JsonArray PHP Extension Reference Documentation

CkJsonArray

Current Version: 11.5.0

Chilkat.JsonArray

Read, modify, search, and emit ordered JSON arrays.

Chilkat.JsonArray is the JSON array companion to Chilkat.JsonObject. It represents an ordered list of JSON values and provides index-based methods for reading, inserting, replacing, deleting, swapping, searching, and emitting array data. It supports scalar values, nested objects, nested arrays, date/time parsing, exact numeric string handling, compact or pretty output, and search helpers for arrays of strings or arrays of objects.

Ordered JSON values

Work with JSON arrays as ordered lists containing strings, numbers, booleans, nulls, objects, arrays, and mixed value types.

Index-based access

Retrieve, insert, replace, delete, or swap values by array index when processing JSON list data.

Nested objects and arrays

Access child JsonObject and JsonArray values to navigate and modify deeper JSON structures.

Search helpers

Search arrays of strings or arrays of objects to locate matching values without manually scanning every element.

Date and numeric handling

Parse date/time values and preserve exact numeric strings when JSON data contains values that must not be rounded or reformatted.

Emit JSON output

Produce compact or pretty JSON output after array data has been loaded, edited, searched, or built programmatically.

Common pattern: Use JsonObject to navigate named members and JSON paths, then use JsonArray to iterate or modify ordered lists found within the object tree. Retrieve nested objects or arrays as needed, update values by index, and emit the final JSON in compact or pretty form.

Object Creation

$obj = new CkJsonArray();

Properties

DebugLogFilePath
string debugLogFilePath();
void put_DebugLogFilePath(string strVal);

If set to a file path, this property logs the LastErrorText of each Chilkat method or property call to the specified file. This logging helps identify the context and history of Chilkat calls leading up to any crash or hang, aiding in debugging.

Enabling the VerboseLogging property provides more detailed information. This property is mainly used for debugging rare instances where a Chilkat method call causes a hang or crash, which should generally not happen.

Possible causes of hangs include:

  • A timeout property set to 0, indicating an infinite timeout.
  • A hang occurring within an event callback in the application code.
  • An internal bug in the Chilkat code causing the hang.

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EmitCompact
bool get_EmitCompact()
void put_EmitCompact(bool boolVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.64

Controls whether emitted JSON is compact or pretty-formatted. If true, output contains no unnecessary whitespace and is emitted on a single line. If false, indentation and line breaks are added for readability. The default is true.

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EmitCrlf
bool get_EmitCrlf()
void put_EmitCrlf(bool boolVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.64

Controls line endings when pretty-formatted JSON is emitted. If true, line breaks use CRLF ( ); if false, they use LF ( ). The default is true.

Applies only to pretty output: When EmitCompact is true, the JSON is emitted on one line and this setting has no effect.

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FindStartIndex
int get_FindStartIndex()
void put_FindStartIndex(int intVal);
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Specifies the zero-based array index at which FindString and FindObject begin searching. The default value is 0.

Iterating matches: After finding a match at index n, set this property to n + 1 before the next search to continue with later elements.

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LastErrorHtml
(read-only)
string lastErrorHtml();

Provides HTML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastErrorText
(read-only)
string lastErrorText();

Provides plain text information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastErrorXml
(read-only)
string lastErrorXml();

Provides XML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastMethodSuccess
bool get_LastMethodSuccess()
void put_LastMethodSuccess(bool boolVal);

Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: true means success, false means failure. This property remains unchanged by property setters or getters. This method is present to address challenges in checking for null or Nothing returns in certain programming languages. Note: This property does not apply to methods that return integer values or to boolean-returning methods where the boolean does not indicate success or failure.

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Size
(read-only)
int get_Size()
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Returns the number of values currently contained in the JSON array. Array indexes therefore range from 0 through Size - 1.

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Utf8
bool get_Utf8()
void put_Utf8(bool boolVal);

When set to true, all string arguments and return values are interpreted as UTF-8 strings. When set to false, they are interpreted as ANSI strings.

In Chilkat v11.0.0 and later, the default value is true. Before v11.0.0, it was false.

