MySQL to nested JSON - php

Question

This is almost exactly what I want, but that question hasn't been answered and it's been a year. I've managed to get close, I think, but numbers are being printed as keys. In my example it shows up on line 47, but it is repeated for every "course_name" in the actual file.
[
{
"school_name": "Projects",
"terms": [
{
"term_name":"category_name#1",
"departments": [
{
"department_name":"sub_category_name1",
"department_code":"category code text here",
"courses":[
{
"course_name": "project1",
"course_code":"project 1 code text goes here",
"sections":[
{
"section_code":"mike",
"unique_id":"xxx#mail.com"
},
{
"section_code":"dan",
"unique_id":"xxx#gmail.com"
}
]
},
{
"course_name": "project2",
"course_code":"project 2 code text goes here",
"sections":[
{
"section_code":"steve",
"unique_id":"xxx#mail.com"
},
{
"section_code":"chris",
"unique_id":"xxx#gmail.com"
}
]
}
]
},
{
"department_name": "sub_category_name2",
"department_code":"sub category description text goes here..",
"courses": {
-->>> "69": {
"course_name": "project3",
"course_code":"project3 code text goes here ",
"sections":[
{
"section_code":"Alex",
"unique_id":"xxx#gmail.com"
}
]
}
}
}
]
}
]
}
]
Here is the query I am using and an example of data being returned.
SELECT school_name, term_name, department_name, department_code, course_code, course_name, section_code, magento_course_id
FROM schools INNER JOIN term_names ON schools.id=term_names.school_id INNER JOIN departments ON schools.id=departments.school_id INNER JOIN
adoptions ON departments.id=adoptions.department_id
"UCA-2" "SPRING 2013" "ACCOUNTING" "ACCT" "3315" "COST ACCOUNTING" "10258" 10311
What I have is being generated with this code.
$row_array = array();
$terms = array();
$departments = array();
$courses = array();
$h = 0;
$i = 0;
$j = 0;
while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($fetch)) {
$row_array[$row['school_name']]['school_name'] = $row['school_name'];
$akey = array_search($row['term_name'], $terms);
if ($akey === FALSE) {
$m = $h++;
$terms[] = $row['term_name'];
$row_array[$row['school_name']]['terms'][$m]['term_name'] = $row['term_name'];
} else {
$m = $akey;
}
$key = array_search($row['department_code'], $departments);
if ($key === FALSE) {
$k = $i++;
$departments[] = $row['department_code'];
$row_array[$row['school_name']]['terms'][$m]['departments'][$k]['department_name'] = $row['department_name'];
$row_array[$row['school_name']]['terms'][$m]['departments'][$k]['department_code'] = $row['department_code'];
} else {
$k = $key;
}
$skey = array_search($row['course_code'], $courses);
if ($skey === FALSE) {
$l = $j++;
$courses[] = $row['course_code'];
$row_array[$row['school_name']]['terms'][$m]['departments'][$k]['courses'][$l]['course_name'] = $row['course_name'];
$row_array[$row['school_name']]['terms'][$m]['departments'][$k]['courses'][$l]['course_code'] = $row['course_code'];
} else {
$l = $skey;
}
$row_array[$row['school_name']]['terms'][$m]['departments'][$k]['courses'][$l]['sections'][] = array('section_code' => $row['section_code'], 'unique_id' => $row['magento_course_id']);
}
How do I generate this JSON without those numbers showing up?

Answer 1

I think you have some key & encoding problems. Too much key usage, excessive loops in your code. Maybe you should tidy your sql query.
Since you are setting keys for courses, JSON shows it.
Try removing the key after "['courses']" in your last line such as;
Change ['courses'][$l] to ['courses'][]
At the end, encode the array for JSON.
$result = json_encode($result);