wddx_serialize_value

(PHP 3 >= 3.0.7, PHP 4, PHP 5)

wddx_serialize_value -- Serialize a single value into a WDDX packet

Description

string wddx_serialize_value ( mixed var [, string comment] )

wddx_serialize_value() is used to create a WDDX packet from a single given value. It takes the value contained in var, and an optional comment string that appears in the packet header, and returns the WDDX packet.


add a note add a note User Contributed Notes
chris at digitalbase dot com
05-Jan-2002 08:36
When serializing JavaScript objects to interact with PHP objects, you should make the JavaScript object's first entry a php_class_name.

PHP:
class myclass {
   var $name;
   var $age;
   var $ssn;
   ...
  
   function myclass() {
       $this->name = "";
       $this->age = "";
       $this->ssn = "";
       ...
   }
}

JavaScript:
// serialization example code is from the
// WDDX SDK http://www.openwddx.org
function SerializeMsg(name, age, ssn, ...) {
   var MyObj = new Object;
  
   // the following line is necessary in order
   // to deserialize back to a PHP object
   MyObj.php_class_name = "myclass";
  
   MyObj.name = name;
   MyObj.age = age;
   MyObj.ssn = ssn;
   ...
  
   // Create a new serializer "object" to do our work for us
   MySer = new WddxSerializer;

   // Serialize the Message variable into a WDDX Packet
   MyWDDXPacket = MySer.serialize(MyObj);

   // Output WDDX Packet so we can see what it looks like
   return MyWDDXPacket;
}

Now you can use this in a page which is its own form action:
<?php
// don't forget to include the class definition from above!
if (!isSet($wddx_packet))
  
$MyObj = new myclass();
else
  
$MyObj = wddx_deserialize($wddx_packet);
?>

<html>
<head>
<script language="JavaScript">
<!--
function Init() {
   // sets the form's text-elements
   tmp = document.MyForm;
  
   tmp.name.value = "<? echo $MyObj->name ?>";
   tmp.age.value = "<? echo $MyObj->age ?>";
   tmp.ssn.value = "<? echo $MyObj->ssn ?>";
   ...
}

function SerializeMsg(name, age, ssn, ...) {
// see above!
}

function SubmitForm() {
   // sumbits the form
   tmp = document.MyForm;
  
   tmp.wddx_packet.value =
   SerializeMsg(tmp.name.value, tmp.age.value, tmp.ssn.value,...);
   document.submit();
}
// -->
</script>
</head>
<body>
...
<form name="MyForm"
action="<? echo $PHP_SELF ?>" method="post">
<input name="wddx_packet" type="hidden">
<input name="name" type="text">
<input name="age" type="text">
<input name="ssn" type="text">
...
<input name="SubmitBtn" type="button" onclick="SumbitForm()">
</form>
</body>
</html>

---------------------------------
If you don't provide that first 'php_class_name' in the JavaScript function, then when PHP deserializes it will deserialize into an associative array and not an object instance.

Note that this provides a way to maintain state without
using sessions or cookies - just good old HTML!

Hope this helps!
--
Chris Hansen