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VerboseLogging
bool get_VerboseLogging()
void put_VerboseLogging(bool boolVal);

If set to true, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is false. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.

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Version
(read-only)
string version();

Version of the component/library, such as "10.1.0"

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Methods

AddArrayAt
bool AddArrayAt(int $index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Inserts a new, empty JSON array at zero-based position index. Existing elements at that position and after it are shifted one position toward the end of the array.

0Insert as the first array element.
-1Append as the last array element.
nInsert at zero-based position n.
Insert vs. replace: The Add*At methods insert a new array element. Use the corresponding Set*At method when replacing an existing element.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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AddArrayAt2
bool AddArrayAt2(int $index, CkJsonArray $jarr);
Introduced in version 11.1.0

Inserts a new, empty JSON array at zero-based position index and updates jarr to reference the newly inserted array.

0Insert as the first array element.
-1Append as the last array element.
nInsert at zero-based position n.
Immediate editing: Because jarr references the inserted array, it can be populated directly without a separate ArrayAt lookup.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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AddBoolAt
bool AddBoolAt(int $index, bool $value);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Inserts a new JSON boolean value at zero-based position index. Existing elements at that position and after it are shifted one position toward the end of the array.

0Insert as the first array element.
-1Append as the last array element.
nInsert at zero-based position n.
Insert vs. replace: The Add*At methods insert a new array element. Use the corresponding Set*At method when replacing an existing element.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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AddIntAt
bool AddIntAt(int $index, int $value);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Inserts a new JSON integer value at zero-based position index. Existing elements at that position and after it are shifted one position toward the end of the array.

0Insert as the first array element.
-1Append as the last array element.
nInsert at zero-based position n.
Insert vs. replace: The Add*At methods insert a new array element. Use the corresponding Set*At method when replacing an existing element.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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AddNullAt
bool AddNullAt(int $index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Inserts a JSON null value at zero-based position index. Existing elements at that position and after it are shifted one position toward the end of the array.

0Insert as the first array element.
-1Append as the last array element.
nInsert at zero-based position n.
Insert vs. replace: The Add*At methods insert a new array element. Use the corresponding Set*At method when replacing an existing element.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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AddNumberAt
bool AddNumberAt(int $index, string $numericStr);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Inserts a JSON number at zero-based position index. The numericStr argument supplies the exact JSON numeric text to store. Existing elements at that position and after it are shifted one position toward the end of the array.

0Insert as the first array element.
-1Append as the last array element.
nInsert at zero-based position n.
Exact numeric text: Use this method when lexical form or precision matters, for example 12345678901234567890, 1.2500, or scientific notation. The supplied text must be valid JSON number syntax; JSON does not permit NaN or infinity.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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AddObjectAt
bool AddObjectAt(int $index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Inserts a new, empty JSON object at zero-based position index. Existing elements at that position and after it are shifted one position toward the end of the array.

0Insert as the first array element.
-1Append as the last array element.
nInsert at zero-based position n.
Insert vs. replace: The Add*At methods insert a new array element. Use the corresponding Set*At method when replacing an existing element.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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AddObjectAt2
bool AddObjectAt2(int $index, CkJsonObject $json);
Introduced in version 11.1.0

Inserts a new, empty JSON object at zero-based position index and updates json to reference the newly inserted object.

0Insert as the first array element.
-1Append as the last array element.
nInsert at zero-based position n.
Immediate editing: Because json references the inserted object, it can be populated directly without a separate ObjectAt lookup.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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AddObjectCopyAt
bool AddObjectCopyAt(int $index, CkJsonObject $jsonObj);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.82

Inserts an independent copy of jsonObj at zero-based position index. Existing elements at that position and after it are shifted one position toward the end of the array.

0Insert as the first array element.
-1Append as the last array element.
nInsert at zero-based position n.
Copy semantics: The inserted object is copied rather than referenced. Later changes to the source jsonObj do not serve as edits to the inserted array value.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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AddStringAt
bool AddStringAt(int $index, string $value);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Inserts a new JSON string value at zero-based position index. Existing elements at that position and after it are shifted one position toward the end of the array.

