Can't access PHP object field with period in name

Question

I've run into an issue with PHP and object key access.

I have a SimpleXMLElement that returns an array of 11 SimpleXMLElements as follows:

SimpleXMLElement Object
(
    [Power.AssetToAssetMapping] => Array
    (
        [0] => SimpleXMLElement Object
            (
                [AssetToAssetMappingID] => 36063
                [Supplier_x0020_Asset_x0020_Type] => Powerstrip
                [..etc..]

When I try to isolate the array using braces, I only see the first record of the array. The other 10 are never output:

print_r( $xml->{'Power.AssetToAssetMapping'} );

When I use the whole object, I see all 11 records:

print_r( $xml );

Is there another way to access the first child of this object? I can foreach over each child of the object returned in $xml and get to each element just fine, but it seems like this is a bug in PHP.

Answer 1

When you use the print_r:

print_r( $xml->{'Power.AssetToAssetMapping'} );

SimpleXML will magically offer only the first matching element here. However, technically, using that value is actually a SimpleXMLElement that will allow you to access either all (in form of a Traversable) or a specific one via (or similar to) ArrayAccess on a zero-based, integer index:

$xml->{'Power.AssetToAssetMapping'}[1];

That for example is the second <Power.AssetToAssetMapping> element under the root element.

foreach ($xml->{'Power.AssetToAssetMapping'} as $element) {
    // each element
    print_r($element);
}

That for example is an iteration over are all <Power.AssetToAssetMapping> elements under the root element, from first to last.

Take note that this behavior is specific to SimpleXMLElement. A simple stdClass does not behave in the same fashion.

Answer 2

Just convert SimpleXMLElement Object to Array ;)

$xml = (array)$xml;