Converting a php object into associative array - php

Question

I am trying to read the following php object result of an api call into an associative array. Has someone done this before or can otherwise help me?
I have tried object var dump, and array casting, but this just doesnt seems to work. I know I am doing something fundamentally wrong. Can someone help?
Many thanks.
Google_Service_Directory_Users Object
(
[etag] => "sfgsfgdsfgsdfgjkdjgfd"
[kind] => admin#directory#users
[nextPageToken] =>
[triggerEvent] =>
[usersType:protected] => Google_Service_Directory_User
[usersDataType:protected] => array
[collection_key:protected] => items
[modelData:protected] => Array
(
[users] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[kind] => admin#directory#user
[id] => 7642341239423
[etag] => "jasdfjshwer43537345fsdfs"
[primaryEmail] => info#example.com
[name] => Array
(
[givenName] => Info -
[familyName] => Example
[fullName] => Info - Example
)
[isAdmin] =>
[isDelegatedAdmin] =>
[lastLoginTime] => 2014-07-29T08:46:28.000Z
[creationTime] => 2014-07-29T08:31:56.000Z
[agreedToTerms] => 1
[suspended] =>
[changePasswordAtNextLogin] =>
[ipWhitelisted] =>
[emails] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[address] => info#example.com
[primary] => 1
)
)
[nonEditableAliases] => Array
(
[0] => info#example.com.test-google-a.com
)
[customerId] => fsdfdd4
[orgUnitPath] => /
[isMailboxSetup] => 1
[includeInGlobalAddressList] => 1
)
[1] => Array
(
[kind] => admin#directory#user
[id] => 3895729453245
[etag] => "fsajdfd64hkj4534h5k3454"
[primaryEmail] => user#example.com
[name] => Array
(
[givenName] => User
[familyName] => Name
[fullName] => User Name
)
[isAdmin] => 1
[isDelegatedAdmin] =>
[lastLoginTime] => 2014-08-26T09:05:49.000Z
[creationTime] => 2012-09-16T08:55:26.000Z
[agreedToTerms] => 1
[suspended] =>
[changePasswordAtNextLogin] =>
[ipWhitelisted] =>
[emails] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[address] => support#example.com
)
[1] => Array
(
[address] => help#example.com
)
)
[customerId] => fsdafwr4
[orgUnitPath] => /
[isMailboxSetup] => 1
[includeInGlobalAddressList] => 1
)
)
)
[processed:protected] => Array
(
)
)

Answer 1

First solution:
$array = json_decode(json_encode($nested_object), true);
Second solution:
function object_to_array($data) {
if (is_array($data) || is_object($data)):
$result = array();
foreach ($data as $key => $value)
$result[$key] = object_to_array($value);
return $result;
endif;
return $data;
}
both searched from the internetz