How can I store PHP arrays in cookies effectively?

Storing PHP Arrays in Cookies

Initial Problem: How do you properly store an array in a PHP cookie?

Solution 1: Storing Cookies as JSON

To preserve the array structure, convert the array to a JSON string:

<code class="php">setcookie('your_cookie_name', json_encode($info), time()+3600);</code>

Retrieve the cookie value:

<code class="php">$data = json_decode($_COOKIE['your_cookie_name'], true);</code>

Warning: Avoid using serialize/unserialize due to security issues.

Solution 2: Alternative Array Storage

Store array elements in individual cookies:

<code class="php">setcookie('my_array[0]', 'value1' , time()+3600);
setcookie('my_array[1]', 'value2' , time()+3600);
setcookie('my_array[2]', 'value3' , time()+3600);</code>

Access the array from $_COOKIE:

<code class="php">echo '<pre class="brush:php;toolbar:false">';
print_r( $_COOKIE );
die();</code>

This method relies on a PHP feature that treats cookie names containing array-like syntax as actual arrays.

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