a
   [2]: x-y

Output Array Dump:
array(3) {
  [0]=>
  string(1) "a"
  [1]=>
  string(1) "b"
  [2]=>
  string(3) "x-y"
}

⇒ json_decode() - JSON Object to PHP Object

⇐ json_decode() - JSON to PHP Data Type Mapping

⇑ Using JSON in PHP

⇑⇑ JSON Tutorials