dolphin/single-functions/var-dump-to-array.php

<?php

/**
 *  dolphin. Collection of useful PHP skeletons.
 *  Copyright (C) 2013  Johannes 'Banana' Keßler
 *
 * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
 * it under the terms of the COMMON DEVELOPMENT AND DISTRIBUTION LICENSE
 *
 * You should have received a copy of the
 * COMMON DEVELOPMENT AND DISTRIBUTION LICENSE (CDDL) Version 1.0
 * along with this program.  If not, see http://www.sun.com/cddl/cddl.html
 */


/**
 * can return the output of var_dump() into a variable.
 * nested and complex strutures are supported.
 * based on an idea from stackoverflow 
 *
 * @param string The output of var_dump()
 */
function var_dump_to_variable($str) {

	if (strpos($str, "\n") === false) {
		//Add new lines:
		$regex = array(
				'#(\\[.*?\\]=>)#',
				'#(string\\(|int\\(|float\\(|array\\(|NULL|object\\(|})#',
		);
		$str = preg_replace($regex, "\n\\1", $str);
		$str = trim($str);
	}
	$regex = array(
			'#^\\040*NULL\\040*$#m',
			'#^\\s*array\\((.*?)\\)\\s*{\\s*$#m',
			'#^\\s*string\\((.*?)\\)\\s*(.*?)$#m',
			'#^\\s*int\\((.*?)\\)\\s*$#m',
			'#^\\s*float\\((.*?)\\)\\s*$#m',
			'#^\\s*\[(\\d+)\\]\\s*=>\\s*$#m',
			'#\\s*?\\r?\\n\\s*#m',
	);
	$replace = array(
			'N',
			'a:\\1:{',
			's:\\1:\\2',
			'i:\\1',
			'd:\\1',
			'i:\\1',
			';'
	);
	$serialized = preg_replace($regex, $replace, $str);
	$func = create_function(
			'$match',
			'return "s:".strlen($match[1]).":\\"".$match[1]."\\"";'
	);
	$serialized = preg_replace_callback(
			'#\\s*\\["(.*?)"\\]\\s*=>#',
			$func,
			$serialized
	);
	$func = create_function(
			'$match',
			'return "O:".strlen($match[1]).":\\"".$match[1]."\\":".$match[2].":{";'
	);
	$serialized = preg_replace_callback(
			'#object\\((.*?)\\).*?\\((\\d+)\\)\\s*{\\s*;#',
			$func,
			$serialized
	);
	$serialized = preg_replace(
			array('#};#', '#{;#'),
			array('}', '{'),
			$serialized
	);

	return unserialize($serialized);
}
?>