How Can I Properly Pass Arrays as URL Parameters in PHP?

Adapting URL Parameters to Accommodate Arrays

Developers often encounter the challenge of passing arrays as URL parameters. One commonly attempted approach involves assigning the array to a URL parameter in the following manner:

$aValues = array();

$url = 'http://www.example.com?aParam='.$aValues;

However, this method is ineffective as it assigns the entire array to a single URL parameter, leading to an invalid URL.

Another attempted solution is:

$url = 'http://www.example.com?aParam[]='.$aValues;

While this approach is slightly improved, it also results in an invalid URL.

Determining the Optimal Method

The ideal solution for this problem is to utilize the http_build_query() function. This function accepts query parameters in the form of an associative array:

$data = array(
    1,
    4,
    'a' => 'b',
    'c' => 'd'
);
$query = http_build_query(array('aParam' => $data));

The resulting URL will adhere to the following format:

aParam%5B0%5D=1&aParam%5B1%5D=4&aParam%5Ba%5D=b&aParam%5Bc%5D=d

This format translates to: aParam[0]=1&aParam[1]=4&aParam[a]=b&aParam[c]=d, effectively passing the array as intended.

The http_build_query() function ensures proper escaping by converting characters like [ and ] to their URL-safe equivalents, ensuring the resulting URL is valid and functional.

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