Converting a PHP array into HTML form inputs is duplicating items - php

Question

I am attempting to take an array of values and build a php form from those values.
The array is at the bottom to keep the question clear. The array structure is:
- Item
- Item
- Item with Child
-Item
-Item
- Item with Child
-Item
-Item
Here is what I want to output each item but if the item has a child, just output the name of the parent and create fields for the children.
I created this:
function renderTest2(array $data)
{
$html = '<ul>';
foreach ($data as $item) {
$html .= '<li>';
foreach ($item as $key => $value) {
if (is_array($value)) {
$html .= renderTest2($value);
} else {
if (array_key_exists('children', $item)) {
$html .= $item['name'];
} else {
$html .= $item['name'] . "<input type=\"text\" value=\"\"> <br/>";
}
}
}
$html .= '</li>';
}
$html .= '</ul>';
return $html;
}
Which gave me this output:
But I don't understand why it is duplicating items. What am I doing wrong?
Here is the test array I used:
$aFullArray = array();
$aFullArray[] = array("name" => "Adam", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000");
$aFullArray[] = array("name" => "Beth", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000");
$aChildren = array();
$aChildren [] = array("name" => "Mike", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000");
$aChildren[] = array("name" => "Nancy", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000");
$subChild = array();
$subChild [] = array("name" => "Peter", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000");
$subChild [] = array("name" => "Paul", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000");
$aChildren [] = array("name" => "Oscar", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000",
"children" => $subChild);
$aFullArray[] = array("name" => "Charlie", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000",
"children" => $aChildren);
$aFullArray[] = array("name" => "Danny", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000");

Answer 1

function renderTest2(array $data)
{
$html = '<ul>';
foreach ($data as $item) {
$html .= '<li>';
if (array_key_exists('children', $item)) {
$html .= $item['name'];
$html .= renderTest2($item['children']);
} else {
$html .= $item['name'] . "<input type='text' value=''> <br/>";
}
$html .= '</li>';
}
$html .= '</ul>';
return $html;
}
you are looping two times which is not required and if it has children pass children array only
Explanation:
Loop through an array and if it has children key do recursion
If not found generate li element

Answer 2

Looking at the code i saw the following mistake:
foreach() do foreach() so a multiple foreach() loop would be the mistake you've made.
try this code:
by calling foreach() only once and using
if (array_key_exists('children', $item)) {
$html .= $item['name'];
$html .= renderTest2($item['children']);
}
together in one foreach() the double loop isn't needed and recursion is avoided
The full code then would be:
<?php
$aFullArray = array();
$aFullArray[] = array("name" => "Adam", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000");
$aFullArray[] = array("name" => "Beth", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000");
$aChildren = array();
$aChildren [] = array("name" => "Mike", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000");
$aChildren[] = array("name" => "Nancy", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000");
$subChild = array();
$subChild [] = array("name" => "Peter", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000");
$subChild [] = array("name" => "Paul", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000");
$aChildren [] = array("name" => "Oscar", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000",
"children" => $subChild);
$aFullArray[] = array("name" => "Charlie", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000",
"children" => $aChildren);
$aFullArray[] = array("name" => "Danny", "address" => "123 main", "phone" => "000-000-0000");
function renderTest2(array $data)
{
$html = '<ul>';
foreach ($data as $item) {
$html .= '<li>';
if (array_key_exists('children', $item)) {
$html .= $item['name'];
$html .= renderTest2($item['children']);
} else {
$html .= $item['name'] . "<input type='text' value=''> <br/>";
}
$html .= '</li>';
}
$html .= '</ul>';
return $html;
}
echo renderTest2($aFullArray);
Hope this helps!

Answer 3

As the original code was not making use of various elements within the source arrays I simplified for testing porpoises. Hopefully the following makes sense, it seems to generate the list in the desired manner.
$html = $family = $children_family_1 = $children_family_2 = array();
$family[] = array("name" => "Adam");
$family[] = array("name" => "Beth");
$family[] = array("name" => "Danny");
$children_family_2[] = array("name" => "Peter");
$children_family_2[] = array("name" => "Paul");
$children_family_1[] = array("name" => "Mike");
$children_family_1[] = array("name" => "Nancy");
$children_family_1[] = array("name" => "Oscar", "children" => $children_family_2 );
$family[] = array("name" => "Charlie", "children" => $children_family_1 );
function familytree( $input=array(),&$html ){
$html[]='<ul>';
foreach( $input as $index => $arr ){
if( array_key_exists( 'children', $arr ) && is_array( $arr['children'] ) ){
$html[]="<li>Parent: {$arr['name']}</li>";
$html[]="<li>";
/* recurse array to repeat structure */
familytree( $arr['children'], &$html );
$html[]="</li>";
} else {
$html[]="<li><input type='text' name='name[]' value='{$arr['name']}' /></li>";
}
}
$html[]='</ul>';
return implode( PHP_EOL, $html );
}
echo familytree( $family, $html );
The generated html:
<ul>
<li><input type="text" name="name[]" value="Adam"></li>
<li><input type="text" name="name[]" value="Beth"></li>
<li><input type="text" name="name[]" value="Danny"></li>
<li>Parent: Charlie</li>
<li>
<ul>
<li><input type="text" name="name[]" value="Mike"></li>
<li><input type="text" name="name[]" value="Nancy"></li>
<li>Parent: Oscar</li>
<li>
<ul>
<li><input type="text" name="name[]" value="Peter"></li>
<li><input type="text" name="name[]" value="Paul"></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>