Delete unwanted data from api result - php

Question

I have a project in laravel which has API. I'm asking the API for posts(I call them recommendation).
Now my api response look like this -
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"current_page": 1,
"data": [
{
"id": 3,
"course_id": "20",
"title": "Dormouse followed.",
"description": "Alice aloud, addres
"file": "https://example.com/storage/images/2019/10/01/phTJ.png",
"created_at": null,
"updated_at": "2019-10-01 14:21:46",
"recommendation_likes": 0,
"is_bookmarked": "true",
"is_liked": "false",
"likes_count": []
}
...
...
...
All is good but I don't wanna likes_count to be in the result. It is a relation method. I get from it all I need. It is if the user liked this post. And it is is_liked in the result . but likes_count automatically added to the response .
if($item->likesCount->contains($user->id)){
$item['is_liked']='true';
}
I tried delete it with
foreach ($recommendations as $item) {
unset($item['likes_count']);
}
But it doesn't do it.

Answer 1

I think the problem is how you are referencing the object data structure. You are attempting to unset() something that doesn't exist so no error is thrown but the likes_count isn't getting removed either.
Here's your code example (fixed and modified for demonstration):
<?php
$apiResult = <<<eod
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"current_page": 1,
"data": [
{
"id": 3,
"course_id": "20",
"title": "Dormouse followed.",
"description": "Alice aloud, addres",
"file": "https://example.com/storage/images/2019/10/01/phTJ.png",
"created_at": null,
"updated_at": "2019-10-01 14:21:46",
"recommendation_likes": 0,
"is_bookmarked": "true",
"is_liked": "false",
"likes_count": []
},
{
"id": 4,
"course_id": "20",
"title": "Dormouse followed.",
"description": "Alice aloud, addres",
"file": "https://example.com/storage/images/2019/10/01/phTJ.png",
"created_at": null,
"updated_at": "2019-10-01 14:21:46",
"recommendation_likes": 0,
"is_bookmarked": "true",
"is_liked": "false",
"likes_count": []
}
]
}
}
eod;
$result = json_decode($apiResult);
$data = $result->data->data;
var_dump($data);
// This should remove the likes_count array from the $result structure.
foreach ($data as &$item) {
unset($item->likes_count);
}
var_dump($data);

Answer 2

A quick way would be to make that 'attribute' (relation) hidden:
$recommendations->makeHidden('likes_count');
Though I am not sure how you are building your response.