0Insert as the first array element.
-1Append as the last array element.
nInsert at zero-based position n.
Insert vs. replace: The Add*At methods insert a new array element. Use the corresponding Set*At method when replacing an existing element.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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AddUIntAt
bool AddUIntAt(int $index, int $value);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Inserts a new JSON unsigned integer value at zero-based position index. Existing elements at that position and after it are shifted one position toward the end of the array.

0Insert as the first array element.
-1Append as the last array element.
nInsert at zero-based position n.
Insert vs. replace: The Add*At methods insert a new array element. Use the corresponding Set*At method when replacing an existing element.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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AppendArrayItems
bool AppendArrayItems(CkJsonArray $jarr);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.82

Appends copies of all values from jarr to the end of this array, preserving their order.

Source is unchanged: The source array is not emptied or moved. This method is useful for concatenating JSON arrays, including arrays belonging to different JSON documents.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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ArrayAt
CkJsonArray ArrayAt(int $index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Returns the nested JSON array stored at zero-based position index.

Reference, not copy: The returned JsonArray refers to the existing nested array in the same JSON document. Changes made through the returned object modify that nested array.
Type requirement: The value at index must be an array. Use TypeAt when the value type is not already known.

Returns null on failure

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ArrayAt2
bool ArrayAt2(int $index, CkJsonArray $jarr);
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Updates jarr so that it references the nested JSON array stored at zero-based position index.

Reference, not copy: Changes made through jarr modify the existing nested array in the same JSON document.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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BoolAt
bool BoolAt(int $index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Returns the boolean value stored at zero-based position index.

Type-aware access: Use TypeAt when the JSON type at index is not already known.
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Clear
void Clear();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.76

Removes all values from the array, leaving an empty JSON array ([]).

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DateAt
bool DateAt(int $index, CkDateTime $dateTime);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.73

Parses the date/time value at zero-based position index and loads the result into dateTime. Recognized forms include ISO 8601 timestamps (for example, 2009-11-04T19:55:41Z), RFC 822-style date/time strings, and Unix timestamp integers.

JSON has no native date type: Dates are application conventions represented as strings or numbers. These methods recognize common representations and convert them to Chilkat date/time objects.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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DeleteAt
bool DeleteAt(int $index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Deletes the value at zero-based position index. Elements following the deleted value shift down by one position.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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DtAt
bool DtAt(int $index, bool $bLocal, CkDtObj $dt);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.73

Parses the date/time value at zero-based position index and loads the result into dt. If bLocal is true, the populated fields represent local time; if false, they represent UTC/GMT. Recognized forms include ISO 8601 timestamps, RFC 822-style date/time strings, and Unix timestamp integers.

JSON has no native date type: Dates are application conventions represented as strings or numbers. These methods recognize common representations and convert them to Chilkat date/time objects.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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Emit
bool Emit(CkString outStr);
string emit();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.58

Serializes this JSON array and returns the resulting JSON text.

Formatting: Set EmitCompact to choose compact versus pretty output. When pretty output is enabled, EmitCrlf selects CRLF or LF line endings.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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EmitSb
bool EmitSb(CkStringBuilder $sb);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.65

Serializes this JSON array into the supplied StringBuilder.

Formatting: Set EmitCompact to choose compact versus pretty output. When pretty output is enabled, EmitCrlf selects CRLF or LF line endings.
Large JSON: Using a StringBuilder can avoid returning a very large JSON document as a language-native string before passing it to another Chilkat method or writing it to a file.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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FindObject
int FindObject(string $name, string $value, bool $caseSensitive);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.73

Searches array elements that are JSON objects and returns the zero-based index of the first object whose direct member name has a value matching value. Returns -1 if no match is found. The value pattern may contain *, which matches zero or more characters. Set caseSensitive to control whether letter case must match.

Member name, not JSON path: name identifies a direct member of each object being tested; it is not a JSON path.
Search start: Searching begins at FindStartIndex, whose default is 0. To continue searching after a match, set FindStartIndex to the previous returned index plus 1.
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FindString
int FindString(string $value, bool $caseSensitive);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.73

Searches for the first string array element matching value and returns its zero-based index, or -1 if no match is found. The pattern may contain *, which matches zero or more characters. Set caseSensitive to control whether letter case must match.

