How can I access specific values in a complex array using a string as an index path without relying on eval() for security reasons?

How to Access Array Values Using a String as an Index Path

If you have an array with a complex structure, you may encounter the need to access specific values using a string representing the path to that value. Utilizing eval() is not recommended due to potential security vulnerabilities. Instead, it's possible to create a customized function that can handle this task.

Consider the following example array:

Array
(
    [0] => Array
        (
            [Data] => Array
                (
                    [id] => 1
                    [title] => Manager
                    [name] => John Smith
                )
         )
    [1] => Array
        (
            [Data] => Array
                 (
                     [id] => 1
                     [title] => Clerk
                     [name] =>
                         (
                             [first] => Jane
                             [last] => Smith
                         )
                 )

        )

)

You can establish a function that takes a string as an index path and the array to be accessed as input:

function($indexPath, $arrayToAccess)
{
    // $indexPath would be something like [0]['Data']['name'] which would return 
    // "Manager" or it could be [1]['Data']['name']['first'] which would return 
    // "Jane" but the amount of array indexes that will be in the index path can 
    // change, so there might be 3 like the first example, or 4 like the second.

    return $arrayToAccess[$indexPath] // <- obviously won't work
}

To implement the desired functionality, you can leverage the explode() function:

$paths = explode(":", $indexPath); 
$itens = $myArray;
foreach($paths as $ndx){
    $itens = $itens[$ndx];
}

In this example, $pathStr represents the input string path, and $myArray is the array you want to access. This code iterates through the elements of $paths, which are the substrings separated by the colon (:) in $indexPath, and updates $itens with the value at $ndx in the current $itens iteration.

As a result, $itens will contain the value you're seeking from the array, based on the specified string path. This method is safer and more flexible than using eval(), as it doesn't involve dynamically executing PHP code.

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