Question

I am trying to create a multi-dimensional array whose parts are determined by a string. I’m using . as the delimiter, and each part (except for the last) should be an array
ex:

config.debug.router.strictMode = true

I want the same results as if I were to type:

$arr = array('config' => array('debug' => array('router' => array('strictMode' => true))));

This problem’s really got me going in circles, any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

Let’s assume we already have the key and value in $key and $val, then you could do this:

$key = 'config.debug.router.strictMode';
$val = true;
$path = explode('.', $key);

Builing the array from left to right:

$arr = array();
$tmp = &$arr;
foreach ($path as $segment) {
    $tmp[$segment] = array();
    $tmp = &$tmp[$segment];
}
$tmp = $val;

And from right to left:

$arr = array();
$tmp = $val;
while ($segment = array_pop($path)) {
    $tmp = array($segment => $tmp);
}
$arr = $tmp;