Reference an object property with a variable - php

Question

I need to reference an object property with a variable like this:
$user = User::find( 1 );
$mobile = $user->getData( 'phone.mobile' );
The value of the $data property in the object is a jSON array. Right now my user class looks like this:
class User extends Authenticable {
protected $fillable = [
'email',
'password',
'data',
'token',
];
protected $casts = [
'data' => 'array',
];
public function getData( $key = null ){
if( $key == null ){
// Return the entire data array if no key given
return $this->data;
}
else{
$arr_string = 'data';
$arr_key = explode( '.', $key );
foreach( $arr_key as $i => $index ){
$arr_string = $arr_string . "['" . $index . "']";
}
if( isset( $this->$arr_string ) ){
return $this->$arr_string;
}
}
return '';
}
}
The code above, always returns '', but $this->data['phone']['mobile'] returns the actual value stored in the database.
I guess I am referencing the key in a wrong way, can someone point me to the right way to access the value, given the string 'phone.mobile'

Answer 1

Laravel actually has a built-in helper function for the exact thing you're trying to do called array_get:
public function getData( $key = null )
{
if ($key === null) {
return $this->data;
}
return array_get($this->data, $key);
}
See documentation for more information: https://laravel.com/docs/5.5/helpers#method-array-get