Want to see something scary and hacky? Check this out – it takes in a PHP array and makes a JSON message out of it:

[php]
function build($arr,&$str,$lvl=0,$in_arr=”){
$lvl++;
foreach($arr as $key => $value){
if(is_array($value)){
$str.=(($in_arr==1)?'{‘:”).'”‘.$key.'”: ‘;;

if(count($value)>1){ $str.='[‘;
}elseif(count($value)==1){ $str.=”;
}else{ $str.='{‘; }

build($value,$str,$lvl,1);

if(count($value)>1){ $str.=’]’;
}elseif(count($value)==1){ $str.=”;
}else{ $str.=’}’; }

$str.=($in_arr==1) ? ‘}’ : ”;
$str.=(next($arr)) ? ‘,’ : ”;
}else{
$str.=($lvl>1) ? ‘{‘ : ”;
$str.='”‘.$key.'”:”‘.$value.'”‘;
$str.=($lvl>1) ? ‘}’ : ”;
$str.=(next($arr)) ? ‘,’ : ”;
}
}
}
[/php]

And, of course, a sample of how to use it:

[php]
$my_data=array(
“foo”=>”1”,
“bar”=>”2”,
“baz”=>array(
“one”=>”1”,
“two”=>”2”
),
“test”=>array(
“my_test”=>array(
“one_more”=>”1″,”three_more”=>”test”
),
“your_test”=>array(
“two_more”=>”2”
),
“nest1″=>array(
“nest2″=>array(
“nest”=>”test”
)
)
),
“meedle”=>”squeedle”
);

$str=”;
build($my_data,$str);
echo ‘{‘.$str.’}’;
[/php]

Be afraid. Be very afraid 🙂

A community is not about the members that get the most noteriety.

A community is not about the programmers that do the cool things or the bleeding edge stuff.

A community is not a select few.

A community is a group of people, centered around a cause, looking to do the best that they can to belong and to find thier place in the rankings that the community imposes.

See, the PHP community is like any other. There are those out there that are the notables, the ones that get mentioned in press releases or in lots of news postings (yes, guilty, I know). But for each of the ones that gets creadit for the advancements in the languge, there are tens or hundreds more behind them pushing and helpong to get things done.

Here’s to the unsung heroes of the PHP community – those developers that remain nameless, but contribute their 110% to the language or to developing their applications. They work thing fingers to the bone (well, okay, so maybe not quite that much) trying to further the cause of PHP. There are countless developers looking to forge their own path through the PHP wilderness without getting the recongition they deserve.

Yes, I’m guilty of focusing on a “chosen few” that have proven themselves in the past and have made a name for themselves in the community, but there are tons more out there, woorking on their own projects, making their own ways that aren’t acknowledged and that aren’t brought into the public spectrum.

So, here’s to you the unsung programmers out there – thank you for all that you do to help the PHP community become what it is.

If you’re at the ZendCon 2006 this year, find me and I’ll buy you a drink.