How to "flatten" a multi-dimensional array to simple one in php?

Question

It's probably beginner question but I'm going through documentation for longer time already and I can't find any solution. I thought I could use implode for each dimension and then put those strings back together with str_split to make new simple array. However I never know if the join pattern isn't also in values and so after doing str_split my original values could break.

Is there something like combine($array1, $array2) for arrays inside of multi-dimensional array?

Thank you

Answer 1

A non-recursive solution (but order-destroying):

function flatten($ar) {
    $toflat = array($ar);
    $res = array();

    while (($r = array_shift($toflat)) !== NULL) {
     foreach ($r as $v) {
      if (is_array($v)) {
       $toflat[] = $v;
      } else {
       $res[] = $v;
      }
     }
    }

    return $res;
}

Answer 2

Use array_values. (Example from php site)

<?php

$aNonFlat = array(
    1,
    2,
    array(
        3,
        4,
        5,
        array(
            6,
            7
        ),
        8,
        9,
    ),
    10,
    11
);

$objTmp = (object) array('aFlat' => array());

array_walk_recursive($aNonFlat, create_function('&$v, $k, &$t', '$t->aFlat[] = $v;'), $objTmp);

var_dump($objTmp->aFlat);

/*
array(11) {
  [0]=>
  int(1)
  [1]=>
  int(2)
  [2]=>
  int(3)
  [3]=>
  int(4)
  [4]=>
  int(5)
  [5]=>
  int(6)
  [6]=>
  int(7)
  [7]=>
  int(8)
  [8]=>
  int(9)
  [9]=>
  int(10)
  [10]=>
  int(11)
}
*/

?>

Answer 3

function flatten_array($array, $preserve_keys = 0, &$out = array()) {
    # Flatten a multidimensional array to one dimension, optionally preserving keys.
    #
    # $array - the array to flatten
    # $preserve_keys - 0 (default) to not preserve keys, 1 to preserve string keys only, 2 to preserve all keys
    # $out - internal use argument for recursion
    foreach($array as $key => $child)
        if(is_array($child))
            $out = flatten_array($child, $preserve_keys, $out);
        elseif($preserve_keys + is_string($key) > 1)
            $out[$key] = $child;
        else
            $out[] = $child;
    return $out;
}

Answer 4

// $array = your multidimensional array

$flat_array = array();

foreach(new RecursiveIteratorIterator(new RecursiveArrayIterator($array)) as $k=>$v){

$flat_array[$k] = $v;

}

Also documented: http://www.phpro.org/examples/Flatten-Array.html