Search start: Searching begins at FindStartIndex, whose default is 0. To continue searching after a match, set FindStartIndex to the previous returned index plus 1.
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IntAt
int IntAt(int $index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Returns the integer value stored at zero-based position index.

Type-aware access: Use TypeAt when the JSON type at index is not already known.
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IsNullAt
bool IsNullAt(int $index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Returns true if the value at zero-based position index is the JSON value null; otherwise returns false.

JSON null: null is a distinct JSON value. It is not the same as an empty string, zero, false, an empty object, or an empty array.
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Load
bool Load(string $jsonArray);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.64

Parses the JSON array text in jsonArray and loads it into this object. The input must represent a JSON array, beginning with [ and ending with ].

Important — loading detaches the array: Calling this method makes the JsonArray its own independent JSON document. If the object previously referenced an array nested inside another JSON document, that relationship is discarded. For this reason, call Load/LoadSb on a new JsonArray instance.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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LoadSb
bool LoadSb(CkStringBuilder $sb);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.64

Parses the JSON array contained in sb and loads it into this object. The input must represent a JSON array, beginning with [ and ending with ].

Important — loading detaches the array: Calling this method makes the JsonArray its own independent JSON document. If the object previously referenced an array nested inside another JSON document, that relationship is discarded. For this reason, call Load/LoadSb on a new JsonArray instance.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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ObjectAt
CkJsonObject ObjectAt(int $index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Returns the JSON object stored at zero-based position index.

Reference, not copy: The returned JsonObject refers to the existing object in the same JSON document. Changes made through the returned object modify that nested object.
Type requirement: The value at index must be an object. Use TypeAt when the value type is not already known.

Returns null on failure

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ObjectAt2
bool ObjectAt2(int $index, CkJsonObject $jsonObj);
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Updates jsonObj so that it references the JSON object stored at zero-based position index.

Reference, not copy: Changes made through jsonObj modify the existing object in the same JSON document.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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SetBoolAt
bool SetBoolAt(int $index, bool $value);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Replaces the value at zero-based position index with the specified JSON boolean value. The array length and the positions of other elements are unchanged.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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SetIntAt
bool SetIntAt(int $index, int $value);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Replaces the value at zero-based position index with the specified JSON integer value. The array length and the positions of other elements are unchanged.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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SetNullAt
bool SetNullAt(int $index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Replaces the value at zero-based position index with the JSON value null. The array length and the positions of other elements are unchanged.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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SetNumberAt
bool SetNumberAt(int $index, string $value);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Replaces the value at zero-based position index with a JSON number. The value argument supplies the exact JSON numeric text to store.

Exact numeric text: Use this method when lexical form or precision matters. The supplied text must be valid JSON number syntax; JSON does not permit NaN or infinity.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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SetStringAt
bool SetStringAt(int $index, string $value);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Replaces the value at zero-based position index with the specified JSON string value. The array length and the positions of other elements are unchanged.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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SetUIntAt
bool SetUIntAt(int $index, int $value);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Replaces the value at zero-based position index with the specified JSON unsigned integer value. The array length and the positions of other elements are unchanged.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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StringAt
bool StringAt(int $index, CkString outStr);
string stringAt(int index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Returns the string value stored at zero-based position index.

Type-aware access: Use TypeAt when the JSON type at index is not already known.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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Swap
bool Swap(int $index1, int $index2);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.76

Exchanges the values at zero-based positions index1 and index2. The array length does not change.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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TypeAt
int TypeAt(int $index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.58

Returns an integer identifying the JSON type of the value at zero-based position index. Returns -1 if no value exists at that index.

1string
2number
3object
4array
5boolean
6null
Why use TypeAt: JSON arrays may contain mixed types. Checking the type first avoids choosing a type-specific accessor such as ObjectAt, ArrayAt, or IntAt for the wrong kind of value.
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UIntAt
int UIntAt(int $index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Returns the unsigned integer value stored at zero-based position index.

Type-aware access: Use TypeAt when the JSON type at index is not already known.
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