removing last comma in php from an echo string with json output

Question

I require a json output in the sample format:

  [  { "date": "2013-04-01 17:30:00", "type": "meeting", "title": "Test Last Year",    "description": "Lorem Ipsum dolor set", "url": "http://test.com?id=1" },  { "date": "2013-04-02 17:30:00",    "type": "meeting", "title": "Test Last Year", "description": "Lorem Ipsum dolor set", "url":   "http://test.com?id=2" }   }]

The last comma needs to be stripped out after : "http://test.com?id=2" } , }] to create a json out put without error. I am using php and here is the relevant portion of my php code: (slightly changed to display only relevant portion)

echo '[';
foreach ($enquirydates as $edate) 
{

 if ($x <= $firstunixdate )//first follow-up
 {
  echo '  { "date": "'; echo date("Y-m-d ", $firstunixdate); echo '", "type": "Follow-up", "title": "Student Enquiry ';  echo ' Follow-up (First Follow-Up)", "description": "First Student Enquiry followup due..", "url": "http://test.com/admin/followup.php?time=';echo $unixenquirydate; echo '" },';
 }
elseif ($x <= $secondunixdate)//second followup
{
 echo '  { "date": "'; echo date("Y-m-d ",$secondunixdate); echo '", "type": "Follow-up", "title": "Student Enquiry ';  echo ' Follow-up (Second Follow-Up)", "description": "Second Student Enquiry followup due..", "url": "http://test.com/admin/followup.php?time=';echo $unixenquirydate; echo '"},';
 }
elseif ($x > $finalunixdate)//enquiry open for more than 25 days
{
 echo '  { "date": "'; echo date("Y-m-d ",$x); echo '", "type": "Follow-up", "title": "Student Enquiry ';  echo ' open for more than 25 days", "description": "Second Student Enquiry followup due..", "url": "http://test.com/admin/followup.php?time=';echo $unixenquirydate; echo '"},';
}//end if
}  

echo ']';

I need to remove the last comma in the foreach loop. I know that implode can be used to remove ending strings in php. But I am lost on how to use it in this context (multiple echo statements)

Requesting help..

If it seems too hard and error prone then .. it probably is. There are already enough broken JSON generators out there. — user2864740, Dec 01 '13 at 02:35

transilvlad · Accepted Answer · 2013-12-01T03:41:02.683

3

This is not the way to generate a JSON.

Create an array and use json_encode() function to convert it into a JSON string.

But if you insist on doing this your way:

$json = Array();
foreach($enquirydates as $edate) {
    if($x <= $firstunixdate) { //first follow-up
        $json[] = '{"date":"'.date("Y-m-d", $firstunixdate).'","type":"Follow-up","title":"Student Enquiry Follow-up (First Follow-Up)","description":"First Student Enquiry followup due..","url":"http://test.com/admin/followup.php?time='.$unixenquirydate.'"}';
    }
    else if($x <= $secondunixdate) { //second followup
        $json[] = '{"date":"'.date("Y-m-d",$secondunixdate).'","type":"Follow-up","title":"Student Enquiry Follow-up (Second Follow-Up)","description":"Second Student Enquiry followup due..","url":"http://test.com/admin/followup.php?time='.$unixenquirydate.'"}';
    }
    else if($x > $finalunixdate) { //enquiry open for more than 25 days
        $json[] = '{"date":"'.date("Y-m-d",$x).'","type":"Follow-up","title":"Student Enquiry open for more than 25 days","description":"Second Student Enquiry followup due..","url":"http://test.com/admin/followup.php?time='.$unixenquirydate.'"}';
    } //end if
}  
echo '['.implode(',', $json).']';

edited Dec 01 '13 at 03:41

answered Dec 01 '13 at 02:33

transilvlad

13,974
13
45
80

I am getting the required output which includes the last comma..I need to remove comma...How to use implode in such a situation , without considering the json part.. – shels Dec 01 '13 at 02:54
Sorry, not getting required output: [2013-12-01 ", "type": "Follow-up", "title": "Student Enquiry open for more than 25 days", "description": "Second Student Enquiry followup due..", "url": "http://test.com/admin/followup.php?time=1382207400"},2013-12-01 ", "type": "Follow-up", "title": "Student Enquiry Follow-up (First Follow-Up)", "description": "First Student Enquiry followup due..", "url": "http://test.com/admin/followup.php?time=1385231400" },[ { "date": ", { "date": "] – shels Dec 01 '13 at 03:06
Comma still remains and towards the end ,[ { "date": ", { "date": "] – shels Dec 01 '13 at 03:15
It is not working ..the Date portion is getting stripped from begining and placed towrds the end as follows, along with comma: ,[ { "date": ", { "date": "] – shels Dec 01 '13 at 03:34

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 01 '13 at 02:33

2

Instead of building the JSON by hand you should build an array first, and use $json = json_encode($array) to get the valid JSON string.

answered Dec 01 '13 at 02:33

bagonyi

3,258
2
22
20

I am getting the required output which includes the last comma..I need to remove comma...How to use implode in such a situation , without considering the json part. – shels Dec 01 '13 at 03:35
`echo '[' . rtrim(implode(',', $json), ',') . ']';` – bagonyi Dec 01 '13 at 03:38
I do not need the [ ] part as i have already hard coded it earlier. So I tried echo 'rtrim(implode(',', $json), ','); Still getting , { "date": ", { "date": "] towards the end...Comma is still there and date has been shifted towards the end ??? – shels Dec 01 '13 at 03:46

removing last comma in php from an echo string with json output

2 Answers2