How to: unserialize($data) if $data is serialized? - php

Question

Some data in my MySQL database is stored in serialized format, e.g. a:1:{s:3:"url";s:70:"http://www.myurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Crash_Test_Dummy-1.jpg";}
other data in the same type of field is stored unserialized, eg. http://www.myurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Crash_Test_Dummy-1.jpg.
Now when I try to retrieve data with $var=unserialize($data); with $data being the above unserialized string, I get an error Notice: unserialize(): Error at offset 0 of 69 bytes in ...
Is there a quick way to serialize all unserialized fields in my DB? Alternatively, is there a way to tell the server unserialize($data) if $data is serialized?
Thank you!

Answer 1

WordPress likes to complicate things a bit when it comes to store information on db...
If you are developing code inside WP, just use maybe_unserialize
Otherwise, you can copy that function form wp-includes/functions.php
/**
* Unserialize value only if it was serialized.
*
* #since 2.0.0
*
* #param string $original Maybe unserialized original, if is needed.
* #return mixed Unserialized data can be any type.
*/
function maybe_unserialize( $original ) {
if ( is_serialized( $original ) ) // don't attempt to unserialize data that wasn't serialized going in
return #unserialize( $original );
return $original;
}
/**
* Check value to find if it was serialized.
*
* If $data is not an string, then returned value will always be false.
* Serialized data is always a string.
*
* #since 2.0.5
*
* #param mixed $data Value to check to see if was serialized.
* #param bool $strict Optional. Whether to be strict about the end of the string. Defaults true.
* #return bool False if not serialized and true if it was.
*/
function is_serialized( $data, $strict = true ) {
// if it isn't a string, it isn't serialized
if ( ! is_string( $data ) )
return false;
$data = trim( $data );
if ( 'N;' == $data )
return true;
$length = strlen( $data );
if ( $length < 4 )
return false;
if ( ':' !== $data[1] )
return false;
if ( $strict ) {
$lastc = $data[ $length - 1 ];
if ( ';' !== $lastc && '}' !== $lastc )
return false;
} else {
$semicolon = strpos( $data, ';' );
$brace = strpos( $data, '}' );
// Either ; or } must exist.
if ( false === $semicolon && false === $brace )
return false;
// But neither must be in the first X characters.
if ( false !== $semicolon && $semicolon < 3 )
return false;
if ( false !== $brace && $brace < 4 )
return false;
}
$token = $data[0];
switch ( $token ) {
case 's' :
if ( $strict ) {
if ( '"' !== $data[ $length - 2 ] )
return false;
} elseif ( false === strpos( $data, '"' ) ) {
return false;
}
// or else fall through
case 'a' :
case 'O' :
return (bool) preg_match( "/^{$token}:[0-9]+:/s", $data );
case 'b' :
case 'i' :
case 'd' :
$end = $strict ? '$' : '';
return (bool) preg_match( "/^{$token}:[0-9.E-]+;$end/", $data );
}
return false;
}